«I believe that Dimitris Meliopoulos of Xanthi U17s can excel thanks to his character and his skills. First of all, I value his character, his passion and will to work and be successful. And then all the rest, including his talent«.

Răzvan Lucescu was impressed the first time he saw the youngster in training. He sang his praises shortly before leaving Xanthi and now, two years later, they meet again in Thessaloniki as they will work together at PAOK.

Born on 22 March 2000, Meliopoulos started his football career at PAOK Kouloura. He joined Xanthi’s academy at the age of 15 and very soon stood out, either in midfield or as centre-back.

At the age of 17, he signed his first professional contract and participated in the senior team’s preseason training for 2017-18. He demonstrated that he was ready for his baptism of fire in men’s football.

On 25 October 2017 he made his debut in Xanthi’s victory over Panetolikos in Agrinio and became the first member of Generation X (people born in the 21st century) to feature in Super League Souroti. He played in 18 matches and is the youngest scorer ever for Xanthi, with the Greek Cup goal he netted against AEL.

He was a regular for the Thrace side in 2018-19, appearing in 17 encounters, all competitions included.

He became an international for Greece’s youth sides in 2016, starting with the U16 team. Now he is a member of the Greece U21s, having made his debut for them under the guidance of Antonis Nikopolidis.

The player attracted the interest of many clubs, but PAOK beat them to it and reached a deal with Xanthi for the transfer of Dimitris Meliopoulos.