Before he realized that he was a member of the first team, as an Under-19 player with the PAOK Academy, Pelkas was given the No. 10 jersey in 2012 and became one of the club’s youngest ever goalscorers in Europe, and was being hailed as one of Greece’s most promising talents.

The weight of expectations others put on his shoulders proved unbearable initially, but it did not stop him in the long run. Pelkas took a step back, continued to work hard and put things back on the right footing. The result? He came back much stronger. Born in 1993, Pelkas began his first football steps at the Giannitson Athletic Academy before being spotted by PAOK.

In the second half of the 2013-14 season he was loaned out to Apollo Kalamaria where he scored seven goals in 18 appearances, and in the 2014-15 season he went out again on loan but this time to Portuguese side Vitoria Setubal.

In Portugal, Pelkas used the time to nurture his talent and he came back stronger and ready to fight for a first-team place at PAOK ,with whom he renewed his contract up to 2018.

The 2015-16 season was his first full season at PAOK. Igor Tudor initially, and then Vladan Ivic put their faith in the youngster and he finished the season with 48 appearances, 3,545 minutes, nine goals and eight assists.

The following season, several incoming transfers made competition for places tough and limited his playing time, but he played a crucial tole in PAOK’s run to winning the Greek Cup.

In the summer of 2017 he was appointed club captain after Stephanos Athanasiadis‘ departure, and he renewed his contract with PAOK up to 2021, gaining the trust of then coach Razvan Lucsescu, who gave him a key role and match time.

Pelkas scored 12 goals and contributed 11 assists in the 2017-18 season, while in the 2018-19 season he was pivotal in the team’s undefeated run to winning a domestic double with six goals and nine assists in 39 appearances.