Photographers have been eagerly waiting for him to smile, but to no avail. Even when he scores, he doesn’t get rid of his serious mask. Behind that mask lies the real Erik Sabo.

After getting over the language barrier and talking to Sabo, one realizes that they have the wrong impression about him. He seems to enjoy that and –for the first time- there is a smile on his face.

Being so demure is perhaps a kind of defence he developed since his childhood, being a member of the Sabo team. Erik was born in Šúrovce, a little village near Trnava and was brought up in a household full of children. He is the fifth in line of the ten children! Six boys and four girls born to Ľuboš and Antonia.

“Growing up in such a big family isn’t that easy, but I had a good time”, he says, adding: “If you think about it, it is fun. There was always someone at home to talk to and play. We would quarrel all the time of course, but that’s beyond the point!”

Trnava fight club

Quarreling was on the daily menu. The low-key and peaceful Erik was a brawler back then. “It was all I did back then. Fighting and playing football on the street with friends. We had smashed almost all windows of the neighbourhood with that ball!”

In an effort to cut down on the cost of the glass repairs and help his son become more disciplined, Erik’s father registered him in the local football academy at the age of 6-7. Later, the boy would join a sports school. He didn’t stop brawling though.

“I was in fifth grade and it was my first day in the new school. Some children made fun of me for being a novice. I waited for the school day to be over, not to get in trouble from the first day, but when we left the premises there was hell. Nobody dared to tease me again”.

Ľuboš’s advice (“be a good man and everything will come your way in life”) and gentle push towards football were fruitful. The boy gradually calmed down, found himself and showed more than a talent for smashing windows. Soon he joined Spartak Trnava.

That meant he had to move away from his warm yet noisy home and move to the big city. “I always liked coming back home though. Whenever I had a Sunday free, I would go to my parents’ house for a big family meal”.

First time out of Slovakia

His move to PAOK broke that tradition, but didn’t sever communication. His father is the first to call after the games, either to congratulate him or criticize him if he gives less than he can on the pitch. Above all, he wants to make sure that his son is well.

The Slovakian player had a tough time adapting to his new life in Thessaloniki. “It’s tough the first time away from home, away from your family and without knowing the language”, he admits. “That was the tough part of adaptation. I couldn’t say or understand anything. Now things are better, I am trying to make friends, I got to know my teammates, I am learning English”…

Now he feels more at ease in the dressing rooms, he speaks to more players than just his countryman Róbert Mak and brings out his singular sense of humour. He remains expressionless though, leaving everybody wondering if he is serious or making fun.

Soon Erik will stop being alone in Thessaloniki and will welcome his own family. His wife Eli, whom he met five years ago in a Trnava night club and they’ve never been apart since, and their son Sebastian, born a few months ago. They are also planning a Sabo family reunion in Chalkidiki this summer.

Until then, he is spending his free time by watching his son on Skype and tennis matches on TV (especially those featuring Roger Federer). He also reads history books on the mafia activity in Slovakia.

• Eric Sabo’s Life Story was published in the first issue of Toumba Magazine. You can get PAOK’s official magazine free of shipping charge in all Greece, by just clicking HERE