Orestis Karnezis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Orestis Karnezis

Karnezis with Greece in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth	(1985-07-11) 11 July 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth	Athens, Greece
Height	1.90 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1999–2003	Agios Mattheos Corfu
2003–2005	OFI
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2007	OFI	0	(0)
2007–2013	Panathinaikos	53	(0)
2013–2019	Udinese	108	(0)
2013–2014	→ Granada (loan)	6	(0)
2017–2018	→ Watford (loan)	15	(0)
2018–2019	→ Napoli (loan)	9	(0)
2019–2020	Napoli	0	(0)
2020–2022	Lille	0	(0)
2021–2022	Lille II	3	(0)
Total		194	(0)
National team
2004–2005	Greece U21	3	(0)
2012–2018	Greece	49	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:17, 22 May 2022 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Orestis-Spyridon Karnezis (born 11 July 1985) is a Greek former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for several top clubs.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Panathinaikos

Orestis Karnezis was born in Athens, Greece, but grew up in Corfu. He began his professional football journey at Panathinaikos in 2007. For a few years, he didn't play much.

However, during the 2011–12 season, he got more chances to play. He impressed his coach, Jesualdo Ferreira, who then made him the main goalkeeper for Panathinaikos. He played very well and helped his team in important games.

After a strong 2012–13 season, other clubs in Europe became interested in him. Reports said that Udinese Calcio, an Italian club, offered €800,000 to sign him.

Moving to Udinese

Karnezis officially moved from Panathinaikos to Udinese Calcio in Italy. The transfer was agreed upon by both clubs. Panathinaikos used the money from his transfer to help build their team.

He signed a five-year contract with Udinese on 22 July 2013. Right after signing, he was loaned out to Granada, a Spanish club, for the whole season.

Playing for Granada (Loan)

Karnezis made his first appearance in Spain's top league, La Liga, on 4 January 2014. This was in an away game against Almeria, which Granada lost 3–0. Before this, he had played in two Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey) matches in December 2013.

One of his most memorable games was on 12 April 2014. Granada won 1–0 at home against Barcelona. Karnezis was a key player in this victory. He made amazing saves, stopping shots from famous players like Cesc Fàbregas and Lionel Messi. Barcelona had 29 shots on goal, but none of them got past Karnezis.

Back at Udinese: 2014–15 Season

After his loan at Granada, Karnezis returned to Udinese. He made his Serie A debut for Udinese on 31 August 2014, in a 2–0 home win against Empoli. He quickly became a reliable goalkeeper for the team.

In March 2015, his coach, Andrea Stramaccioni, praised him. He said that Karnezis gave the team a feeling of safety and confidence. Italian sports newspapers even reported that Napoli was interested in signing him because of his great season.

Former Italian national goalkeeper Dino Zoff also spoke highly of Karnezis. He called Karnezis and another goalkeeper, Mattia Perin, the best goalkeepers in Serie A.

Udinese considered selling Karnezis to make space for a younger goalkeeper, Simone Scuffet. Clubs like Roma, Inter, and Benfica were interested. However, Udinese later decided to keep him. He signed a new contract to stay with the club until 2020.

Udinese: 2015–16 Season

On 1 July 2015, Karnezis signed his new contract with Udinese, extending his stay until June 2019. In the first game of the 2015–16 season, Udinese played against champions Juventus. Karnezis played a strong second half, making important saves and helping his team win.

Throughout the season, he continued to make crucial saves in many matches. He helped his team get important wins and draws. For example, he made great saves against Gonzalo Higuaín and José Callejón when playing against Napoli.

At the end of the 2015–16 season, fans voted him as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the club. He also set a new record by being the only player who played every single minute of the season.

Udinese: 2016–17 Season

Karnezis started the 2016–17 season as Udinese's main goalkeeper. In December 2016, he had an excellent month, allowing only one goal in four matches. He kept clean sheets (no goals conceded) against U.C. Sampdoria, F.C. Crotone, and Bologna.

On 5 February 2017, he reached 100 appearances for Udinese in all competitions. A few weeks later, he also reached 100 appearances for Udinese in Serie A games. In March 2017, he got injured during a game and had to be replaced. He had a dislocated finger and a small fracture, which meant his hand was in a cast for three weeks. He returned to play in April 2017.

Towards the end of the season, there were talks about him moving to either Napoli or Watford. Udinese's coach decided to play Simone Scuffet for the last few matches of the season.

Loan to Watford

Just before the transfer window closed, Watford announced that they had signed Karnezis on a one-season loan from Udinese. He was expected to compete with Heurelho Gomes for the starting goalkeeper spot.

On 5 November 2017, Karnezis made his debut for Watford in a game against Everton. He came on as a substitute after the first-choice goalkeeper was injured. He returned to the starting lineup on 21 January 2018, in a game against Leicester City.

On 31 January 2018, in his third Premier League game, Karnezis made a fantastic save against a powerful shot from Xherdan Shaqiri. This save helped his team earn a crucial point. His performance in that game was so good that he was included in the "best team" of that week's matches. He was the first Watford goalkeeper in 12 Premier League games to keep a clean sheet (not let in any goals).

Joining Napoli

On 5 July 2018, Napoli announced that they had signed Karnezis from Udinese. He signed a three-year contract. He was expected to compete with Alex Meret, a young Italian goalkeeper, for the starting position.

However, Meret got injured, and Napoli decided to sign another goalkeeper, David Ospina, on loan from Arsenal. Ospina became the main goalkeeper for the start of the 2018–19 season. Despite this, Karnezis made his official debut for Napoli as a starter on 18 August 2018, in a 2–1 away win against S.S. Lazio.

By February 2019, Karnezis had made only six official appearances that season. Ospina was the main goalkeeper, and Meret had recovered from his injury, becoming the second-choice. Karnezis became the third-choice goalkeeper. However, Napoli decided to sign him permanently.

Moving to Lille

In July 2020, Karnezis moved to the French club Lille. This transfer was part of a deal that also sent Lille's player Victor Osimhen to Napoli. Karnezis signed a three-year contract with Lille.

With this move, Karnezis made history. He became the first Greek footballer to have played in four of the five biggest European leagues. These leagues are La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Premier League (England), and now Ligue 1 (France).

International Career

Karnezis's good performances for his clubs caught the attention of the Greece national football team coach, Fernando Santos. He was called up for a friendly match against Belgium on 29 February 2012. He played the entire game, making his international debut.

Even though he wasn't chosen for UEFA Euro 2012, Fernando Santos said that if Karnezis continued to play well, he would definitely be part of the national team for the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches. True to his word, Karnezis was called up for a friendly game against Norway and for the World Cup qualifiers.

He was also chosen by Fernando Santos to be part of the 30-man provisional squad and then the final 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Football Achievements

Panathinaikos

• Super League Greece: 2009–10
• Greek Cup: 2009–10

Napoli

• Coppa Italia: 2019–20

Lille

• Ligue 1: 2020–21
• Trophée des Champions: 2021