– A boring news, said the U21 manager after revealing the national team future of Christos Zafeiris (21).
Published: 27.08.2024 12:21 | Updated: 27.08.2024 14:05
The 21-year-old has chosen to continue his national team career for Greece. He has 47 matches for Norwegian youth national teams.
– Christos lived in Greece until he was nine years old. He has Greek parents and Greek grandparents and is expected to play a central role in the Greek national team. For him to stand and sing the national anthem in Athens where he was born was what his heart told him. National teams are about the heart, said Jalland at a press conference.
Jan Peder Jalland
National team coach for Norway’s U21 national team.
Jalland said there has been close dialogue between him and Zafeiris in recent weeks.
– There have been many conversations. The senior national team staff has done a great job in mapping and evaluating Christos for the senior national team. Christos is a fantastic guy, a good person and a loyal player, said Jalland.
– He is very grateful for everything he has experienced with Norway; everything has been positive. He is a very emotional boy who has made a difficult choice, but it is a choice I understand and respect. I hope everyone else does too, because this is a very good guy and player that we will obviously miss.
When Ståle Solbakken appeared at his press conference just after Jalland, Zafeiris also became a topic.
– I have also talked to him. He says he has been promised one thing or another by Greece, and that he is supposed to have the Martin Ødegaard role there. He can’t get that here – and as of now, he isn’t good enough either, said Solbakken.
See the entire call-up here:
He also emphasized that Zafeiris could become a potential candidate in the future, but that as national team manager, he cannot make any promises.
– I could have promised him gold and green forests, called him up and made it impossible for Greece to do the same, but then not take him with me in the coming years. That is also not right. That is not how it works; you have to have both heart and brain involved, said Solbakken.
Zafeiris plays for Slavia Prague and has 42 matches for the Czech team. He has previously played for Haugesund and Grorud in Norway.
The U21 national team will meet Latvia on September 5 and Italy in Stavanger on September 10. Here you can find the entire squad:
Facts
U21 Squad
Magnus Sjøeng – Vålerenga
Sander Tangvik – Rosenborg
Leo Fuhr Hjelde – Sunderland
Robin Dahl Østrøm – Silkeborg
Tobias Guddal – Tromsø
Brage Skaret – Fredrikstad
Oliver Braude – Heerenveen
Eskil Edh – AIK
Fredrik Oppegård – PSV Eindhoven
Mathias Fjørtoft Løvik – Molde
Thelonious Aasgaard – Wigan
Isak Hansen-Aarøen – Werder Bremen
Kristian Malt Arnstad – Anderlecht
Sverre Nypan – Rosenborg
Sivert Mannsverk – Ajax
Sondre Auklend – Bodø/Glimt
Sindre Walle Egeli – Nordsjælland
Joel Mvuka – Lorient
Marius Broholm – Rosenborg
Sondre Ørjasæter – Sarpsborg 08
Seedy Jatta – Sturm Graz
Lasse Nordås – Tromsø
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