Kostas Fortounis

Kostas Fortounis
Fortounis with Greece in 2013
Personal information
Full name Konstantinos Fortounis
Date of birth (1992-10-16) 16 October 1992
Place of birth Trikala, Greece
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Winger
Club information
Current team
 Olympiacos
Number 7
Youth career
2003–2008 Olympiacos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2010 Trikala 13 (0)
2010–2011 Asteras Tripolis 24 (1)
2011–2014 1. FC Kaiserslautern 70 (2)
2014– Olympiacos 109 (43)
National team‡
2010–2011 Greece U19 15 (1)
2011–2015 Greece U21 14 (4)
2012– Greece 36 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 October 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:58, 12 October 2018 (UTC)

Konstantinos "Kostas" Fortounis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Φορτούνης; born 16 October 1992) is a Greek footballer[1] who plays for Olympiacos and the Greece national team. He was born in Trikala but comes from nearby Kalabaka in Thessaly.

Club career

Trikala

After leaving Olympiacos' youth team in 2008, Fortounis moved to Trikala to play for AO Trikala. After an impressive spell in the Under-21 side scoring four goals in 14 matches, he began his career with the first team in the fourth division, where from 2008–2010 he played in 30 matches and scored 26 goals.[2]

Asteras Tripolis

Because of his good appearances with the Greece under-17 national team, Vangelis Vlachos, Asteras's manager convinced him to join the Peloponeesean team. He made his debut in a draw with PAOK in Tripolis. Used predominantly as a substitute, the teenager clocked up 24 league appearances, scoring his first Super League goal on 19 September 2010 in a 2–2 draw at AEK Athens FC, unable, however, to save the side from relegation.[3] Due to his good performances at Asteras, Juventus made an offer in the winter transfer window for a loan transfer until summer with an option to buy him.[4] Asteras finally declined Juventus's offer.

1. FC Kaiserslautern

In the 2011 summer transfer window, Fortounis moved to Kaiserslautern on a contract until June 2015 after being transferred for an undisclosed fee.[5] In his first season with the club, the midfielder made 28 league appearances[6] but endured a second successive relegation. He reportedly attracted interest from Dutch champions Ajax and Italian champions Juventus midway through the season.[7]

In the 2012–13 season he scored twice in 24 appearances as he helped Kaiserslautern to a third-place finish in the German second tier only to miss out on promotion due to defeat in the promotion/relegation play-off with Hoffenheim.[3] On 16 April 2014, he missed his first final of his career in the semifinal of DFB-Pokal by facing as a substitute a 5–1 loss from the German champions Bayern Munich.[8]

Olympiacos

On 22 July 2014, Fortounis signed a four-year contract with Olympiacos returning to the club after six years. He finished his first season at Olympiacos with 10 goals and 5 assists in a total of 36 games in the league and in the Europa League.[9] In the Greek Cup final, he scored the third goal in the 80th minute as Olympiacos achieved a record 27th cup win by defeating Skoda Xanthi 3–1.[10] Meanwhile, Fortounis celebrated the first double of his career. He finished the 2014–15 season having 36 appearances (10 goals, 5 assists) in all competitions.

Fortounis opened the 2015–16 Superleague Greece season for Olympiacos by scoring in a 3–0 win over Panionios, the first season's goal of the club.[11] In his second match of the season against Levadiakos, he secured the victory by scoring the second goal in stoppage time. He was named "Man of the Match".[12] On 22 September 2015, he scored twice in Olympiacos's 3–1 defeat of Skoda Xanthi, also assisting his teammate Jimmy Durmaz for the opening goal. He was again named "Man of the Match".[13] On 26 September 2015, he scored for the second league match running against PAS Giannina in a 5–1 home win.[14] On 29 September 2015, he scored the second goal in an UEFA Champions League away match against Arsenal, giving the lead to his club as his corner was spilled by David Ospina and, as the goalkeeper attempted to gather it, crossed the goalline. Fortounis proved a huge threat from set pieces as he found Felipe Pardo on the edge of the box to score the first goal.[15] His performance gained him a spot in the UEFA Champions League "team of the week".[16] In October, it was reported that Tottenham were scouting him after his performance in London against Arsenal and that they had inquired about his price tag being informed that Olympiacos could sell the Greek attacking midfielder with a fee in the region of €15 million.[17][18] On 17 October 2015, in the 7th matchday of the Greek Super League he scored two goals in a 4–0 home win against rivals AEK Athens FC after being brought onto the pitch in the second half.[19]

