Cypriot side Pafos FC will mark their maiden Champions League debut this midweek – only a decade plus after the team’s founding.
In recent seasons, the club has made waves by entering European tournaments for the very first occasion last season, reaching the Conference League last 16 and winning their inaugural top-flight trophy.
Now, they have reached yet another major accomplishment by navigating three stages of UEFA Champions League play-offs to qualify for the main competition – joining only one other teams, besides Kazakhstan’s club Kairat Almaty, to appear for the first time.
Tel-Aviv, Kyiv and Serbian giants Red Star were all beaten by Pafos during the preliminary phase.
The prize is eight games in the league phase, featuring a home game against German champions Bayern and an visit to London club Chelsea, kicking things off with a game in Greece against Piraeus-based club this midweek.
"The whole team was in ecstasy," commented veteran Brazilian and Chelsea defender the experienced star, who signed for the club in the summer, regarding the instant Pafos secured entry.
"Everybody was overjoyed because we achieved something incredible. Not a soul expected us to qualify for the UCL this term."
"I'm very happy to be here because I can experience this feeling, with the squad’s ambition, to do something special."
Established Eleven Years Ago: A Brief History
Pafos came into existence in eleven years back when a pair of teams from the area combined – Kouklia FC and Paphos AFC – who also had been formed in a merger in 2000 of additional clubs in the district.
They started in the second division and alternated that and the elite league until the acquisition in 2017 by Roman Dubov, a investor with dual nationality who had a spell as Portsmouth FC chairman in 2011.
"The goal was straightforward – we aimed to build something fresh, something able to challenge, something viable – not just a soccer side but one that could return value to the community," he remarked recently.
"The nation is a place with a profound passion for football and, in Pafos, we were confident that we had an possibility to develop something from the ground up."
There was no immediate triumph, nevertheless.
"Owners have completely changed the team, without a doubt. It was a club that found it hard to remain in the first tier."
"In Mediterranean countries, the emotion is extreme. So, if the side succeeds, all will go to the ground. If the club fails, few supporters will go. It’s all or in the average."
"They made some wrongs, expenditure that did not yield them returns. They have been investing since that year. There was some experimentation to arrive at this point."
British Managers Take a Turn
Scotland's the former defender, now Dundee FC gaffer, had nineteen matches in charge in 2018.
From Wales the coach had twenty-one fixtures in that campaign.
England's the experienced manager led the squad for a brief period in 2021.
Several ex-Rovers players tried, also – ex- Manchester United defender the Norwegian and once at Madrid defender the Spaniard, who was technical director but also had two caretaker spells.
And as a player, ex-Premier League star Puncheon was at Pafos from three seasons.
The Turnaround Begins During Tenure of Former Arsenal Assistant
Things changed with the arrival of Spanish Juan Carlos Carcedo in June 2023. He had been Unai Emery's assistant manager at several teams, including Arsenal.
He managed Ibiza and Real Zaragoza before moving to Cyprus.
Carcedo's debut campaign in charge ended with the team’s first-ever trophy – the last season’s Cypriot Cup, with a convincing win over AC Omonia, who were on their own turf for the game.
Next term Pafos navigated three stages of Conference League preliminaries, finishing in the top half in the league phase and then winning in the play-offs before being eliminated by Djurgardens in the knockout stage.
They concluded the campaign as champions of Cyprus for the first occasion – securing the championship by a clear margin and earning a route to the elite competition.
Jaja's late goal in Pafos' match at home against Red Star Belgrade to level it at 1-1 (three-two) sealed their berth in the group stage.
"Cyprus’ leader of Cyprus the official is a very big Pafos FC supporter who goes to the arena."
"He attended the fixture. He saw it with tension. At the final whistle he was jubilant like a child. He was overjoyed. There was a popular clip of him cheering like a kid."
"It's like winning the championship in Cyprus, it's that big a achievement."
"It's like a record you mark next to your name – one top honor, one cup and one elite appearance. It's a major issue here."
'In My View We Can Make History'
This summer, Pafos completed the shock acquisition of defender Luiz, who at the his late thirties had been with {Fortaleza|Fort
