There's still much of the Netherlands in Hatzidiakos: 'Beautiful and free-flowing football, that's how I grew up'

Greece defender Hatzidiakos, trained by AZ and now at Copenhagen, carries Dutch football philosophy into Friday's Nations League clash at the Johan Cruijff Arena.

Pantelis Hatzidiakos will face the Netherlands on Friday night as a Greek international in the Nations League, but his roots run deep in Dutch football. The 29-year-old centre-back, born on the Greek island of Rhodes to a Greek father and Dutch mother, spent twelve formative years at AZ after joining their academy at fourteen, eventually becoming captain.

Hatzidiakos credits his time in the Netherlands with shaping his playing style. "I like to play from the back, have lots of possession, control and dominate the match," he says. "That's the football I like to see and play. I took that with me from the Netherlands. My first touch, my passing, short and long—I learned that there." He missed Greece's first four Nations League matches with a calf injury.

Greece has undergone a transformation in recent years, moving away from relying on established stars abroad. Young players like 18-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund) and 19-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton) now feature alongside domestic talent from PAOK and Olympiakos.

A new policy mandates that clubs field two youth players in the starting eleven for cup matches, giving young talent genuine opportunities. Greece sits level on points with the Netherlands after four matches, with wins over Serbia and Germany and draws against the Netherlands and Germany.