When asked if Grygera was willing to cooperate, he was enthusiastic immediately. We call him, and he answers kindly. "In Italian or English, what shall we do?" the Czech begins. He does not hide his love for Italy when we ask why he speaks Italian so well. "Italy is my second home. I played there, go there often, and have an apartment there; I love the country."
Currently, the former Ajax player lives in the Czech Republic. "Yes, in the Moravia region, about two and a half hours from Prague." Grygera is doing well. "I am now the vice-chairman of my youth club, FC Zlín. I'm busy with that for about two days a week and mainly work around the matches. But I'm in Prague weekly because all the contacts are there. I have a lot of contact with my friend Tomáš Rosický; he is on the board of Sparta Prague."
Sportive
Scrolling through his Instagram account, we see mostly sporty photos: Ajax, Juventus, cycling, hiking, and skiing. "After my football retirement in 2012, I stayed active and took up a lot of sports. I did a 120-kilometre mountain bike race back then and trained for six months for it. After that, I travelled a lot, skied in Italy, and worked as a football analyst for Czech television. Despite having retired early due to injuries, I found and still find it important to stay fit."
Grygera began his football career at FC Zlín, a club near his hometown. A few years after he decided to quit at his last club, Fulham, he was approached by his youth club. "They asked if I wanted to help as a board member. I was up for it. The club was struggling, and I thought it was a great challenge. After my arrival, we were quickly promoted, and the energy in the club was fantastic. In 2017, we achieved our greatest success by winning the national cup and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. Last season, we were relegated to the second division, and I stopped working intensely for the club after eight years."
"Now, I enjoy my family and my free time, and I do a lot of cycling and running. But I still love the game and like to stay connected to the football world," the former defender continues. "Maintaining my contacts is important because I still enjoy working in football."
Time in Amsterdam
Sparta Prague was the club that picked up Grygera from FC Zlín in 2000. In 2003, he made the move to Ajax. "Amsterdam was wonderful for the start of my career. Everyone there supported me well, and playing in the ArenA, and the UEFA Champions League was amazing."
Grygera experienced some initial difficulties, but things went well afterwards. "The beginning was a bit tough because of the language. My last two seasons went really well, and I was also the vice-captain then. I spent much time with Tomáš Galásek, Bogdan Lobont, Jaap Stam, Yannis Anastasiou, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Maxwell. The latter two were, like me, managed by Mino Raiola. I learned a lot from him during my first years in Amsterdam; he was a very pleasant man."
After more than a hundred matches, a championship, and two cups, Grygera made the move to 'his' Italy in 2007. "My dream was Italy, and the move to Juventus came at the right time. I tell everyone: my career was amazing, and the cities I lived in were fantastic. Prague, Amsterdam, Turin, and London, what more could you want?" he says proudly.
Slavia Prague
As a former international player for the Czech Republic and ex-player of Sparta Prague, he closely follows football in his homeland. "A lot has changed in recent years. Together with Slavia Prague, we were the best teams in the country during my time, and the team consisted almost entirely of Czechs. More than twenty years later, things are different, especially at Sparta. English is spoken within the team, and only a few Czech players are left. Even the last two coaches weren’t from the Czech Republic."
"It's a bit less so at Slavia," he continues about Ajax's opponent. "There's still the same coach: Jindřich Trpišovský. He has been there for a long time and is successful in Europe and the domestic league. In addition, many African players play at Slavia Prague."
Grygera is clear about what Francesco Farioli’s team can expect in Prague. "Slavia is a very fit team. They play with high pressure, are physically strong, and often chase the opponent. The players are very fit and keep running. They played in Italy a while ago, and people there were impressed by the number of kilometres covered by Slavia. But they have always been like that; fitness is very important. Ajax must be physically prepared if they want to beat Slavia Prague."
On the field, it will be tough, according to Grygera. But Slavia Prague is also very present off the field. "The fans are very passionate, especially in Prague. The stadiums are full, and the supporters are passionate and make a lot of noise. And there's a lot of rivalry in the Prague derbies with many skirmishes on the field. It's comparable to Feyenoord – Ajax, only this one is in the same city. The winner is the leader of the city until the next derby. Moreover, becoming the champion is now very important in the Czech Republic because a direct ticket to the Champions League is at stake for next season."
Respect
"It's great that Ajax are coming to Prague. The city and especially Slavia Prague, are happy to play against Ajax and are looking forward to their arrival. Slavia has great memories of the matches against Ajax. They won in 2007 (2-1), which gives the fans a good feeling. It's still one of the greatest matches in their history. But they have a great deal of respect for Ajax", the former Ajacied continues.
Back to Thursday, back to the here and now. "Slavia away is difficult. They will do everything to beat you on and off the pitch. It's a tough opponent with quality and a smart coach. He prepares them tactically for every team and switches quickly in matches. Who will win? That’s hard to say. Perhaps I'll go to the stadium to watch because I think it would be nice to see Ajax again", Grygera concludes.
