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Kostas Mitroglou

Mitroglou playing for Greece in 2013

Personal information

Full name

Konstantinos Mitroglou

Date of birth

12 March 1988 (age 37)

Place of birth

Krinides, Greece

Height

1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)

Position(s)

Striker

Youth career

1994–2001

TuS Preussen Vluyn

2001–2003

SV Neukirchen

2003–2005

MSV Duisburg

2005–2006

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2006–2007

Borussia Mönchengladbach II

(0)

2007–2014

Olympiacos

(41)

2011

→ Panionios (loan)

(8)

2011–2012

→ Atromitos (loan)

(17)

2014–2016

Fulham

(0)

2014–2015

→ Olympiacos (loan)

(16)

2015–2016

→ Benfica (loan)

(20)

2016–2017

Benfica

(16)

2017–2021

Marseille

(12)

2019

→ Galatasaray (loan)

(1)

2019–2020

→ PSV (loan)

(1)

2021–2022

Aris

(2)

2023

Rheurdt-Schaephuysen

(2)

2023

Scherpenberg

(3)

International career^‡

2005–2007

Greece U19

(12)

2007–2010

Greece U21

(5)

2009–2019

Greece

(17)

Medal record


Greece
Runner-up	UEFA European Under-19 Championship	2007

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:09, 9 May 2021 (UTC).
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2019

Konstantinos "Kostas" Mitroglou is a Greek former professional footballer. He was born on 12 March 1988. He played as a striker, which means he was a player whose main job was to score goals. Fans gave him nicknames like "Mitrogoal" and "Pistolero" because he was so good at scoring.

Kostas grew up in Germany. He started his football journey at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Later, he joined Olympiacos in Greece in 2007. He also played for other teams on loan, like Panionios and Atromitos, before becoming a key player for Olympiacos.

In 2013, he moved to the English club Fulham for a record fee. However, injuries made his time there difficult. He then returned to Olympiacos on loan. After that, he joined Benfica in Portugal, first on loan and then permanently in 2016. With Benfica, he won five major trophies, including two league titles in a row. He also scored his highest number of goals in one season, with 27 goals.

Kostas Mitroglou also played for the Greece national team for many years, starting in 2009. He played in more than 60 international matches. He was part of the Greek teams for UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career Highlights

Starting His Football Journey

Kostas Mitroglou was born in Krinides, Greece. When he was a baby, his family moved to Germany. He grew up in a town called Neukirchen-Vluyn. He started playing football at a young age for TuS Preussen Vluyn. When he was 11, he scored 24 goals in just 16 games! He then played for SV Neukirchen and later joined MSV Duisburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach. He was a very strong player in the Under-19 league, scoring 14 goals in 10 matches.

Time at Olympiacos

First Seasons and Success

After playing well in the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, Kostas joined Olympiacos, a top team in Greece. He scored his first official goal for Olympiacos in a Greek Cup match. His first league goal came in a big 4–0 win.

In his first season, he helped Olympiacos win their 36th league title. He scored important goals, including a last-minute winner against AEL. He also scored the only goal in the 2007 Greek Super Cup, helping Olympiacos win that trophy too.

More Playing Time and Goals

In the 2009–10 season, Kostas started playing more often. He scored important goals in the UEFA Champions League, a big European competition. He scored against teams like Sheriff Tiraspol and Standard Liège. He also scored two goals in a 2–0 win against their rivals, Panathinaikos.

Mitroglou playing for Olympiacos in May 2010

Loan Spells and Awards

In January 2011, Kostas went on loan to Panionios. He made a great start, scoring two goals in his first game. He scored 8 goals for Panionios in that half-season.

He then went on loan to Atromitos for the 2011–12 season. He continued to score many goals, helping Atromitos reach the Superleague play-offs for the first time. He scored 16 league goals that season. At the end of the season, he was named the Superleague Greece Footballer of the Year, which is a big award!

Returning to Olympiacos and Hat-tricks

Kostas returned to Olympiacos for the 2012–13 season. He started scoring important goals again, including in the UEFA Champions League against Arsenal and Montpellier. He scored two goals in a big 4–0 win against rivals AEK Athens.

In the 2013–14 season, Kostas was on fire! He scored his first career hat-trick (which means scoring three goals in one game) in a 5–0 win. Then, in the very next game, he scored another hat-trick! This made him the first player in Olympiacos history to score two hat-tricks in a row. He even scored a third hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League against Anderlecht. This made him the first Greek player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League.

Moving to Fulham

On 31 January 2014, Kostas moved to the English Premier League club Fulham. He signed a contract for four and a half years. This was the highest transfer fee Fulham had ever paid for a player, around £12 million. Fulham hoped he would help them stay in the Premier League. However, he had some injuries and fitness problems. He only played in three league matches before Fulham was relegated (moved down to a lower league) in May 2014.

Back to Olympiacos on Loan

On 31 August 2014, Kostas went back to Olympiacos on loan for the season. He quickly scored a winning goal in a UEFA Champions League match against Atlético Madrid.

Success at Benfica

On 6 August 2015, Kostas joined Benfica, the champions of Portugal, on loan. He made his debut a few days later. In his first league game for Benfica, he scored in a 4–0 win. He scored many goals for Benfica, including a hat-trick against Belenenses. He scored in seven matches in a row at one point! He also scored the only goal in a big derby match against Sporting CP, helping Benfica take the lead in the league.

