| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2007-11-19) 19 November 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Genk, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Genk | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2020 | Genk | ||
| 2020–2023 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Jong Genk | 20 | (6) |
| 2024– | Genk | 72 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Belgium U15 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Belgium U16 | 13 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Belgium U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2024 | Belgium U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2025– | Greece | 10 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 March 2026 | |||
Konstantinos Karetsas (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Καρέτσας; born 19 November 2007) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Racing Genk.[1] Born in Belgium, he represents the Greece national team.
Club career
Karetsas came through the system at his home town club Genk before spending three years at Anderlecht. He then returned to Genk in January 2023.[2]
He made his professional debut as a fifteen year-old for Jong Genk in the opening game of the 2023–24 season. He scored three goals in his first seven league games.[3] When he scored his first professional goal on 1 September 2023, in the Challenger Pro League against RSCA Futures, he became the youngest goalscorer in Belgian pro-league history.[4][5]
After a few strong months at Jong Genk, Karetsas was promoted to Genk's first team in February 2024 together with teammate Noah Adedeji-Sternberg. He was given his official debut by coach Wouter Vrancken in the league match against Cercle Brugge on 4 May. In the 88th minute, Karetsas came on for Bilal El Khannouss. Two weeks later, interim head coach Domenico Olivieri give him a first-team start for the first time for the league match against Royal Antwerp and in the 28th minute, he provided the assist for the only goal of the game, scored by Andi Zeqiri.
Karetsas continued to impress in the opening weeks of the 2024–25 season, while still 16 years old, and was selected among The Guardian's 60 best young talents in world football selection for 2024.[6]
International career
Karetsas was born in Belgium to Greek parents.[7] He chose to represent the Greek international team. He is a former Belgian youth international.[8]
Karetsas was selected by the Belgian Under-21s for European qualifiers against Scotland and Hungary in October 2024, coming on as a substitute in the latter match for this debut at that level.[9]
In March 2025, FIFA approved the change of association Karetsas could represent from Belgium to Greece.[10] He made his international debut as a substitute against Scotland on 20 March 2025 during the Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs.[11] Three days later, he scored his first goal in a 3–0 away win against the same opponent, at the age of 17 years and 124 days, making him the youngest scorer in Greece's history as well as Nation League's history.[12]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 12 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | Belgian Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong Genk | 2023–24 | Challenger Pro League | 20 | 6 | — | — | 20 | 6 | ||
| Genk | 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | 34 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | 39 | 3 | |||
| 2025–26 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 13[a] | 2 | 48 | 3 | ||
| Total | 72 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 92 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 92 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 112 | 12 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 27 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 2025 | 9 | 3 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Karetsas goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2025 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League |
| 2 | 5 September 2025 | Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece |  Belarus | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers |
| 3 | 15 November 2025 | Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece | Scotland | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers |
References
- Konstantinos Karetsas at Soccerway
- "Anderlecht: the great talent Konstantinos Karetsas heads to Genk" (in French). 10 January 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- "KONSTANTINOS KARETSAS: THE 15-YEAR-OLD 'WONDERKID' LIGHTING UP THE BELGIAN SECOND TIER". Onefootball.com. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- "VIDEO: 15-year-old wonderkid Konstantinos Karetsas scores a screamer, becoming the youngest scorer in Belgian football history". Nogomania.com. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- "RSC ANDERLECHT II VS. KRC GENK II 1 - 1". Soccerway. 1 September 2023.
- "Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football". Guardian. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- "Κωνσταντίνος Καρέτσας, Ελληνόπουλο το μεγαλύτερο ταλέντο στο Βέλγιο". 14 January 2023.
- "Big blow for Anderlecht: the great talent Konstantinos Karetsas goes to Genk". Sudinfo.be. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- "Belgium U21 vs. Hungary U21 - 15 October 2024 - Soccerway". Soccerway. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- "FIFA Change of Association Platform". FIFA. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- Lamont, Alasdair (22 March 2025). "The 'pretty special' 17-year-old out to dash Scotland dreams". BBC Sport.
- "Youngest Nations League scorers: Konstantinos Karetsas, Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Ansu Fati". UEFA. 24 March 2025.
External links
- Konstantinos Karetsas at Soccerway.com
- Konstantinos Karetsas at WorldFootball.net
- Konstantinos Karetsas at National-Football-Teams.com
- Konstantinos Karetsas at kicker (in German)
- Konstantinos Karetsas at EU-Football.info