Panagiotis Kone facts for kids
Kone with Greece in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 July 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Tirana, Albania | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2004 | Olympiacos | ||
| 2004–2005 | Lens | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005–2008 | AEK Athens | 24 | (2) |
| 2008–2010 | Iraklis | 49 | (8) |
| 2010–2012 | Brescia | 31 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | → Bologna (loan) | 31 | (1) |
| 2012–2014 | Bologna | 59 | (11) |
| 2014–2018 | Udinese | 38 | (1) |
| 2016 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Granada (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → AEK Athens (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Western United | 15 | (2) |
| Total | 263 | (27) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006 | Greece U19 | 4 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Greece U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 2010–2015 | Greece | 28 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2020–2022 | AEK Athens (Technical Director) | ||
| 2022–2024 | AEK Athens (Executive Director) | ||
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Panagiotis Kone (Greek: Παναγιώτης Κονέ, born 26 July 1987) is a Greek former professional footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder.
Kone started his football journey in the youth teams of Olympiacos. Later, he moved to Lens' youth team in France. He began his professional career with AEK Athens. In 2008, he joined Iraklis.
After two seasons, Kone moved to Italy to play for Brescia. He then joined Bologna in 2011, first on loan, then permanently. In 2014, he signed with Udinese. He also had loan spells with Fiorentina, Granada, and a return to AEK Athens. He left Udinese in 2018.
Kone played for Greece at different youth levels. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2010. He was part of the Greece squad that played in the 2014 World Cup.
Contents
Early Life & Youth Career
Panagiotis Kone was born as Gjergji Kone in Tirana, Albania. When he was two years old, his family moved to Athens, Greece. His parents were a biologist and a piano teacher. He changed his name to Panagiotis when he became a Greek citizen. He has stated that he feels Greek.
Kone started playing football at the Olympiacos youth academy. Before he turned 17, he moved to France. He joined the youth team of Lens for €400,000.
Professional Club Career
AEK Athens Debut
After one year with Lens, Kone returned to Greece. He joined AEK Athens and signed his first professional contract. For the 2005–06 season, he wore the number 10 shirt. However, when famous player Rivaldo joined the team, Kone changed his number to 22.
Playing for Iraklis
In 2008, Kone moved to Iraklis. He played for two seasons, making 49 league appearances and scoring eight goals. He often played as a substitute or was substituted during matches. While he showed flashes of skill, he was not always consistent.
Moving to Italy with Brescia
In July 2010, Kone signed with Brescia Calcio for the 2010–11 Serie B season. He showed good technical skills, speed, and a strong sense for scoring goals. After Brescia was relegated from Serie A, he moved to Bologna on loan for the 2011–12 season. Bologna had an option to make the move permanent.
Time at Bologna
Kone first joined Bologna temporarily. In June 2013, Bologna bought out Brescia's share of Kone for €1.6 million. He then extended his contract with Bologna until June 2017. He became known in Italy for scoring amazing goals. One famous goal was a scissor-kick volley against Napoli. This goal helped his team win 3–2 away from home.
On 24 November 2013, Kone scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season against Internazionale. In May 2014, Bologna was relegated to Serie B. Kone was very upset after the defeat. He was one of the few players who had a good season.
Joining Udinese
Udinese signed Kone despite interest from other clubs like Palermo and Torino. The details of his transfer were not made public.
On 22 January 2015, Kone scored an equalizing goal for Udinese in the 2014–15 Coppa Italia against Napoli. The game ended in a 2–2 draw, but Udinese lost in a penalty shootout. On 22 March, he scored his first Serie A goal for Udinese against Fiorentina. He said his goal was important for the team.
On 23 August 2015, Kone helped Udinese end Juventus' 47-game unbeaten home streak in the league. He provided an assist for a goal in a 1–0 away win. In October 2015, Kone got a calf injury while playing for Greece. He was out for about two and a half months. On 17 December 2015, he returned and scored an amazing goal against Lazio in the 2015–16 Coppa Italia. He controlled a cross with his heel and flicked the ball into the top corner. However, Lazio won 2–1.
Kone started the 2016-17 season after dealing with injuries. He worked to regain his fitness and confidence. In October 2016, Udinese announced that Kone had dislocated his shoulder.
Loan to Fiorentina
On 31 January 2016, Kone joined Fiorentina on loan from Udinese. Fiorentina had the option to buy him later. Kone had struggled with injuries that season, playing only five league games for Udinese. He made his Fiorentina debut on 10 April 2016, coming on as a substitute against Empoli.
Loan to Granada
On 19 January 2017, Kone was loaned to La liga club Granada for six months.
Return to AEK Athens
On 30 August 2017, AEK reached an agreement with Udinese for Kone to return on a season-long loan. On 23 November 2017, Kone played his first game in almost 8 months. He came on as a substitute in a 2–2 UEFA Europa League home game against Rijeka. On 11 December 2017, Kone scored his first goal for AEK in 10 years. It was in a 3–1 home win against Kerkyra.
After his loan, Kone returned to Udinese. He played 20 games for AEK during the 2017–18 season. On 31 August 2018, he ended his contract with Udinese by agreement.
Western United FC
On 31 January 2019, Kone became the first player to sign for the new A-League team Western United FC. He signed a two-year deal before their first season.
International Career
Kone played for Greece at youth levels. After joining Brescia, he was called up to the senior Greece team by coach Fernando Santos. On 17 November 2010, Kone made his debut for the senior national team. It was in a 2–1 friendly win against Austria.
Kone was included in the first squad for UEFA Euro 2012. However, he was sent off in a friendly game before the tournament. He was later not included in the final 23-man squad.
Two years later, Kone's good season with Bologna helped him get selected for the 2014 World Cup squad. On 7 June 2014, he scored his first goal for Greece in a 2–1 friendly win against Bolivia.
On 11 October 2015, Kone scored in a dramatic 4–3 win over Hungary during UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. He scored with a powerful header from a José Holebas cross. This was Greece's only win in that qualifying group.
Career Statistics
International Goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 June 2014 | Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ, United States |  Bolivia |
2–1 | Win | Friendly Match |
| 2. | 11 October 2015 | Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece |  Hungary |
4–3 | Win | Euro 2016 Qualifying Match |
Honours
AEK Athens
- Super League Greece: 2017–18
See also
In Spanish: Panagiotis Kone para niños
