Famous Greek Football Players

Greek footballer Sokratis Papastathopoulos began his career with youth teams such as AEK Athens. The dependable center-back won a Serie A with AC Milan and a German Super Cup with Borussia Dortmund, before joining Arsenal, with whom he won an FA Cup. He now plays for the Greek club Olympiacos.

Georgios Samaras is a Greek former football player who represented Manchester City in the Premier League from 2006 to 2008. He was also an important player for Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, helping his team win the Scottish league championships on four occasions. Georgios Samaras also represented his country in important tournaments like FIFA World Cups.

Greek footballer Kostas Manolas made headlines in 2021, when he rejected offers to play in Bundesliga and La Liga, to return to his previous Greek club Olympiacos. The promising center-back has also played for the Greek national team. He is the nephew of legendary Greek defender Stelios Manolas.

José Holebas is a German-Greek footballer who helped his team Olympiacos Football Club win the Greek Football Cup in 2012 and 2013. He currently represents Bayern Alzenau. Well-known for his skills as a left midfielder, José Holebas represented the Greece national team between 2011 and 2016.

Greek former footballer Giorgos Karagounis began his senior career as a midfielder for the Greek club Panathinaikos and went on to play for Inter Milan, Benfica, and Fulham, too. Known for his dribbling and passing skills, he has won the European Championship with the Greek national squad.

Konstantinos Mitroglou is a football player whose goal-scoring abilities have earned him such nicknames as Pistolero and Mitrogoal by fans. He created a club record in 2013 when he was transferred to the English Premier League club Fulham for £12 million. Also an important player for the Greece national team, Mitroglou has played in important tournaments like FIFA World Cup.

Konstantinos Mavropanos is a Greek football player who currently plays for the popular Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. He is also an important member of the Greece national football team. Before playing for VfB Stuttgart, Mavropanos has also played for Arsenal and FC Nürnberg. 

Giorgos Katidis is a Greek footballer who currently plays for the Super League 2 club Irodotos. A controversial player, Katidis celebrated his winning goal against Veria Football Club by giving a Nazi salute on 16 March 2013 while playing for AEK Athens. His gesture caused uproar in the media and Giorgos Katidis was banned from representing all Greek national teams.

Retired footballer Theodoros Zagorakis captained the Greek national team to their 2004 UEFA European Football Championship victory and was also the competition’s MVP. He has also been the president of PAOK FC. He was Greece’s longest-serving captain and later became a Member of the European Parliament.

Angelos Charisteas is a former football player who scored 25 goals in 88 games for Greece. An important player for his national team, Charisteas helped Greece win the UEFA Euro 2004 by scoring thrice; he also scored the winning goal against Portugal in the finals. After retiring, he began his career as a sporting director of Aris Thessaloniki in 2019.

Kostas Fortounis is a Greek footballer who has established himself as an important player for Super League club Olympiacos as well as the Greece national team. A superstar in the Super League scene, Fortounis has won two Super League Greece Player of the Year awards so far. Fortounis is known for his speed which creates goal-scoring opportunities.

Starting his senior career with Panachaiki, Andreas Samaris later won the Greek Super League with Olympiacos and multiple titles with the Portuguese club Benfica. He was also part of the Greek squad that played at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. A central midfielder, he can play both attacking and defending roles.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos is a Greek football player who has made a name for himself despite suffering a series of injuries over several seasons. During the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons, Papadopoulos won two Superleague Greece titles, two Greek Cups, and one Greek Super Cup for Olympiacos. Kyriakos Papadopoulos is also an important member of the Greece national team.

Apostolos Giannou is a Greek-Australian football player who currently represents the Australia men's national soccer team. He has also played for various clubs, including AEK Larnaca with which he won the Cypriot Cup during the 2017–18 season.

Apostolos Vellios is a Greek football player who has represented popular clubs like Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Ascoli. Standing at 6 ft 3 in, Vellios is an effective striker and is known for his aggressive style of play. He currently plays for Lamia Football Club which competes in Super League.

Odysseas Vlachodimos is a German-born Greek football player and one of the main goalkeepers of the current Greece national team. Vlachodimos is best known for his association with the Portuguese club Benfica; he helped the club win the Primeira Liga as well as the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in 2019.

Starting his youth career with Xanthi, Greek footballer Vasilis Torosidis also made his senior debut with them and later played for clubs such as Olympiacos, Roma, and Bologna. The right-back has recorded 6 Greek Super League wins with Olympiacos and has also been named the Greek Football Player of the Year once.

Once touted as Greece’s next big football star, Sotiris Ninis has had a lukewarm career. Starting his senior career with the Greek club Panathinaikos, he later played for Italian, Belgian, and Israeli clubs, and now plays as a midfielder for the Greek Super League team Volos.

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos is a Greek football player who emerged as the top scorer during the 2017–18 Greek Cup season for AEK Athens. During the same season, he was also adjudged Super League Greece Greek Footballer of the Year. Over the years, Lazaros Christodoulopoulos has won three Super League Greece titles and two Greek Cups with different teams.

Dimitrios Konstantopoulos is a Greek former football player and goalkeeper. He is best known for his association with Hartlepool United Football Club for which he made 117 league appearances. After retiring as a player, Dimitrios Konstantopoulos started his career as a goalkeeper coach for Hartlepool United in August 2021.

Greek former footballer Theofanis Gekas has spent most of his career playing for clubs in Germany, Greece, and Turkey, though he has also played in England and Spain. In 2004-05, he was the Greek Super League top scorer with 18 goals, while in 2006-07 Bundesliga, he was the top scorer with 30 goals.

