Kostas Mitroglou: A Striker of Exceptional Goalscoring Abilities

Konstantinos “Kostas” Mitroglou is a name that will forever be etched in the history books of Greek football. The striker, who was nicknamed “Mitrogoal” and “Pistolero” by fans, has had a career that has seen him play for some of the biggest clubs in Europe and represent his country on the international stage.

Mitroglou’s journey in football began in Germany, where he was raised and began his career at Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was there where he established himself as an excellent prospect, catching the eye of Olympiacos who signed him in 2007. He had two loan spells at Panionios and Atromitos before establishing himself as a regular in the Olympiacos team.

In 2013, he transferred to the Premier League club Fulham for a club record £12 million. Unfortunately, his time at Fulham was plagued by injuries and the club was relegated in his only season. He then returned to Olympiacos on loan before joining Benfica in Portugal on a permanent basis in 2016. With Benfica, he would go on to win five major honours, including back-to-back league titles, and set his single-season scoring record with 27 goals.

Mitroglou’s success at club level was matched by his performances on the international stage. He was first called up for the Greece national under-19 team in 2005 and went on to represent the under-21 and senior teams. He made his senior debut for Greece in 2009 and went on to score his first goal for the national team in a 3–2 away win over Norway in 2012. He was also a key player for Greece during their successful 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring important goals in the play-off against Romania that sealed their place in the tournament.

Despite his successful career, Mitroglou’s spell in the Premier League with Fulham was not as successful as he and the club had hoped. But, Mitroglou’s career is not defined by his time in the premier league but rather by his successful stints at Olympiacos, Benfica and his time with the Greek national team. He was a prolific striker who always delivered when his team needed him the most and his goalscoring record speaks for itself.

Kostas Mitroglou may have retired from professional football, but his legacy will live on. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest Greek strikers of all time and a true goalscoring machine.