Last month, Konstantinos Karetsas made international headlines when he became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Greek national team. He also became the youngest scorer ever in a UEFA Nations League game, at 17 years and 124 days old. The Greece squad from that victory – a crucial one, enabling Greece’s promotion to Group A in the Nations League – also featured Konstantinos Koulierakis (21), Georgios Vagiannidis (23), Giannis Konstantelias (22), Christos Mouzakitis (18), Christos Zafeiris (22), Christos Tzolis (23), and Konstantinos Tzolakis (22). The average age of those seven players, combined with Karetsas, is just 21 years old.
Aside from just youth, Greece’s current squad also features talisman Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Champions League this past January. Meanwhile, the Greek Super League 1 (Σούπερ Λιγκ Ελλάδας 1) is gaining newfound respect. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) ranked the Greek Super League 9th of 55 domestic leagues in Europe for both the campaigns from 2023/24 and 2024/25, the current season. This is a marked improvement from the league’s ranking between 2015/16 through the 2022/23 season, in which it largely fluctuated between 14th and 20th.
These league rankings aren’t always a good indicator of international success, because players don’t always play in their domestic league. Argentina, for example, won the 2022 World Cup with a domestic league that was not seen as top-quality. However, none of the players who started in the World Cup Final played in the Argentine league. Greece, however, has 12 players in the latest 23-player squad who play their club football in the Greek Super League.
Greek fans are some of the most passionate in the world. Sooner or later, they will get another opportunity to prove it.
Furthermore, Olympiakos became the first Greek club to win a major UEFA European trophy in 2023/24. Good for bragging rights over rivals Panathinaikos, AEK Athens, or PAOK, surely, but more so, it offers more legitimacy to the league at large. The better the domestic league, the better the competition for Greeks playing their football locally.
What is a “golden generation?”
The term “golden generation" is thrown around a lot in football, often to the point of losing some of its luster. An actual golden generation is an exceptionally gifted group of players of similar ages, whose achievements go beyond or are expected to go beyond what their team has previously accomplished.
Belgium’s “Golden Generation” squad included Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, and Romelo Lukaku. These players made Belgium a powerhouse and gave them a chance at international glory.
Belgium’s squad from 2014 until the 2022 World Cup squad is seen as perhaps the most prominent golden generation in recent memory. Although they did not claim a major trophy, the squad went from failing to qualify for any major tournament from 2002 to 2012 to claiming bronze in the 2018 World Cup and briefly being rated the top international squad in the world by FIFA’s world rankings.
The defining characteristic of a golden generation is not only high-level success, but sustained success. Certainly, Greece has already experienced what could be defined as a golden generation. After failing to qualify for six consecutive major tournaments between 1982 and 1994, Greece briefly gained momentum by qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, and abruptly lost it by failing to qualify for another ten years.
2004, of course, saw the greatest result in the history of Greek football, with a European Championship victory. That squad proceeding to qualify for the 2008 Euro, 2010 World Cup, 2012 Euro, and the 2014 World Cup marks undoubtedly the greatest stretch of results in Greek football history. So, to achieve what could be called another golden generation, the team would have to at least equal these results.
Or at least, if they fail to win another major trophy, they could make a habit of qualification. At a minimum, this is the first step: qualify for a major tournament, increase the confidence of the squad, and go from there.
Typically, success in international tournaments is big for the movement of players. If Greece’s players put on a good performance in a major tournament, they will be bought by bigger clubs, and in turn, will get more experience playing top-level football. Those players can then take that experience and perform even better for the national team, creating a cycle that develops a stronger culture for football in Greece and improves the talent level for the future.
What’s the point?
Why does it matter? For one, football is more than just a game at the international level. It is a point of national pride, rallies a nation together, and can have long-term economic benefits. Investing in football is much like investing in anything else. The current value of the Greek Super League is estimated to be north of $500 million. This contributes to the Greek economy by creating jobs in marketing, management, event planning, and more.
The higher the quality of the league, the more a company will be willing to pay for the right to broadcast. International success and domestic league success often go hand in hand. France, Germany, England, Italy, and Spain are seen as powerhouses in international football, and the five accompanying domestic leagues are the five most competitive in the world. All of those nations have league valuations north of 2.6 billion euros, while the English Premier League alone is valued at over 7 billion euros.
The 2004 European Championship is seen as the biggest underdog story in the history of international football. With a talented group of young players maturing, Greece could shed the underdog moniker and become a contender for years to come.
Numbers alone can’t define what the success of the international team can mean for Greece. When I tell a fellow Greek I was born in 2004, I hear what a special year that was. The European Championship victory, coupled with the hosting of the Olympics – debt notwithstanding – left an impression of optimism and national pride.
As proud as I am of that 2004 victory – Greece has won more Euro Finals than England, it has to be mentioned – I also feel left out. I want to see Greek football return to international prominence, and this young group of players has the potential to achieve those expectations.