On 4 November 2015, in a 2–1 victory over 10-man Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League, Fortounis missed a penalty before making an assist in the 90th minute.[20][21] On 29 November 2015, Fortounis netted twice (one penalty) helping his club to reach a 3–1 home win against his former club Asteras Tripoli. It was the 11th win in a row for the club equalizing the club record from the 1966–67 season. Once, he was declared "Man of the Match" and his contribution to this club record came along with his first place in the top scorers table so far in the season.[22][23] On 5 December 2015, he scored with a penalty kick in a 4–3 away win against Panthrakikos.[24] On 19 December 2015 Fortounis converted two penalties helping Olympiacos to a 2–0 victory against Kalloni, their 15th win of the first half of season during which they remained unbeaten.[25][26] On 31 January 2016, he scored a brace and assisted once in his club's 3–0 win over PAS Giannina at Zosimades Stadium. He was named "Man of the Match" once more.[27] On 11 February 2016 and despite the rumours linking him with Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Fortounis wants to renew his contract at Olympiacos. The Bundesliga club are very keen on Fortounis, having watched him in action recently, however the player himself is not looking for a transfer.[28] On 21 February 2016, in a crashing 4–0 victory against Atromitos he scored the last goal as a late substitute.[29] According to newspapers' reports Tottenham continue to keep an eye on Olympiacos attacking midfielder. A Tottenham scout watched Fortounis in action in the 4–0 win over Atromitos and he is going to check him again on Thursday for the second leg against RSC Anderlecht in the UEFA Europa League .[30] On 25 February 2016, he scored his first goal in European competitions with a penalty kick in a club 2–1 home loss from R.S.C. Anderlecht for the 2nd leg of the last 32 of UEFA Europa League.[31] On 20 March 2016, Fortounis became only the third player in Olympiacos' history with 10+ goals and assists in one season after Super League's away match against Asteras Tripoli. Argentine midfielder Chori Dominguez achieved this "double-double" last season (15 goals, 11 assists), while former captain of the team Predrag Đorđević had done it for three consecutive years, from 2001–02 until 2003–04.[32] On 10 April 2016, he netted a goal and gave an assist in a 5–2 away win against Panetolikos, helping his club to acquire the 27th victory in 29 matches.[33] Fortounis scored with a foul kick his 18th goal in his last game for the Championship and after solid performances that eventually led him to be crowned league top scorer in the 2015–16 campaign helping his team to win the championship for 6th time in a row, breaking a number of records. He finished the 2015–16 season having 39 appearances (21 goals, 19 assists) in all competitions.[34]

On 3 June 2016, Olympiakos officially announced the extension of international Greek midfielder contract with the club until the summer of 2020, with an annual fee of €1 million.[35] On 2 October 2016, Fortounis scored his first goal for the 2016–17 season in the 3–0 home derby win against rivals AEK Athens.[36] On 24 November 2016, in a UEFA Europa League group stage he scored from a free-kick to open scoring in a final 1–1 home draw against BSC Young Boys and was chosen MVP of the match.[37] On 28 February 2017, he helped his club, as a substitute, to escape with a vital 2–1 away win for the quarter-finals of Greek Cup, against Atromitos F.C. by equalizing the score and giving the assist for the winning goal.[38] On 5 April 2017, he opened the score in a crucial 2–0 away win against Kerkyra F.C., helping his club in their effort to win the 7th consecutive championship.[39] He finished the 2016–17 season having 40 appearances (8 goals, 8 assists) in all competitions.

