Silky skills and big ambitions: this is Giannis Konstantelias | OneFootball

Giannis Konstantelias was born on March 5, 2003, in Volos. He took his first steps at Agia Paraskevi in his hometown. Even at the age of nine, he stood out there so positively that he regularly trained with older players. In 2013, he moved to the youth academy of PAOK Thessaloniki. There, he continued to develop over the following years and received multiple awards at national and international youth tournaments.

Konstantelias made his professional debut for PAOK in January 2021 at the age of 17 in the Greek Super League against OFI Crete. On his way to becoming a regular starter, he first spent the first half of 2022 on loan at Belgian top-flight side KAS Eupen.

The attacking player made his definitive breakthrough in the 2023/24 season. That year, PAOK were crowned surprise Greek champions under head coach Razvan Lucescu. Konstantelias played a major role in that success with nine goals and six assists.

In 2024/25, he was even voted the best Greek player in the Super League. He has also since become an established figure in the Greek national team. Konstantelias now has 18 senior international caps and has already lined up several times for Greece alongside new BVB signing Konstantinos Karetsas.

Someone who wants to make the difference

Konstantelias is an attacking midfielder who feels particularly comfortable between the lines. He can operate centrally behind the striker, but was also occasionally used on the left wing in Thessaloniki.

Bold dribbling, plenty of creativity in dangerous attacking areas, and numerous direct goal contributions define the 1.78-meter-tall player. Even as a teenager, he said in an interview: “My style of play is creative, technically demanding, and I always try to bring something special in the final third.”

Across all competitions, he scored 13 goals last season, and in the most recent Europa League qualifying campaign he delivered four direct goal contributions in four appearances over the past few weeks.

For a classic number 10, he often gets on the ball in the opposition penalty area and scored a large share of his goals for PAOK from there. Giannis Konstantelias is a player who actively looks for solutions and wants to create the decisive moments – whether as a provider or as a finisher himself.

A creative addition for BVB

In Thessaloniki, the midfielder was celebrated for his attacking drive and goal threat, and at PAOK he became one of the crowd favorites.

With Giannis Konstantelias, Borussia Dortmund are getting a technically gifted and versatile attacking player. Against deep-lying opponents, the Greek can be just as valuable with his creativity and courage as he can against high-pressing sides.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.