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Within his freshly published personal account, called Ithaki, the ex- leader Alexis Tsipras does not hold back while he revisits that turbulent period of Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Appointment

According to Tsipras's recollections, he selected that unorthodox academic Varoufakis to be the treasury head mainly because of his international reputation and Varoufakis's highly compelling abilities as a communicator.

“He was, in reality, more of a star rather than an economist,” wrote Tsipras.

Conflicting Agendas

The former leader claims that Varoufakis had a personal motives which involved promoting Varoufakis's books and testing out his game theories using Greece rather than genuinely fighting for its financial survival.

Tsipras wrote that the discussions to avoid insolvency became “not only a method to secure a better deal for Greece. They became a test, a monumental opportunity to prove the validity of his theories.”

Critical Negotiations

Amid volatile negotiations, Greece came dangerously close to leaving the single currency area.

On the line was both the country's destiny and those harsh austerity policies required in return for rescue loans by international creditors.

Failed Alternatives

Attempts to find funds elsewhere, including an urgent appeal to the Kremlin to purchase Greek government bonds, fell on stony ground.

Assisting the indebted country would be equivalent to throwing money in the trash-can, Putin reportedly informed his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Referendum Followed by U-Turn

In July 2015, those punitive conditions were put to a public vote, a move which threw the EU into a further existential crisis.

Even though the referendum was carried resoundingly by those who opposed austerity, Tsipras was forced but to reject its outcome and agree to a bailout package with creditors that proved to be even harsher.

Breaking Point

Tsipras revealed that he began to doubt Varoufakis quite early on.

“Varoufakis was the face of negotiation, the figure who attracted media attention, who graced the covers of magazines globally … it seemed he relished his new role.”

When Varoufakis proposed a contingency plan that included establishing a secondary currency and distributing vouchers to retirees, Tsipras knew it was the end questioning him: “Can you be serious?”

Enduring Rebuke

In the memoir, the author concludes that his former ally demonstrated himself “unsuitable for an agreement demanding intricate and delicate handling.”

He also claimed how Varoufakis's confrontational style made him more and more alone with colleagues, endangered the country, and assisted hardliners who were pushing for a Greek exit from the euro.

This retelling of history has provoked fury and shock in some quarters, while the former minister has so far maintained a conspicuous quiet regarding these claims.