In a recently unveiled personal account, named Ithaki, the ex- leader Tsipras does not hold back while he revisits the chaotic era during Greece's financial crisis.
In the ex-PM's recollections, he chose the maverick academic Varoufakis to be his treasury head mainly due to his worldwide fame and his “extremely attractive” abilities when it came to speaker.
“He was, in reality, more like a celebrity and less of an economic expert,” wrote the 51-year-old.
Tsipras claims that his finance chief possessed his own motives that involved advancing Varoufakis's books as well as testing out his own theories on Greece instead of genuinely fighting for its financial survival.
Tsipras explained how those discussions to avoid insolvency were “not just a way of achieving improved terms for Greece. They became an experiment, a monumental opportunity to demonstrate the truth of his economic theories.”
Amid volatile discussions, Greece came dangerously on the brink of leaving the single currency area.
On the line was not only the country's future and the punishing cutbacks required in exchange for financial aid from international creditors.
Efforts to secure funds elsewhere, including an urgent plea to Russia to purchase Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.
Helping Greece was tantamount to tossing cash in the trash-can, the Russian leader reportedly told Tsipras in Moscow.
In July 2015, those harsh conditions were put to a public vote, a move which threw Europe into further existential crisis.
Even though the vote was carried resoundingly by those who opposed the cuts, the prime minister had little option but to ignore the result and agree to a bailout package from creditors which turned out to be tougher.
Tsipras revealed that he started questioning Varoufakis relatively soon.
“He was the face of negotiation, the man who attracted media attention, who appeared on the covers of publications the world over … it seemed he relished the spotlight.”
After Varoufakis outlined a contingency plan that included establishing a secondary currency and distributing vouchers to retirees, Tsipras said he realised it was game over questioning Varoufakis: “Is this for real?”
Within the book, the author concludes that his former ally demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for a deal demanding intricate and sensitive handling.”
Tsipras further claimed that his aggressive approach made him increasingly isolated among peers, put Greece at risk, while helped hawks who were pushing for a Greek exit from the euro.
The account of history has provoked fury along with shock among certain groups, whereas the former minister has kept a deafening silence on the matter.
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