In the beginning of 2017–18 season scored a brace helped his club to achieve a 4–1 home win against AEL FC. On 26 August 2017, thanks to his penalty kick, Olympiacos won 1–0 Lamia. On 14 October 2017, was the MVP man of a 4–3 away win against Panionios F.C. as he scored with a penalty kick the winning goal and gave the assist to Pape Abou Cissé for the first half's tie in Panionios quick goal.[40] On 9 December 2017, he scored a brace, in a glorious 4–1 away Super League win against Panetolikos F.C. [41] On 21 January 2018, he scored after Xanthi defender Dimitrios Meliopoulos gifted possession to Fortounis who then slotted past Živko Živković, in their ninth win in a row with a straightforward 3–0 home victory over 10-man Xanthi F.C. at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium. [42] On 4 March 2018, in a football field empty due to Olympiakos punishment, Fortounis opened the score with a penalty kick in a 1–1 home draw derby against rivals Panathinaikos.[43] On 16 April 2018, in his 100th appearance with Olympiakos' jersey, Fortounis netting six minutes after half-time to make it 3–1 with a picture-book goal, after great interplay between Kevin Mirallas and Karim Ansarifard in an emphatic 5–1 home win game against Kerkyra F.C. [44] On 29 April he scored his 10th goal in the 2017–18 season and the 50th in all competitions with the club, in a 4–0 home win game against Panetolikos F.C. [45] He finished the 2017–18 season having 37 appearances (11 goals, 14 assists) in all competitions.

On 22 August 2018, having had the entire summer to get to know his players closely, Olympiacos head coach Pedro Martins has decided on his captain for the 2018-19 season, awarding the attacking midfielder the responsibility of wearing the armband. [46] On 23 August 2018, a superb captain’s display helped Olympiacos defeat 10-man Burnley F.C. 3–1 in the of their UEFA Europa League playoffs first leg tie at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Athens to move one step closer to the group stage. The 25-year-old Greece midfielder put Olympiacos in front with a great free-kick after 19 minutes, then turned provider for Andreas Bouchalakis to direct a header past Burnley goalie Tom Heaton three minutes into the second half, before notching his team’s third from the penalty spot to seal the victory.[47][48] On 7 October 2018, he scored as the Greek playmaker was given far too much space and time by AEK midfielder Andre Simoes and picked his spot with a superb shot from distance which beat Vasilios Barkas in a 1-1 away derby game against rivals AEK Athens. [49]

International career

He has represented Greece at U-21, U-19 and U-17 level.

Fortounis' debut with the Greece came against Belgium in February 2012 as a suspension with the U-21 side allowed Fernando Santos to call-up the Kaiserslautern's prospect to the senior squad. Showing plenty of maturity against the Belgians, Fortounis was also given test runs against Slovenia and Armenia in the final two Greece friendlies ahead of UEFA Euro 2012. Strong runs down the left flank in Greece’s friendlies allowed Fortounis to form a strong bond with the likes of Giorgos Karagounis and José Holebas down the left side; thus forming a strong chemistry between the trio all the while improving Greece’s transition game and attack.[50] Eventually was picked in the Greece squad for Euro 2012.[51]

Fortounis was not a part of the Greece national team squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[52] Eventually his transfer to Olympiacos was beneficial for his career. He started playing again for the national team, being a key player for the squad.[53] On 29 March 2016, on the 19th minute he converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner and 12 minutes later, with a right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner, gave a 2–0 lead in a lost 2–3 friendly international game against Iceland.[54] On 8 October 2016, after a solid performance against Cyprus that sealed with a 2–0 victory, the international attacking midfielder has suffered an injury and will miss away match of Greece National Team against Estonia on 10 October.[55]

Style of play

Fortounis’ ability to combine well with his colleagues down the flank, while also being able to drive the net in order to create a goal-scoring opportunity. Fortounis’ speed on and off the ball make him an efficient player to have in the line-up as his time with the ball usually creates an attack for his team. His speed is another factor that is to his benefit, as he is able to burst past markers with flare and trickery. He describes himself as a player who can find gaps in the opposition defence but not particularly good at dribbling or one-on-ones.[50]

