Kostas Fortounis
Young teenage midfielder Kostas Fortounis could be just the man to raise the low morale of crisis-hit Greece and propel the surprise 2004 champions into the knockout stages at Euro 2012.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: May 25, 2012 03:22 PM IST
Full name: Konstantinos Fortounis
Date of birth: 16 October 1992 (age 19)
Place of birth: Trikala, Greece
Playing position: Attacking Midfielder/Right Winger
Current club: FC Kaiserslautern (Germany)
Young teenage midfielder Kostas Fortounis (seen here in blue jersey) could be just the man to raise the low morale of crisis-hit Greece and propel the surprise 2004 champions into the knockout stages at Euro 2012.
Despite being just 19 and having experienced the disappointment of relegation in his first season with Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern, Fortounis has reportedly attracted interest from Dutch champions Ajax and Italian champions Juventus.
Despite having three years left on his contract with them -- earning 200,000 euros (160,000 pounds, $255,000) a year -- the attacking midfielder is likely to attract further interest after he was called up to the Euro squad by coach Fernando Santos.
"It is a great honour for me to be called up for the national team. I am at the disposal of my coach who will make his final decision," said Fortounis.
"I believe that we will do well in Poland and that we can advance beyond the first group stage. We have a good team which is well respected by all," Fortounis told Radio Zygos in his home town of Trikala, in northwest Greece.
Fortounis has little international experience as he has just the one cap -- the entire first-half in the 1-1 friendly draw with Belgium in their last match -- but did enough to retain his place.
"Kostas Fortounis is a very talented attacking player with great potential and we hope to bring him along further," said Kaiserslautern chairman Stefan Kuntz when the youngster signed for them.
"We're confident that he will reach the next stage in his development as a player.
"On top of that, we're delighted that he was fully committed to joining our team, despite the interest of other Budesliga clubs."
Fortounis is willing to continue his career at Kaiserslautern but the likeliest scenario is that another club will come hunting for him as there is a relatively cheap exit clause on his contract of just 800,000 euros.
"I don't have any problem of playing in the second division of the German league," he said.
"Of course I will look at the situation and if there is another offer from a team abroad and my team agrees to let me go, I will most likely leave. As for my return to a Greek team, I wouldn't want to return at this phase of my career."
The fact that Juventus could be interested in him should not be too much of a shock given the rapidity of his rise as he was playing fourth division football only two years ago.
Fortounis, who had a impressive spell in the Under-21 side scoring four goals in 14 matches, began his career with fourth division club Meteora Trikala, where from 2008-2010 he played in 30 matches and scored 26 goals.
He moved on to the Super League in the 2010-2011 season playing for Asteras Tripolis where he played in 24 matches and scored one goal which was enough for Kaiserslautern to come calling.
A good Euro would not just lift the spirits of the Greek nation, currently reeling with economic and political woes. For Fortounis, the list of callers could be a lengthy one.
"Everything changed within one year. From Trikala I found myself in Germany and with the national team. I want to show that I am ready to play in the Euro. All of this can only come about with hard work," Fortounis said.