The 52 new members of the the PAOK Academy
Scouting, partner academies and PAOK Network, training centers across the territory, mixed, all in the service of the perpetual expansion and development of the PAOK Academy. From Thessaloniki and northern Greece as a whole, to Athens, Chalkida, Aigio and Argos, but also to Cyprus, PAOK followed, identified and convinced 52 (!) children to “move” to PAOK and Thessaloniki. From the Under-19 category (where we’re not used to additions it’s true) to our brand new Under-8 side, these are our new ‘signings’ for the 2024-25 season. With the caveat that scouting never stops, so more kids will follow.
And so, for the Under-19s, Mahamandou Balde came from Paphos. A Senegalese with a Spanish passport, and born in 2007, he is a skilled winger, who lived and played in Cyprus.
Five additions to the Under-17, youngsters born in 2008. They are defender Dimitris Baxevanos from the German Sports Academy, defenders Christos Christodoulou from Xanthi and Pavlos Mela Koutsou, midfielder Konstantinos Oikonomou from Kozani and PAOK Koila (with some appearances in Kozani’s Under-19 team), the also midfielder Nikolaos Stamos from Bebides and the Romanian origin (midfielder too) Ion Bogdan Roman, who joined from Digenis Ypsonas of Cyprus.
For the Under-16s, the generation of 2009, five new players also joined. Defender Ioannis Psyroukis from Iraklis Atsikis Limnos, midfielder Achilleas Mokos from Union Rentis (Athens), midfielder Achilleas Papanikopoulos from Kozani and PAOK Koilon, forward Stylianos Vlachos from PO Malakopis and goalkeeper Fyntanis Karakottas (born in 2008) from the George Kouda Academy.
Traditionally, the many «transfers» concern the Under-15s (2010), for which nine talented youngsters came in the summer of 2024. These are defenders Alexios Baibourdis from PAOK Diaplasis, Athanasios Floros from Aigio and Thyella Aigiou, and Georgios Patsalidis from PAOD. Midfielders Arby Luskas from AE Neo Sindou, Nikolaos Lefas from Nicosia and THI Lakatamias and Panagiotis Hariadis from FAS Naoussa also came. Plus three additions of strikers, Christoforos-Anastassios Zekkas from the Champions of Pefko, Konstantinos Georgousis from Athens and Elpida Agioi Anargyroi and Anastasios-Stylianos Mantis from Athens (played for Ermilios Chalkidas).
For the Under-14s (2011) came the defenders Alkiviadis Delantonis from Veria and Georgios Itskos from Atromitos Ptolemaidas, the midfielder Vasilios Giannidakis from Chania and Athlopolis Football Club (formerly Calcetto) and the forwards Emilios Pelsodis from Arsaklis and Grigorios Priovolos from Aristeas Argos.
Three new players also for the Under-13s (2012). Defender Ioannis Tsiras from Bempides, midfielder Ioannis Nkolaidis from Makedonikos and striker Marios Tsota from AE Evosmou.
More additions to the Under-12s (born in 2013) with defender Leonidas Psomiadis from PAOD, midfielders Georgios Gyrichides from the Athletic Academy of Giannitsa, Alexandros Kostikos from Akrites Sykeon and Athanasios Argyropoulos from Atromitos Ptolemaidas. The striker Vasilios Babaous from Bebides also joined.
For the Under-11s (2014) the new boy is the midfielder Stefanos Tliopoulos, while in the Under-10 (2015) category we have seven additions. Dimitrios Christodoulou (Art Soccer School), Christos Kalliantzas (PO Malakopi), Jason Topazis (PAOK Giannitsa), Ieremias Laftsoglou (Nea Kallikrateia), Georgios Gandsidis (Sports Academy Giannitsa), Konstantinos Laskakis (Macedonian), and Angelos Kalesis ( Mantoulidis).
And finally, there are three new youngsters in the Under-9s (2016), Vasilios Sevlidis from Agrotiko Asteras, Ilias Zamanis from Katerini FC and Eleftherios Karipsiadis from Korinos Katerinis. Finally, it goes without saying that our smallest category, the Under-8s is entirely new. It is made up of youngsters born in 2017 and they are Vasilios Gandsidis (Sports Academy of Giannitsa), Alexandros Pilia, Georgios Georginezis (Proteas), Vasilios Bouziotis (Niki Efkarpia), Dimitrios Koronidis (PAOD), Efstathios Plastaras (Agia Anna Volos), Ioannis Moschos (National Evosmou) and Vladimiros Abidin (PAO Koufalion). The «older» players, Marios Dokidis, Dimitrios Karakouzidis, and Dimitrios Antonas remain. The youngest of all and the youngest addition to the PAOK Academy in the 2024-25 season, is Pavlos Maroufis (PAOK Diaplasi), born in 2018.
