Greek duo Kostantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias give Borussia Dortmund glimpse of bright future
Borussia Dortmund may have lost the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Bayern Munich, but the performances of Greek summer signings Kostantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias in that game offer hope for a goal-filled season for Niko Kovač’s side.
Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi, Julien Duranville, Cole Campbell: Dortmund fans could have been forgiven for wondering where goals and creativity would come from in 2026/27 after the aforementioned quartet were allowed to leave the club over the summer.
They needn’t have worried.
In summer recruits Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias, BVB look like they’ll trouble every defence they face this season.
Watch: Dortmund 1-2 Bayern - Supercup highlights
“All four showed why we signed them,” said Kovač after the 2-1 Supercup defeat against Bayern on Saturday, referring to Karetsas and Konstantelias, as well as fellow newcomers Joane Gadou and Joey Veerman.
Yet it was the Greek duo who stood out in particular. Karetsas, still only 18, began on the right wing and showed flashes of his pace, trickery and forward-thinking mindset.
His teasing, in-swinging cross from the right in the 14th minute would have produced the game’s opening goal, had Samuele Inácio had been able to apply the finish.
Watch: Karetsas' Supercup best bits
In terms of overall chances created, Karetsas was the most dangerous Dortmund player on the pitch, firing off two shots himself and setting up a team-mate for another.
“With Kosta, you could see what a creative player he is and what a great left foot he has,” praised Kovač after the final whistle.
It was no one-off display, either. Karetsas scored a wonderful solo goal in the team’s pre-season friendly against Arsenal just a few days after signing for the club, and also started the subsequent summer warm-up game against Roma.
Watch: Konstantelias' Supercup best bits
“I was particularly impressed by how alert Kosta was after just five days of training,” said BVB managing director for sport Lars Ricken after the 3-2 victory over Arsenal. “How he got involved in the game, and how confident on the ball and selfless he was.”
Konstantelias was likewise singled out for praise by Kovač after facing Bayern, a fixture which arrived less than a week after he joined from PAOK.
A second-half substitute for Inácio, the 23-year-old was vital in the creation of Dortmund’s goal, dribbling in from the left and playing a neatly disguised pass into the run of Daniel Svensson, whose cross was converted by Fábio Silva to spark hopes of a late fightback.
The Black-and-Yellows ultimately fell just short on this occasion, but Konstantelias, who also had one effort on goal himself and found a team-mate with all 16 of his passes, nevertheless made his mark.
“He did really well,” said Kovač at full time. “The way he set up that goal was top-notch.”
With BVB’s Greek duo already making waves after just a few days in Dortmund, imagine what they’ll be capable of over a full season...
