2025/26 season review & interview
By Vasili Melissis (in collaboration with @tzolispage and @hellasfooty)
SUCCESS AND HEARTBREAK
Starting this off with a summary of last season to begin this piece.
Christos Tzolis was coming off a sensational career-resurgence season with Fortuna Düsseldorf, where you could see that not only was he playing to prove his doubters wrong, but he was destroying the competition.
You could tell that he was playing for his career, to show people that the player Norwich City spent €11m on (and didn’t use) was still in there.
He nearly promoted Fortuna Düsseldorf to the Bundesliga and finished that season with 24 goals and eight assists in 37 matches in all competitions.
He was then purchased for a small fee due to a clause that Norwich included in the Fortuna Düsseldorf loan.
Fortuna Düsseldorf used their purchase option of €3.5m and then immediately flipped him to Club Brugge for €6.5m, even though he was likely worth around €10m at the time according to various market valuations.
Christos Tzolis immediately left his mark, scoring in the loss against Union SG in the Belgian Super Cup.
It was a performance, though, that left Club Brugge fans excited for what else was coming.
Christos Tzolis in this 24/25 campaign had some dips in form, but it was also a season to remember,
Tzolis scored his first UEFA Champions League goal, winning multiple Man of the Match awards, and ending the season on fire.
He also won the Belgian Cup while having one of the best Champions’ Play-off runs ever seen in Belgium.
Despite Club Brugge ultimately losing the league to Union SG by three points, Christos Tzolis finished the season with his best campaign in a respected European league, recording 21 goals and 14 assists in 56 matches.
He also had a great UEFA Nations League campaign with Greece, where he officially became a regular starter, recording three goals and one assist in seven matches.
BREAKOUT SEASON!
Christos Tzolis had lots of interest from some decent clubs in Europe after the ending of his previous season, mostly from Italy and England,
There was even a confirmed bid of just over €30m from Crystal Palace was rejected by Club Brugge.
It set the stage for Christos Tzolis to not only repeat his previous season, but to live up to that €30m valuation, and potentially reach a figure worth even more than that.
Christos started the season with a goal and an assist, getting revenge from last season in a Belgian Super Cup victory over Union SG.
This was a season where Christos Tzolis had some injuries and some games missed due to illness, but overall ended up being nearly flawless.
In my season reviews, I usually speak about how great he was, while also noting areas to improve or add to his game.
But what can you even say after this season?
Christos Tzolis’ “pre-playoff phase” was already an incredible season.
I said in an earlier post though that we shouldn’t expect him to repeat his previous Champions’ Play-offs.
Not only did he end up repeating it he surpassed it.
He had the most goal contributions ever in a single play-off run, and put himself into second place all time in Belgian Pro League Champions’ Play-off history with only 20 matches played.
Once again, what can I even say in this review besides that his season was an 11/10?
I’m not even afraid to say that Christos Tzolis might’ve just had the best season by a Greek attacking player… ever?
Honestly, it was that great. Sure, you can say it’s “just the Belgian league.” Okay, what about his goal against Atalanta in the UCL?
What about his goal against Atlético Madrid in the UCL?
What about his assist against Barcelona in the UCL?
Christos Tzolis also led Greece in goals in this year’s World Cup Qualifiers, scoring a goal against each opponent he played.
Tzolis has not only presented himself as the best Greek player in the world this season, but he’s now officially entering superstar status.
I truly believe that if his next move is the correct choice, whenever it may happen, that he’ll be a household name for years to come.
He’s that good, and everyone should be paying attention now.
Tzolis had 25 goals and 30 assists this season for club and country in all competitions.
Read that again… that’s 55 goal contributions. That’s the most assists in the world this season.
Only Harry Kane had more league goal contributions in Europe’s top eight leagues than Christos Tzolis this season.
You could once again push back and say, “Oh but it’s just the Belgian league,” so how did Club Brugge qualify for their second consecutive UCL knockout appearance?