He finished the 2015–16 league season with 20 goals in 32 matches, helping Benfica win the Primeira Liga title. After this successful loan, Benfica signed him permanently in 2016 for €7 million. In the 2016–17 season, he continued his great form, scoring another hat-trick in a cup match.

Time at Marseille

On 31 August 2017, Kostas signed a four-year contract with the French club Marseille. The transfer fee was €15 million. He made his first appearance for Marseille in a UEFA Europa League match. In February 2018, he scored his first hat-trick for Marseille in a big 9–0 win in the French Cup.

Loan Spells in Turkey and Netherlands

In January 2019, Kostas was loaned to Galatasaray in Turkey. He played there until June 2020. Then, in August 2019, he was loaned to PSV in the Netherlands for the 2019–20 season.

Return to Greece with Aris

On 25 January 2021, Kostas signed with the Greek club Aris. He scored his first goal for Aris in February against his former club Olympiacos.

Playing Amateur Football in Germany

In January 2023, Kostas signed with a German amateur club called SpVgg Rheurdt-Schaephuysen. This club plays in the 9th tier of German football. He joined because his friend, Robert Kruppa, who he played with in the Duisburg academy, was coaching there. It was a surprising move for a player who had played in the Champions League! In June 2023, he moved to another amateur club, SV Scherpenberg. He played five games and scored three goals before leaving in September 2023.

International Career

Playing for Youth Teams

Kostas first played for the Greece national under-19 team in 2005. He scored goals against teams like the Netherlands and Germany. He also played in the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. In that tournament, he scored against Portugal, Austria, and Germany. He was the top goalscorer of the competition with three goals!

In 2007, he moved up to the Greece under-21 team. He continued to score, including two goals against Macedonia.

Mitroglou challenging Sebastian Prödl of Austria in August 2013

Playing for the Senior National Team

Kostas was first chosen for the senior Greece side in 2009. He scored his first goal for the senior team in a 3–2 win against Norway in August 2012. He also scored an important goal in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lithuania.

In August 2013, he scored both goals in a 2–0 friendly win against Austria. He continued to score crucial goals in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He scored the only goal in a win against Liechtenstein. Then, in the play-off matches against Romania, he scored two goals in the first game and the opening goal in the second game. These goals helped Greece win 4–2 overall and qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil!

Career statistics

Club

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Olympiacos	2007–08	Super League Greece	11	4	4	2	–		2	0	1	1	18	7
	2008–09		7	2	3	0	–		5	1	–		15	3
	2009–10		32	9	1	1	–		12	4	0	0	45	14
	2010–11		5	1	1	0	–		4	0	–		10	1
	2012–13		25	11	9	5	–		8	4	–		42	20
	2013–14		12	14	2	0	–		5	3	–		19	17
	2014–15		24	16	2	0	–		8	3	–		34	19
	Total		116	57	22	8	–		44	15	1	1	183	81
Panionios	2010–11	Super League Greece	11	8	–		–		–		–		11	8
Atromitos	2011–12	Super League Greece	34	17	5	2	–		–		–		39	19
Fulham	2013–14	Premier League	3	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		3	0
Benfica	2015–16	Primeira Liga	32	20	1	1	3	2	7	2	1	0	44	25
	2016–17	Primeira Liga	28	16	4	9	2	1	6	1	1	0	41	27
	Total		60	36	5	10	5	3	13	3	2	0	85	52
Marseille	2017–18	Ligue 1	19	9	3	3	1	1	7	0	–		30	13
	2018–19	Ligue 1	14	3	0	0	1	0	5	0	–		20	3
	Total		32	12	3	3	2	1	12	0	–		50	16
Galatasaray	2018–19	Süper Lig	7	1	2	1	–		–		–		9	2
PSV	2019–20	Eredivisie	14	1	1	1	–		4	1	0	0	19	3
Aris	2020–21	Super League Greece	9	2	1	0	–		–		–		10	2
Career total			287	134	39	25	6	4	73	19	3	1	410	183

International

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Greece
	2009	1	0
	2010	3	0
	2011	7	0
	2012	9	2
	2013	8	6
	2014	10	0
	2015	8	1
	2016	6	3
	2017	6	4
	2018	5	1
	2019	1	0
Total		64	17

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	15 August 2012	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	15	Norway	3–1	3–2	Friendly
2	11 September 2012	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	17	Lithuania	2–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	14 August 2013	Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria	22	Austria	1–0	2–0	Friendly
4	14 August 2013	Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria	22	Austria	2–0	2–0	Friendly
5	6 September 2013	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	23	Liechtenstein	1–0	1–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	15 November 2013	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	27	Romania	1–0	3–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	15 November 2013	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	27		3–1	3–1
8	19 November 2013	Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania	28		1–0	1–1
9	11 October 2015	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	44	Hungary	3–3	4–3	UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
10	1 September 2016	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	48	Netherlands	1–1	2–1	Friendly
11	6 September 2016	Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal	49	Gibraltar	1–0	4–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	7 October 2016	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	50	Cyprus	1–0	2–0
13	25 March 2017	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	53	Belgium	1–0	1–1
14	7 October 2017	GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	55	Cyprus	1–1	2–1
15	10 October 2017	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	56	Gibraltar	2–0	4–0
16	10 October 2017	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	56	Gibraltar	3–0	4–0
17	12 October 2018	Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece	61	Hungary	1–0	1–0	2018–19 UEFA Nations League C