When Professionalism Still Matters

In modern football, player power is stronger than ever. Discontent is often aired publicly, contracts become leverage, and social media has turned frustration into a negotiating tool. We have grown used to players forcing moves, managing injuries, or drifting through matches when things do not go their way.

And yet, professionalism still exists.

This is the story of a player who has not complained, not sulked, not agitated for an exit, and who has delivered whenever his team has needed him most, despite rarely being guaranteed anything more than a substitute’s role.

Enter Stefan Dražić.

The 33 year old Serbian striker arrived at APOEL in the summer of 2024 from Hungarian side Mezőkövesd Zsóry. On paper, it did not look like a glamorous move. Mezőkövesd finished rock bottom, but Dražić still registered 10 goals and 6 assists, a contribution made even more remarkable by data shared by X account @HungarianFooty, which claimed Dražić was directly involved in 52% of the team’s goals that season.

He was APOEL’s first striker signing of that summer, but he was not the headline act. That role belonged to Olympiakos legend Youssef El Arabi, who arrived with a heavyweight reputation and, if the stories are to be believed, his salary paid upfront. Dražić, by contrast, arrived quietly and would spend much of the season doing his talking on the pitch.

In APOEL’s first ten league matches of the 2024–25 season, Dražić completed the full 90 minutes just twice. Often, he was introduced late, sometimes for little more than a cameo. And yet, even with limited minutes, he still produced two goals and three assists, early proof that he did not need volume to make an impact.

By the end of 2024, his numbers told a compelling story. Fifteen league appearances, only four starts, but six goals and four assists. Two of those goals came in the Eternal Derby against Omonoia, as APOEL clawed back from 2–0 down to earn a draw. Dražić was not just decisive in front of goal. His work rate, intensity and refusal to accept defeat set the tone for a comeback driven as much by attitude as ability.

January 2025 brought another obstacle. Fan favourite and club legend Pieros Sotiriou returned to APOEL after seven and a half years abroad, pushing Dražić even further down the pecking order. Still, the response was the same.

Dražić featured in ten of the final eleven Championship round fixtures, starting four of them and scoring three times. He finished the league campaign with nine goals and six assists in 25 appearances, despite playing 30 minutes or more in only 15 matches.

Across all competitions, including Europe and the domestic cup, he ended the season with 44 appearances, 10 goals and 9 assists. In Europe, he completed 90 minutes just once in nine matches. Context matters too. This was a season in which APOEL went through four different head coaches: David Gallego, José Domínguez, Manolo Jiménez and Vangelis Samios. Dražić outlasted them all.

During the play offs, he appeared in nine of ten games but did not score. Yet criticism would feel misplaced. In six of those matches, he was given 20 minutes or fewer. This was also a period marked by financial instability, with players experiencing late payments. Did Dražić complain? No. Did he push for a move? No.

Unlike the fanfare laden arrival of El Arabi, complete with carnival style celebrations, Dražić quietly stayed, committed to the club and resisting the temptation to jump ship in the summer of 2025.

Pre season brought little comfort. Pablo García was appointed head coach, Brazilian “investors” were hovering, and new signings followed. Dimitrios Diamantakos arrived. Pedro Ataíde arrived. Nikolas Koutsakos returned from loan and was integrated as a highly rated young option. Once again, Dražić’s future looked bleak.

In September, reports emerged that AEL had offered Dražić a contract. He turned it down. He chose to fight.

The season began predictably, with Dražić as backup to Sotiriou. He made five appearances in the opening ten games, two of them lasting less than three minutes, and still managed to score twice.

Then, on matchday 11, everything changed.

Sotiriou suffered an ACL injury in a 2-1 home defeat to AEL, and Dražić was handed the responsibility of leading APOEL’s attack. He responded exactly as he always has, by delivering. Four goals in the next five matches, repaying García’s trust with substance rather than noise.

His performance in the recent 2-1 victory over a stubborn Akritas side summed him up perfectly. One of his two goals came deep into added time, a pressure penalty calmly converted, once again dragging APOEL out of trouble.

Should Dražić leave in the summer, no APOEL supporter, or neutral, could question his commitment, professionalism or value. In an era obsessed with leverage and self interest, Stefan Dražić has quietly reminded everyone that reliability, humility and work ethic still matter.

For now, the forgotten man has become the irreplaceable one.