The teenage forward has made a remarkable start to his career in Greece, and he's set to take his talents to the Premier League
Greece is not a country that iswell known for producing superstar footballers. Even their European Championship-winning squad of 2004 lacked big names, with former Leicester City midfielder Theodoros Zagorakis and ex-Werder Bremen striker Angelos Charisteas among those who enjoyed fine careers in their own right, but never managed to earn global recognition.
But Charalampos Kostoulas is one of several players of this golden generation capable of breaking the mould. His meteoric rise to prominence at Olympiacos has captured the imagination of the public in his homeland, and he has been described as a "marvel of nature" by the club's sporting director, Darko Kovacevic.
His exploits so far in his career have attracted the attention of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester United, but it's wonderkid factory Brighton who are set to snap him up for a cool £34 million (€40.2m/$45.8m).
If he stays on his current trajectory, Kostoulas will get the chance to strut his stuff in the Premier League with the Seagulls sooner rather than later. So without further ado, GOAL is here to bring you everything you need to know about Brighton's latest recruit…
Where it all began
Football was always in Kostoulas' blood. His father, Athanasios, also played for Olympiacos as a defender, and racked up over 300 top-flight appearances across his 21-year career, while also winning two caps for the Greece national team.
Charalampos and his older brother, Konstantinos, both aimed to follow in their father's footsteps, and they started their journey at AS Agia Anna, a mountain village club located in central Greece. Charalampos eventually got his big chance to shine at the age of 12, when he was invited to play at a tournament in Dusseldorf, Germany for PAOK Athens.
The talented forward seized the moment with both hands, scoring 10 goals, which prompted PAOK to try and draft him into their youth ranks. Olympiacos hijacked the move, though, swooping in to sign Charalampos Konstantinos in order to keep the sons of one of their former players out of the clutches of their arch-rivals.
That decision soon paid off for Olympiacos, as Charalampos fired the club's Under-15s to the league title in 2021-22 with 16 goals in 15 appearances, and he was rewarded with his first professional contract. He registered another 12 goal involvements as Olympiacos became Greek Super League U17 champions the following season, while also getting the chance to make his debut for the club's B team at just 15 years, seven months, and 25 days old.
AdvertisementThe big break
After becoming the youngest player to play professionally in Olympiacos' entire history, Kostoulas became a regular for the reserves, which gave him the opportunity to make his mark in the UEFA Youth League. Incredibly, Olympiacos ended up clinching the 2023-24 trophy, becoming the first Greek side to ever win a UEFA club competition, one month before the senior team's triumph in the Conference League.
Kostoulas played a vital role, too, scoring five goals in eight games, including one in their 3-1 upset victory over Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. Olympiacos head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar was impressed, and promoted Kostoulas to the first team ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, while Konstantinos was sent out on loan to Rio Ave.
Konstantinos was deemed not to be ready for the step up yet, but Mendilibar felt his younger brother could add depth to Olympiacos' attack as they sought to build on their historic European success. Kostoulas wasn't made to wait for his debut either, as he started the club's opening Greek Super League game of the season against Volos.
There was no instant impact, though. Kostoulas was subbed at half-time in that 2-0 victory, and didn't make the squad in three of Olympiacos' next four league games as it took time for him to adjust to the intensity of top-flight football.
But on matchday 11, everything clicked. Kostoulas headed in the opening goal in a huge 3-2 win at PAOK, making history as the youngest player to ever score a league goal for Olympiacos at 17 years, five months, and 11 days. That dream moment reignited the fire in Kostoulas, who has since established himself as a key member of Mendilibar's squad.
Getty Images SportHow it's going
Olympiacos failed in their bid to take home an unprecedented treble in 2024-25, but they did secure a league and cup double to keep spirits high in the city of Piraeus for the club's 100th anniversary. Veteran striker Ayoub El Kaabi earned most of the plaudits – he wound up with 34 goals and assists in all competitions – but Kostoulas provided the 31-year-old with invaluable support in the final third.
Kostoulas, who is also now a Greece U21 international, racked up seven goals in 22 Greek Super League games, including the clincher against Panathinaikos in their first play-off win, and was one of the standout players in Olympiacos' Europa League victories over Porto and Qarabag earlier in the campaign. He shared the limelight with academy graduate Christos Mouzakitis, but it feels like Kostoulas has a higher ceiling than his deep-lying team-mate given his capacity to be a match-winner.
That was the case even on the occasions Kostoulas had to make do with a substitute role. He scored both goals from the bench to give Olympiacos a 2-1 home win over Aris Saloniki, including a dramatic 96th-minute winner, which earned him special praise from Mendilibar.
"Kostoulas didn’t just score – he created opportunities and drove the game forward," said the Olympiacos boss. "He was on target, something we generally lacked."
AFPBiggest strengths
Standing at just over six foot tall, Kostoulas is a physically intimidating forward with a frightening turn of pace. Only two players in the Greek Super League have been clocked at a higher speed than Kostoulas' top mark of 36kmph, and he's almost unstoppable in full flow.
The 18-year-old also possesses a natural eye for goal, which has seen him dubbed 'Babistuta' – a nod to former Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta. He's a clinical finisher who can score with both feet, but is also a surprisingly nimble link-man who thrives with his back to goal.
Kostoulas' passing is crisp and incisive, while off the ball he is always looking to get into little pockets of space behind enemy lines. Olympiacos could always go long with Kostoulas in the team, too, because he very rarely loses any aerial duels and has knack for timing runs into the box.
