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The English Premier League had Rafael and Fabio, the Bundesliga has Lars and Sven Bender – and our own NPL Victoria has Christopher and Kostandinos Droutsas.
It’s not every day that twin brothers come face-to-face in a game of football.
Fortunately for spectators and supporters this weekend, they’ll get to see the coming together of twins Christopher and Kostandinos, whose clubs – the high flying Kingston take on the struggling Eastern Lions at The Grange Reserve – will have pride on the line, especially for the brothers.
Christopher and Kostandinos both began their footballing careers at Hampton Junior Soccer Club, where they learnt the fundamentals of football.
They then went on to represent Beaumaris Soccer Club and Bentleigh Greens respectively, still remaining side-by-side.
Bentleigh Greens was a step in the right direction for the attackers who were able to hone their skills in a professional environment that embraced excellence and had a vision for young players.
At Kingston Heath, Christopher and Kostandinos learnt from the guidance of Under 20s coach Kevin ‘Squizzy’ Taylor, as well as their experiences training with John Anastasiadis’ senior side.
“Bentleigh was a great three years for us both. We learnt a lot training with the seniors and getting coached by Kevin Squizzy,” Kostandinos said.
Although those three years at Bentleigh were great for the brothers, senior game time was becoming a priority, and both Christopher and Kostandinos headed in their own directions to pursue that exact goal.
It didn’t take them too long to find new homes for the 2016 season. Christopher joined Eastern Lions, while Kostandinos signed with Kingston City.
Both described the differences they have experienced between Under 20s and senior football in the NPL Victoria.
“NPL2 seniors is obviously a much more physical game and much faster compared to the speed of under 20s,” Christopher said.
Kostandinos echoed his brother’s sentiments, adding: “Seniors is a much faster and more physical game, you have to be alert at all times.”
For Kostandinos, his first year of seniors has been with a Kingston side that is chasing promotion in the NPL2 East division.
He described the feeling of the push for promotion at the Grange as one of excitement and anticipation in a high-pressure environment.
“Being part of Kingston this year and experiencing the push for promotion as a player is great,” he said.
“It means everyone is always fighting for spots and we are all working together to improve every game.”
This Saturday is the first time Christopher and Kostandinos will face off against each other at senior level.
They’ll be fighting for bragging rights, which will make for an exciting and unique match this Saturday at the Grange.
“It feels pretty weird as it is the first year we have been apart, and it will definitely be an interesting game,” Christopher said.
“I can’t wait for the game, to show Chris that the older twin is always going to boss him around. First time we will be playing against each other, so it should be funny to see,” Kostandinos added.
Kingston will want to get back to winning ways this Saturday after an Atilla Ofli hat-trick saw them lose their second game for the 2016 season, while Eastern will also want to bounce back after their loss at home to St. Albans last weekend.
The clash takes place at the Grange Reserve this Saturday afternoon at 3pm.