Leonidas Stergiou is a footballer who thinks outside the box and takes things one step at a time. On Wednesday evening, he and VfB Stuttgart will face RB Leipzig in the Cup semi-final.
02.04.2025, 05:01
SDA
When Leonidas Stergiou made his Super League debut with St. Gallen in a home match against FC Zurich on February 6, 2019, he was just 16 years old. Only Raphael Wicky reached the 100-game mark in Switzerland's top division at a younger age. However, it was not the case that the quick and strong defender from eastern Switzerland dreamed of a professional career from an early age; rather, his focus was always on the next step.
When Stergiou made the leap into the St. Gallen first team, he was still training to become a businessman at the United School of Sport. Finishing this was out of the question for him, which also has to do with his upbringing. He is the son of a Serbian mother and a Greek father and grew up as a Christian. Being down-to-earth is very important in the family.
Stergiou describes honesty as his most important value. "You should be allowed to say what you think, other opinions should be accepted," he says in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. It is also important to be able to say no. "Mutual understanding leads to better coexistence in society. At the end of the day, we are all equal."
Performance coach for optimization
These statements suit Stergiou, who is very open-minded, interested in many things and well-read. He leaves nothing to chance, which is why he has hired a performance coach at his own expense, with whom he works week after week on topics such as regeneration and nutrition in order to be in optimum physical condition. He is aware that details make all the difference. "I'm a person who tries to get the most out of myself every day and develop myself further, not just in football but also in personal development."
Nevertheless, Stergiou struggled with an insidious back injury at the start of the season. An arch root became inflamed, he needed a lot of patience and was only able to play again in November. This was all the more annoying as he had fought his way into the Stuttgart team at the end of the previous season and also played for Switzerland at the European Championships.
Focus on what can be influenced
Stergiou initially moved to VfB on loan from St. Gallen in August 2023. There he had to take a back seat for the time being. In the first 28 rounds of the Bundesliga last season, he was only in the starting eleven once and was substituted nine times. When right-back Josha Vagnoman injured his foot on April 6, 2024, he seized the opportunity.
How difficult was it for him in the early days at Stuttgart, when he hardly played at all? "Of course it wasn't easy, but I'm a realist. I joined a team that worked. In the initial phase, it was all about acclimatizing myself and trying as best I could to adapt to the higher level. I wanted to prove to the coach and myself that I could do it."
As frustrating as the back injury was, Stergiou did not dwell on it. He quickly accepted the situation, "because I knew there was no point in dwelling on it for too long. What I wanted to change was the duration of the injury. I considered every possible measure to return as quickly as possible. That's what I was able to influence." In general, he is a patient person.
So far this season, Stergiou has made eight appearances from the start for the Bundesliga club in all competitions. In the championship, he was recently absent twice due to a suspension, although he was already suffering from an injury and was therefore unable to make the squad for the Swiss national team. He is now fit again.
Contract until 2028
Regardless of whether Stergiou will play in the Cup semi-final against RB Leipzig on Wednesday evening: The fact that he has convinced those responsible at Stuttgart is underlined by his contract until 2028. "There is no better place for me in Germany," says Stergiou, who greatly appreciates having two Swiss teammates in Fabian Rieder and Luca Jaquez. Stergio lives around 30 minutes outside Stuttgart, 15 minutes from the training ground. "I'm not a city person, I like to have my peace and quiet. It's green there, I have vineyards around me, there are nice walks. That helps my general well-being," says Stergiou.
Is there a dream destination for him outside of Germany? "I treat it like a little boy, I don't give it much thought. Of course there are top clubs that you might want to move to at some point as a footballer. But right now I'm just concentrating on delivering the best possible performance at VfB."
Goal against Bayern Munich
Where does he still see the greatest potential for improvement as a footballer? "I certainly need to get stronger in attack." So far, he has only scored twice in his professional career, once for Stuttgart. His goal in the Bundesliga came against Bayern Munich of all teams. "That was incredible for me and is a great memory," Stergiou looks back.
The next great memory will be reaching the final of the DFB Cup. The last time VfB reached the final was in 2013, when they lost 3:2 to Bayern Munich. The last triumph in the cup was 28 years ago, the last championship title 18 years ago. Stergiou senses the euphoria among the fans ahead of the semi-final, all the more so as things are not going according to plan in the championship in 11th place and Stuttgart have picked up just two points in their last six games. "It's an opportunity for us that we absolutely want to seize," said Stergiou. It would be another milestone for him after February 6, 2019.