It wasn’t an accident. Christos Tzolis’ season also wasn’t an accident. This has been years in the making.
After the insane and unfair career mismanagement at Norwich, the injuries at Twente, the career revival at Fortuna Düsseldorf, and the breakout at Club Brugge.
This has been a long time coming. Christos Tzolis has officially arrived, and I don’t believe that he’s going to slow down anytime soon.
I actually think that this might just be the beginning. Buckle up.
My Personal Season Rating: 10/10
INTERESTING TZOLIS STATS
Christos Tzolis finishes his 2025/26 campaign with a whopping 55 G/A in 62 matches overall (59 starts).
He had an outstanding Champions’ Play-offs, putting together eight goals and ten assists for 18 G/A in just 10 matches en-route to his first Belgian Pro League title.
He finished 1st in assists by more than double the player in second place, finished 2nd in goals behind his teammate Tresoldi, and overall had so many assists that even if he hadn’t scored a single goal in the league, he still would’ve led the league in G/A.
Tzolis also led the Greek National Team in goals, and from the wing, during their World Cup qualifying campaign this season, scoring three goals in six matches.
An incredible season filled with goals, assists, trophies, and records.
WANTED ACROSS EUROPE!
Christos Tzolis is a wanted man. There’s obviously going to be interest from all over Europe.
Christos even said this in a recent interview: “There will be interest, but I feel good here. It would have to be a Champions League team from England, Germany, Spain or Italy. If Paris Saint-Germain came to ask for me, I would definitely consider leaving. But in France, only Paris is a better option than Club Brugge.” (Het Laatste Nieuws)
Adding to this, CEO Bob Madou stated: “For the highest potential transfer fee, one must look to England. He said that if a club from Italy, Spain, Germany or France calls for Christos Tzolis, it becomes difficult to get the right transfer fee, but for any club from England, he is affordable.”
It really makes it seem like if Christos Tzolis does end up leaving Club Brugge, that it’ll have to end up being a Premier League club.
There have also been reports that Manchester United and Arsenal have sent scouts to watch some of Tzolis’ most recent matches! (Dimitris Manakos)
Who knows what will happen this summer, but if Christos Tzolis does end up going to a Premier League team that plays Champions League football next season, Tzolis will have the ultimate platform to showcase his talent for the entire world to see.
Interview with Christos Tzolis — by Vasili Melissis
- Obviously, with you, there are the goals and assists, but in your opinion, which part of your game do you think you’ve intentionally improved the most?
“I think that I’m able to play as a wide winger and inverted more or less with the same effect on my performance, and in 1vs1 situations I feel much stronger this year.”
- Question from a follower of tzolispage (@yangscout on X): Club Brugge’s youth academy is known as one of the best and was once again put on full display at this year’s UEFA Youth League. Who’s a player from that team, or from Club NXT, that you’ve seen more closely and could see making the jump to the first team in the near future?
“I believe Argus (Vanden Driessche) can have a good career ahead of him with great potential. He already trains with us, and I can see his qualities.”
- Last season, you gave the answer ‘Tijjani Reijnders’ for the most underrated player you’ve ever played against. With another full season under your belt, would you like to update your answer?
“This year I would say Mikkel Damsgaard. I was really impressed by him in both games against Denmark, really good positions between the lines, and he’s a very creative player.”
- You’re one of the faces of the next generation of Greek football. For you, what is your goal with the national team in the near future?
“For sure our goal from now on is to be in the next Euros 100%. But we have to show it on pitch with stronger performances.”
- Who do you ultimately think will win the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Who do you think is a potential underdog that could make a deep run? And a player to keep an eye on?
“That’s hard to say, but I believe France will win it. Potential underdog I’ll say Ecuador. Player to keep an eye on: Antonio Nusa.”
- You’re clearly an ambitious player. What’s something you dream of achieving in your career? Something you feel you absolutely need to pursue to give yourself a proper chance.
“Of course, it is always nice to dream and have targets. It would be amazing to win the UCL and play in the knockout stages of the World Cup.”
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