Career statistics

Club

As of 7 October 2018[56][57]

Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Greece League Greek Cup League Cup Europe Total
Trikala F.C.2008–09Delta Ethniki—————
2009–10130———130
Asteras Tripoli2010–11Super League24120——261
Germany League DFB-Pokal DFB Ligapokal Europe Total
1. FC Kaiserslautern2011–12Bundesliga28020——300
2012–132. Bundesliga24221——263
2013–1418030——210
Total 702710000773
Greece League Greek Cup League Cup Europe Total
Olympiacos2014–15Super League25793—203610
2015–16281832—813921
2016–1725641—111408
2017–18251030—913711
2018–196200—62124
Total 109431960036516454
Career Total 216462870036528058

International goals

Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef
1.29 March 2016Karaiskakis Stadium, Pireaus, Greece Iceland1–02–3Friendly[58]
2.
2–0
3.6 September 2016Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal Gibraltar3–14–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification[59]
4.8 September 2018A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia Estonia1–01–02018–19 UEFA Nations League C

Honours

Club

Olympiacos

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Fortounis, Konstantinos" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "Kostas Fortounis". sports.ndtv.com. 25 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Kostas Fortounis". uefa.com.
  4. ↑ "Juve pesca in Grecia: piace il baby Fortounis". Tuttosport (in Italian). Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Fortounis moves to Germany". Sky Sports. 24 June 2011.
  6. ↑ "Konstantinos Fortounis". Kicker Online. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Ajax heeft aanvallende middenvelder op het oog" (in Dutch). voetbalnieuws.be. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "Bayern München gewinnt deutlich gegen Kaiserslautern" [Bayern Munich win clearly against Kaiserslautern]. ZEIT (in German). 16 April 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Ralph, Vincent. "Kostas Fortounis is not just another Tottenham target; he's the real deal". HITC. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  10. ↑ Georgakopoulos, George (23 May 2015). "Reds add Cup to league trophy with 3–1 win over Xanthi". Kathimerini. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "Χωρίς να ιδρώσει ο Ολυμπιακός, 3–0 τον Πανιώνιο". www.sport24.gr. 23 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Λεβαδειακός – Ολυμπιακός 0–2". www.contra.gr. 29 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Ξάνθη – Ολυμπιακός 1–3". www.contra.gr. 22 September 2015.
  14. ↑ ""Ερυθρόλευκη" καταιγίδα στο Φάληρο, 5–1 ο Ολυμπιακός τον ΠΑΣ". www.sport24.gr. 26 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Half-Time Report: Arsenal behind against Olympiacos". www.sportsmole.co.uk. 29 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "UEFA Champions League team of the week". www.uefa.com. 1 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "Tottenham remain keen on Fortounis". www.sdna.gr. 10 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Tottenham interested in Fortounis". www.sdna.gr. 4 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός – ΑΕΚ 4–0". www.gazzetta.gr. 17 October 2015.
  20. ↑ "Pardo the hero as Olympiacos down Dinamo". www.uefa.com. 4 November 2015.
  21. ↑ "Felipe Pardo brace gives Olympiakos win over Dinamo Zagreb". www.espnfc.com. 4 November 2015.
  22. ↑ "Ο Φορτούνης είχε τις λύσεις, 3–1 ο Ολυμπιακός τον Αστέρα". www.sport24.gr. 29 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός – Αστέρας Τρίπολης 3–1". www.contra.gr. 29 November 2015.
