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Within his recently unveiled personal account, titled Ithaki, the former leader Alexis Tsipras does not hold back as he examines that turbulent era of Greece's financial crisis.

An Unconventional Choice

In Tsipras's recollections, he selected the maverick academic Varoufakis to be the finance minister primarily due to his worldwide fame along with his highly compelling skills as a speaker.

“In reality, he was, truthfully, more of a star and less of an economist,” wrote the 51-year-old.

Clashing Priorities

The former leader suggests that his finance chief possessed his own agenda that involved advancing Varoufakis's books and testing out his own game theories on the nation instead of truly advocating the country's economic stability.

Tsipras noted how those discussions to avoid bankruptcy became “not just a way to secure improved terms for Greece. They were an experiment, an historic opportunity to demonstrate the truth of his ideas.”

High-Stakes Talks

During volatile negotiations, Greece found itself dangerously close to leaving the single currency area.

On the line was both the country's future but also those punishing austerity measures required in exchange for bailout funds from international creditors.

Unsuccessful Options

Efforts to secure financing from other sources, such as an urgent appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek bonds, went unanswered.

Assisting Greece was equivalent to tossing cash in the trash-can, Putin is reputed to have informed his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Referendum and U-Turn

In July 2015, the punitive bailout terms were subjected to a public vote, an action that threw the EU into deeper crisis of identity.

Although the vote was carried resoundingly by those who opposed the cuts, Tsipras was forced but to ignore the result and agree to a rescue deal from foreign lenders which turned out to be even harsher.

Breaking Point

The ex-PM revealed that he began to doubt Varoufakis quite early on.

“Varoufakis was the public image of negotiation, the man who drew publicity, who appeared on the front pages of magazines globally … it seemed he relished the spotlight.”

After Varoufakis proposed a contingency plan involving establishing a secondary currency and issuing vouchers to retirees, Tsipras knew it was game over questioning him: “Can you be serious?”

Lasting Rebuke

In the memoir, Tsipras concludes that his former ally had proved himself “unsuitable for an agreement demanding complex and sensitive handling.”

He further wrote how Varoufakis's confrontational style made him more and more alone with colleagues, put Greece at risk, and helped hardliners that were pushing for a Greek exit from the euro.

This retelling of events has provoked fury and shock among certain groups, while the former minister has kept a deafening silence on the matter.