He could have not become anything other than a footballer. That he would want to become one is a given. Whether he could do it or not, was up to him, and his obviously emphatic love for football. Giannis Konstantelias was always disarmingly honest when he said that “the only thing that pleases me so much is the game itself; and to play beautifully and creatively”. And as it seems, he had all the credentials to experience it, and to do it.

A player with rare technical skills, Konstantelias is also both mentally and technically strong on the pitch. When his coaches characterized him as an “extremely intelligent” footballer, clearly this confirms that he had many qualifications to develop into a very good attacking midfielder. From a very young age he drew a lot of attention, he also had European scouts from other clubs interested. Before he turned 18 he represented the PAOK first team. He made his first appearance on 17.01.2021 in a 3-0 win over OFI in Heraklion.

Konstantelias was nine years old when he joined the Agia Paraskevi Volos Academy. Initially, he trained with his peers, but he then quickly joined the first team’s training sessions. He did not limit himself with a specific schedule, he was not interested in limiting himself in such a way. “I played all day, for many hours. I played in the parks, and on the street,» he recalled. «I found playing football on the streets more creative, that’s how I fell in love with it,» he added.

In 2013, PAOK entered his life and from Volos he found himself in Thessaloniki. At first, he played as a forward, then he moved to the center, but also played on the wings. He himself says “I like being a number 10, and I think playing left wing also suits me». The only thing he doesn’t want to remember is when one of his coaches asked him to play at center back. He’s not kidding. He seems to mean it when he mentions it as perhaps his worst moment.

At the PAOK Academy, he worked, battled hard, experienced great moments, gained valuable experience in domestic and international tournaments, and was twice named MVP abroad. Also, with the Under-17 team, he experienced losing a final, enjoyed winning one, and with the Under-19 team, he celebrated two league championships, even being among the «big boys» of the academy from a young age.

In the 2017-18 season, he scored nine goals and shared seven assists in 14 matches. The next season, in 18 games, he scored four goals and provided 15 assists. In the 2019-20 season – while the Under-19 championship was still in play, due to the postponement that happened because of the pandemic – he scored one goal in seven games. As for the half of the 2020-2021 season, he had managed to score five times and provide three assists in six matches.

He was, of course, an international with several of Greece’s youth teams, for whom he did not have much playing time… given his abilities. Ironic, if nothing else, since he was quickly elevated to the senior ranks after the pandemic. At youth level, he made three appearances and scored one goal with the Under-16’s, one with the Under-19’s, one with the Under-21’s. His statistics are recorded, which is why we know. Because he himself does not pay any attention, he was never one of those kids who sought goalscoring or appearance records. And when asked about his participation in the Greece youth teams, his answer is neither exact or with any certainty. “Something about the coronavirus period, a little bit about an injury to my hand and I did not travel much as an international”, he recalled.

On 24.03.2023 Konstantelias received his first call-up to the Greece senior men’s national squad. In his introduction to that level, he has already “spoken” in the appropriate way. His displays can be summed up as skillful, intelligent, and influential. Some of his plays have rightly gone viral, showing football altruism – obviously a sign of maturity, in complete contrast to his childish smile – and a humble gaze to repeated standing ovations at the Toumba Stadium and wherever he plays. The PAOK Academy kid who went through all the stages of youth football, who prompted people to come and watch development football to see «a little magician», and who caught the interest of those at La Masia, came of age.

A football pitch, the ball, a team-family, the trust that helped him “bloom”, and everything is in its right place. Always, always, trust the process…