  24. ↑ "Πανθρακικός – Ολυμπιακός 3–4". www.contra.gr. 5 December 2015.
  25. ↑ "Olympiakos in need of two penalties to win". www.sdna.gr. 19 December 2015.
  26. ↑ ""Απόλυτος" ο Ολυμπιακός, 2–0 την Καλλονή στη Μυτιλήνη". www.sport24.gr. 19 December 2015.
  27. ↑ "Comfortable victory for Olympiakos at Giannina". www.sdna.gr. 31 January 2016.
  28. ↑ "Fortounis eager to pen new Olympiakos deal". www.sdna.gr. 11 February 2016.
  29. ↑ "Olympiakos crash Atromitos and return to victories". www.sdna.gr. 21 February 2016.
  30. ↑ "Tottenham keep close tabs on Fortounis". www.sdna.gr. 22 February 2016.
  31. ↑ "Olympiakos knocked out of Europa League". www.sdna.gr. 25 February 2016.
  32. ↑ "Fortounis the third player in Olympiakos' history with 10 goals and assists". www.sdna.gr. 21 March 2016.
  33. ↑ "Σαρωτικός ο Ολυμπιακός, 5–2 τον Παναιτωλικό στο Αγρίνιο". www.sport24.gr. 10 April 2016.
  34. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός – Καλλονή 5–0". www.gazzetta.gr. 17 April 2016.
  35. ↑ "Fortounis and Bouchalakis extend their contracts with Olympiakos". www.sdna.gr. 3 June 2016.
  36. ↑ "Ένας Μάρτινς έφερε την (κόκκινη) άνοιξη!". www.contra.gr. 2 October 2016.
  37. ↑ "Δε νίκησε, αλλά προκρίθηκε". www.novasports.gr. 24 November 2016.
  38. ↑ "Ατρόμητος – Ολυμπιακός 1–2: Ανατρεπτική… πρόκριση". www.onsports.gr. 2 March 2017.
  39. ↑ "Κέρκυρα – Ολυμπιακός 0–2". www.gazzetta.gr. 5 April 2017.
  40. ↑ "Πανιώνιος – Ολυμπιακός 3–4". www.gazzetta.gr. 14 October 2017.
  41. ↑ "Παναιτωλικός-Ολυμπιακός 1–4". www.gazzetta.gr. 9 December 2017.
  42. ↑ "Με πρωταγωνιστή Ανσαριφάρντ ο Ολυμπιακός, 3–0 την Ξάνθη" (in Greek). www.sport24.gr. 21 January 2018.
  43. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός – Παναθηναϊκός 1–1" (in Greek). www.gazzetta.gr. 4 March 2018.
  44. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός – Κέρκυρα 5–1: Πεντάρα με την… αύρα του Μαρτίνς" (in Greek). www.onsports.gr. 16 April 2018.
  45. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός – Παναιτωλικός 4–0" (in Greek). www.gazzetta.gr. 29 April 2018.
  46. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός: Η ιεραρχία των αρχηγών της νέας σεζόν" (in Greek). www.fosonline.gr. 22 August 2018.
  47. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός – Μπέρνλι 3–1" (in Greek). www.gazzetta.gr. 23 August 2018.
  48. ↑ "Οlympiakos vs Burnley 3–1". www.bbc.com. 23 August 2018.
  49. ↑ "ΑΕΚ-Ολυμπιακός 1-1" (in Greek). www.gazzetta.gr. 7 October 2018.
  50. 1 2 "Kostas Fortounis". footballhellas.com. 6 June 2012.
  51. ↑ "Greece axe Kone from Euro 2012 squad after red card in friendly". www.dailymail.co.uk. 29 May 2012.
  52. ↑ "Η ελληνική 23άδα που πάει Βραζιλία". www.contra.gr. 19 May 2014.
  53. ↑ "Ο Φορτούνης κι ο Μάνταλος!". www.gazzetta.gr. 26 September 2014.
  54. ↑ "Iceland punishes Greece's defensive frailties". www.ekathimerini.com. 30 March 2016.
  55. ↑ "Εκτός αποστολής ο Φορτούνης κόντρα στην Εσθονία". www.eleftherostypos.gr. 8 October 2016.
  56. ↑ "K. Fortounis". soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  57. ↑ "Kostas Fortounis". superleaguegreece.net. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  58. ↑ "Greece 2–3 Iceland". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  59. ↑ Georgakopoulos, George (7 September 2016). "Greece beats Gibraltar and banishes ghosts". Kathimerini. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
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