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

Giannis Konstantelias was born in Volos on 5 March 2003. He took his first steps at Agia Paraskevi in his hometown. Even at the age of nine, he stood out there so much 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 was initially sent on loan to Belgian top-flight side KAS Eupen for six months at the beginning of 2022.

The attacking player made his definitive breakthrough in the 2023/24 season. That campaign, PAOK surprisingly won the Greek championship 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 for Greece several times alongside new BVB signing Konstantinos Karetsas.

Someone who wants to make the difference

Konstantelias is an attacking midfielder who feels especially comfortable between the lines. He can operate 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 define the 1.78-metre 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 times last season, and in the most recent Europa League qualifying campaign he recorded four direct goal contributions in four appearances over the past few weeks.

For a classic No. 10, he often gets on the ball inside 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 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 eye for goal, and he became one of PAOK’s great fan favourites.

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 opponents who press high.

Konstantelias wants to make BVB’s attack even less predictable and provide new impetus with his abilities.

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