Greece aim to write new chapter spearheaded by talented young generation

Twenty-two years after the epic triumph at EURO 2004, when a national team without big names defied all odds and achieved a feat that even Homer couldn’t have imagined with more creativity, Greece looks ahead with renewed confidence.

The passion for football in the Hellenic country is well known, not only for how club fans live it, but also for how the sport fills the streets of cities - from the capital, Athens, to quieter places like Thessaloniki and especially Volos, a small but fertile cradle of talent, as proven by the rise to prominence of Charalampos Kostoulas and Ioannis Konstantelias at top-level football.

Greece head coach Ivan Jovanovic wants enthusiasm and joy from his squad in the 2026/27 Nations League. This continental competition could serve as a major springboard for a Greek national team aiming for Euro 2028.

The road is long, and their group rivals are, on paper, very tough. But the energy driving the Greek squad is natural, coming from well-trained legs and skilled feet. And the first two matches will be very telling of their potential.

Creative wingers

The Nations League is the next big test: For the first time, Greece has been promoted to League A and Ivan Jovanovic has called up 26 players for the first four matches against Serbia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Among the most interesting names is Christos Tzolis, who at 24 is already one of the national team’s attacking leaders.

The winger recently moved from Club Brugge to Arsenal, who invested 40 million euros in the summer of 2026 to bring him to London. With Greece, he has already reached 34 caps and nine goals, and in the 2026 European qualifiers he scored three times in six matches.

Mikel Arteta already values him highly, and he represents one of the wings of the 'Nike' of Samothrace, the goddess of victory in Greek classical tradition.

If the Gunners’ winger represents a generation now ready to compete with the elite, Konstantinos Karetsas is instead the symbol of the future. The attacking midfielder, born in 2007, has just left Genk for Borussia Dortmund, signing a contract until 2031.

Last season, he finished the Belgian league with 11 assists, the second-best tally in the competition, and at just 18, he already has 10 caps and three goals with the senior national team.

Raised in Belgium but of Greek descent, he speaks his parents’ language fluently, and his left-footed flair starting from the right makes him a perfect complement to Tzolis, who instead starts his runs from the opposite flank.

Goals in their veins

But Karetsas isn’t the only youngster representing this new era. Kostoulas, also born in 2007, is experiencing a particularly important moment at Brighton.

The striker has been a standout in the Premier League in recent weeks, and on September 19th, he also scored against Arsenal in Brighton’s 3-0 win. That was his third goal in eight days, a run of form that has quickly drawn attention to his name.

The son of a legendary Greek defender, he chose a different path from his father, aiming to score goals rather than prevent them. His older brother, Konstantinos, is a central defender at OFI Crete.

Right now, he is the man of the moment for the Greeks, but as a centre forward, they can also rely on the experience of Vangelis Pavlidis, who boasts 57 caps and 10 goals for Greece and is coming off a top-level season with Benfica. Also not to be forgotten is 27-year-old Tassos Douvikas, a key player for Como, a club with big ambitions in Italy and Europe.

New challenge

The picture shows a team in transition. Alongside veterans like Odysseas Vlachodimos, Kostas Tsimikas, and Giorgos Masouras, Jovanovic has brought in increasingly younger players who are used to competing in top leagues.

It’s no coincidence that four of the most exciting names of the new Greek generation - Karetsas, Tzolis, Kostoulas, and promising goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis are making their mark at major clubs in Europe’s top leagues.

The challenge now is to translate this individual growth onto the international stage. Greece last appeared at the EUROs in 2012, and for the World Cup, you have to go back to 2014.

It’s been too long a wait for Greek fans, who, at the start of the season, lost a creative player like Giannis Konstantelias. But they haven’t lost the joy of believing in something new.

At the Marakana in Belgrade, a fierce stage, the first act will take place, and everyone in Greece hopes it will be a new chapter in the history of a football movement that is still too much on the periphery.

Follow Greece's Nations League opener vs Serbia.