First Team

“The start of a new career”

An interview with Denis Vavro about how he rediscovered his love of football in Spain.

A footballer’s career often has highs and lows – and Denis Vavro has already experienced plenty of the latter. In this interview, the 28-year-old defender discusses how he rediscovered his passion for the game and how Kamil Grabara has become like a brother to him.

Denis, we often see you with Kamil. How would you describe your relationship?

Denis Vavro: “We’re like brothers. During our time in Copenhagen we lived in the same house and travelled to training every day together. We never ran out of things to talk about so we hardly ever put any music on.”

Did you hit it off straight away?

Denis: “I met him for the first time when I returned to Copenhagen in January 2022. I speak Polish, so that certainly helped in terms of communication. After a couple of weeks we were inseparable.”

There is a very emotional video of the pair of you on your Instagram channel. Can you tell us a bit about that moment?

Denis: “That was a great moment for us, the last game in the Champions League group stage against Galatasaray. We had to win to reach the last 16 - and we did. After the final whistle, all of the tension turned into raw emotion.”

You also played alongside Jonas Wind at Copenhagen and you know Peter Christiansen form your time in Denmark too. What was it like to have so many familiar faces in a new place?

Denis: “It’s a funny coincidence, almost like a school reunion. Personally, it really helped me to quickly get used to my new surroundings.”

It footballing terms, your time in Serie A was very challenging...

Denis: “That’s true. Everything was pretty much perfect before the Corona pandemic. I was young and living the dream. The situation changed dramatically after that. I hardly played anymore and searched in vain for answers. Sometimes I even had to train with the U20 team. Even when the first team was short of players in defence, midfielders were chosen before me. I lost my love of football during that time.”

How did you find it again?

Denis: “During my spell on loan at SD Huesca. I made my debut against Barcelona and after that I played almost every game. I’m very grateful for my time in Spain. The club gave me a chance to prove to myself and everyone else that I have the quality to perform against big teams. All of a sudden, I was enjoying my passion again and I loved every second on the pitch. I called my parents and said, ‘I’m going to keep going’. It felt like the start of a new career.”