Kostas Katsouranis is a Greek former football player known for his versatility as a defensive midfielder. In 2004, he helped his national team win the Euro 2004. In 2005 and 2013, Katsouranis received the Super League Greek Footballer of the Year Award. In 2008, Kostas Katsouranis was honored with the Cosme Damião Award under Footballer of the Year category.

Orestis Karnezis is a Greek football player and goalkeeper best known for his association with the popular Greek club Panathinaikos for which he won the Super League Greece title as well as the Greek Cup during the 2009–10 season. Orestis Karnezis also represented his national team as part of the 23-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in 2014.

Traianos Dellas is a Greek football manager who had success with AEK Athens between 2013 and 2021. A former player, Dellas helped Greece win the Euro 2004, during which he scored a silver goal, becoming the only player to do so in an international match. He also had success with AEK Athens as a player, winning the Greek Cup twice.

Kostas Stafylidis is a Greek football player who represents the national team. Over the years, Stafylidis has also been successful at the club level, having played for popular teams like PAOK, Bayer Leverkusen, and 1899 Hoffenheim. Kostas Stafylidis was also an important player for the Greek U19 team which finished second at the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Antonios Nikopolidis is a Greek former football player who is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the history of Greek football. Nikopolidis played a major role in Greece's win at the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship. He also had success with Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, winning several Greek Cups and Super League Greece titles for both the teams.

Stelios Giannakopoulos is a Greek former football player who achieved international recognition due to his successful association with popular teams like Bolton Wanderers and Olympiacos. Giannakopoulos also had a successful international career, winning the UEFA European Football Championship in 2004 for his national team. After retiring as a player, Stelios Giannakopoulos became a football manager.

Panagiotis Tachtsidis is a Greek football player who is known for his exceptional range of passing. Over the course of his career, Panagiotis Tachtsidis has played for several popular club teams, such as AEK Athens, Olympiacos, and Nottingham Forest. In 2021, he started playing for Al-Fayha. 

Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek former footballer who served as a key player for Greece from 2002 to 2010. At club level, he had success with Rangers; he helped the club win the Scottish Premier League in 2005. Sotirios Kyrgiakos is also known for his time with Panathinaikos, winning Alpha Ethniki and the Greek Cup during the 2003–04 season.

Stefanos Kapino is a Greek footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. An important player for the Greece national team, Kapino became the youngest player ever to play for the national team at men's level when he made his debut against Romania in 2011. At the club level, Stefanos Kapino has won the Greek Cup title and two Super League titles.

Dimitris Salpingidis is a Greek retired footballer known for his counter-attacking game. In 2008 and 2009, he was named Greek Footballer of the Year at the PSAP Awards. Salpingidis had a successful spell with Panathinaikos for which he won the Super League Greece and the Greek Cup during the 2009–10 season. He was also an important player for Greece.

Alexandros Tziolis is a Greek retired football player who won the German Cup during the 2008–09 season while playing for Werder Bremen. Tziolis also represented his national team in prominent events like Euro 2008 and two FIFA World Cups. A tall midfielder, Alexandros Tziolis was renowned for his powerful long shots.

Giorgos Donis is a Greek former football player who became the first Greek player to represent a team in the English Premier League. A two-time Greek League winner for Panathinaikos, Donis also helped the team win three consecutive Greek Cups starting from the 1992–93 season. Giorgos Donis has also won several championships as a manager with various clubs.

Angelos Basinas is a Greek former football player best known for his role in the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship where he helped his national team win the title. At the club level, Basinas won two Greek League titles and a Greek Cup for Panathinaikos. 

Giannis Maniatis is a Greek former football player best known for his association with the popular club Olympiacos for which he won six consecutive Super League Greece titles starting from 2011. He also helped Olympiacos win three Greek Cups. Giannis Maniatis was also an important player for the Greece national team from 2010 to 2017.

Loukas Vyntra is a Greek footballer and the current captain for the Super League club Lamia. In 2004 and 2010, Vyntra won the Superleague Greece title and the Greek Cup while playing for Panathinaikos; he played for the team from 2003 to 2013. Vyntra is also an important player for Greece and represented the national team at the 2004 Olympics.

Stefanos Athanasiadis is a Greek football player who emerged as a top scorer in Greek Cup during the 2012–13 season when he played for PAOK. He was later adjudged Super League MVP during the 2014–15 season. Stefanos Athanasiadis also played for the Greece senior national team from 2011 to 2015.

Former footballer Dimitrios Grammozis was one of the best defenders and defensive midfielders of his time and has played in almost 150 Bundesliga matches. While he has played for teams such as Kaiserslautern, he later coached teams such as Schalke 04 and Darmstadt 98.

Stelios Manolas is a Greek former football player who played his entire career for AEK Athens F.C., becoming one of only a few Greek players to have played their whole professional career for a single club. He was also an important player for his national team and is considered one of the best Greek defenders of his generation. 

Known to his fans as The Kid, Greek retired footballer Dimitris Saravakos was one of the greatest from his country and a star of Panathinaikos. Starting his youth career with Panionios, he emerged as one of the most talented attacking midfielders. He also captained the Greek squad at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Alexandros Tzorvas is a Greek former professional footballer. He used to play as a goalkeeper. He began his career as a member of the popular Panathinaikos football academy but struggled to find his footing. He eventually moved to OFI Crete for better opportunities. He has also played for Italy’s Serie A club Palermo. He retired in 2015.  

Former footballer Konstantinos Chalkias started his career with the Greek club Panathinaikos and later also played for the English club Portsmouth and the Spanish club Real Murcia. A talented goalkeeper, he was part of the Greek squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and also won a European Championship.