Josef Kvida: “I fell in love with this club”

Josef Kvida will continue wearing the Apollon shirt until 2030, highlighting the club’s intention to build its future around players with quality, personality and leadership characteristics.

The Czech central defender, who quickly developed into one of the team’s key pillars, speaks about his contract renewal, his relationship with the club and the fans, his leadership role and the major goals he hopes to achieve with Apollon in the coming years.

Josef, you signed a new contract until 2030. What does this mean to you?

“It means a lot to me. I work every day to stay in the best possible condition and to deserve something like this.

The fact that the club shows so much trust in me means a lot and I truly appreciate it.

There were many factors behind this decision. I had many discussions with my family and with people I trust and in the end we reached a decision that made both sides happy.

From the very first moment I felt really good here and I’m happy that I will continue with Apollon.”

What was the biggest factor behind your decision?

“I fell in love with this club. We have an excellent group of players, very good people in the coaching staff and generally throughout the whole organisation.

My family and I feel genuinely happy here and that was very important for me.

I believe Apollon is a club that fits me perfectly. I’m happy here, the fans are happy with me and I feel there is mutual appreciation.

I hope that in the coming years we can achieve even more things and bring Apollon where the club truly belongs.”

Was there interest from other clubs?

“Yes, there was interest and there were offers, but in my mind Apollon was always the priority.

While I was speaking with the club, I didn’t want to think about anything else. My priority was to stay here and once we found an agreement, everything became clear.”

How important was your relationship with the coach in making this decision?

“Very important. We have an honest group and an honest coaching staff. We always speak openly with each other and that creates trust.

When there is trust and everyone enjoys the daily work inside the team, then you can build something really strong.”

Having already spent several years in Cyprus, what different did you find at Apollon?

“There is a different culture here. Everyone is clear, polite and treats each other with respect.

There are no egos or feelings that someone is above someone else. That’s something I really appreciate and one of the reasons why I enjoy my time here so much.”

You quickly took on a leadership role in the team. How do you experience that?

“It doesn’t really change me. I’m the same person whether I wear the captain’s armband or not.

I always try to help others and share my experience with the younger players. I’ve been in Cyprus for six years now, I have experience and I want to help the team in every possible way.”

Your performances and numbers place you among the top defenders in the league. Do you feel that as well?

“I don’t like to say myself whether I am the best or not. There are people in football who can judge those things better.

What I can say is that I have a lot of confidence in myself, I believe in my abilities and I work every day to stay at the highest possible level.

There are many quality defenders in the league, but I’m happy with my consistency and performances over the last few years.”

Five goals for a central defender is an impressive number…

“They could have been even more! I had a few more chances.

I always try to improve and help the team in every aspect of the game.”

When you arrived at Apollon, you said the goal was to return to Europe. The team achieved that. How do you see it?

“It’s very important, but I believe this is only the beginning.

Over the last few months we have done an excellent job as a team. We reached the Cup Final, we returned to Europe and I believe the best moments for Apollon are still ahead of us.”

How important is it that several key players are staying at the club?

“It shows that the club wants to build something strong and stable.

If we keep the core of the team together and add a few more quality players, I believe we can achieve very big things in the coming years.”

What do you want to achieve personally with Apollon until 2030?

“I want to win titles. I believe a lot in myself and in the team.

If we have belief, the right mentality and continue pushing ourselves every day, I believe everything is possible.”

Who would you like to thank for this renewal?

“I especially want to thank my family, my wife, the president and the sporting director because they did everything possible to make this agreement happen.

I’m happy that in the end we managed to do it because without them it would not have been possible.”

What message would you like to send to the Apollon fans?

“I want them to continue supporting us until the end, like they always do.

When the fans are with us, they give us huge strength. We want to continue living big moments together and make our supporters proud.”