Pafos's secrets »How he managed to penetrate the Champions League group Little Club founded 11 years ago: The Bet of Russians
Article by Daniel Scorpie – published Wednesday, August 27, 2025, 09:05 / Updated Wednesday, August 27, 2025 09:25
From a club that until a few years ago the fight to survive in the first league, Pafos He grew exponentially, becoming a well -organized one, with vision, ambition and potential. The elements that led him to the top of Cypriot football and now in the Champions League group, after successfully participating in the past edition of Conference League.
His ascension Pafos It's not accidental at all. It is the result of strategic planning, investments, patience and confidence in a route that is sure, step by step: conquest in 2023-2024 of the Cup of Cyprus (the first trophy in the club history!) And winning the title (2024-2025), also for the first time!
I know their value, I saw all Pafos's matches. They are very good level players, they have many very good strangers. Have invested and I think their value is greater than our players. That was on the ground
Dan Petrescu, Former coach of CFR Cluj, at the Play-off in Conference League 2024-2025
Pafos was founded 11 years ago! Had no trophy by 2024
PAFOS FC was founded in 2014 by the merger of two historic clubs in the city: Apop and AEP. This union aimed to create a strong football group, which could compete with the traditional Cypriot football forces.
Vlad Dragomir (right), at a half of qualification in the Champions League. Photo: Imago Images
From the beginning, he set out to become not only a reference point for the city of Pafos, but for the entire island of Aphrodite. However, the first seasons were difficult and full of challenges, relegations and promotions, as well as constant efforts to achieve stability.
The big turning point for Pafos FC came in 2017, when the club came into the property of Russian investors with British citizenship Sergey Lomakin and Roman Dubov. From that moment, everything has changed. The club has acquired a serious administrative structure, a professional functioning and a clear development plan.
In 2017 two Russian investors with British citizenship came
Pafos began to invest in quality foreign footballers, simultaneously emphasizing infrastructure, youth academies and a modern football philosophy.
Juan Carlos Mărcedo (52 years old) has 107 matches on Pafos FC / Photo Technical Bank: IMAGO
Under the guidance of people with solid knowledge of football and high experience technicians, such as Norwegian Henning Berg (former defender at Manchester United, who came between 2022 and 2023), the team began to outline their own identity.
18.62Millions of euros is the bonus that will be paid by the UEFA lui Pafos only for qualifying in the group of Champions League
15-20 million, scouts, coach and foreign sports director
From 2023 were attracted players with experience in major European leagues, once The budget began to grow, reaching somewhere between 15 and 20 million euros today.
Bruno, Pepe, Muamer Tankovic, Joao Correia and Ivan Sunjic enjoy one of the goals scored for Pafos against the red Star Belgrade / Photo: Imago
Pafos has won the respect and admiration of all, and his name will now be forever associated with top football in Cyprus
Phileftheros, Cypriot daily
It was built a solid defense, creative means and an attack line with celebrities like Tankovic, Kvida and Júnior, so Pafos posed great problems in Cyprus forces: Apoel, Omonia, Apollon and Aek Larnaca.
After Berg, a Spanish from Zaragoza was employed and former assistant to PSG and Arsenal. Juan Carlos Madedo Mardones is the one who laid the foundations of the current team, with the help of Italian sports director Cristiano Giaretta (worked in Udinese, Tska Sofia and Watford) and the scouting team led by a Brazilian (Pedro Henrique) and a Portuguese (Rodolfo Filipe Aniceto Vaz).
Stelios Kyriakides stadium, full at every match of Pafos
The Stelios Kyriakides stadium is full at every match, the atmosphere reminiscent of the stadiums in Western Europe. And football has now become part of daily life in Pafos.
20.85Millions of euros is the total amount to which Pafos's group is evaluated on Transfermakt. The players with the highest quotas are the Portuguese midfielder Pepe (2 million), Vlad Dragomir (1.8), the extreme Swedish Tankovic, the Sunjic Bosnian midfielder (both 1.5) and the Croatian Orsic Peak (1.3)
The children wear the team's shirts with pride, the streets are decorated with flags, and the first champion title brought to Pafos was a prelude for the huge performance obtained last night, in the return with the Red Star Belgrade.
