Silky skills, 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 so positively there 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 half a year on loan at Belgian top-flight club KAS Eupen at the beginning of 2022.

The attacking player made his definitive breakthrough in the 2023/24 season. In that campaign, PAOK were surprisingly crowned Greek champions under head coach Razvan Lucescu. Konstantelias played a major part 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.

One who wants to make the difference

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

Bold dribbling, plenty of creativity in dangerous attacking areas, and numerous direct goal contributions are hallmarks of the 1.78-meter-tall player. As a teenager, he said in an interview: “My playing style 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 receives the ball in the opponent’s penalty area unusually often and scored most 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 the finisher himself.

A creative building block for BVB

In Thessaloniki, the midfielder was celebrated for his attacking drive and eye for goal, and at PAOK he became one of the fans’ great 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.