Kitsiou: A young Greek international
He experienced one of the most important events of his young career on Monday 7 September when he became a full international. Stelios Kitsiou is the latest addition to the extensive list of PAOK players who put on the Greece shirt.
Stelios Kitsiou made his senior international debut in the encounter against Romania at the age of 21 and added his name in another list as well: the one with the youngest players of the “Double-Headed Eagle” to have earned their first cap.
Kitsiou leapfrogged past great Giorgos Koudas by two days and is in 12th position in the list of those debutising for Greece before their 22nd birthday.
The youngest player on that list is Kostas Stafylidis, with Giannis Gounaris and Stavros Sarafis completing the podium.
This first cap for Stelios Kitsiou is yet another step forward in a career that has began brilliantly. Let’s not forget that, a few months back, the Football Observatory shortlisted him as the second most talented player under the age of 23 in a full-back position in European football.
The list of PAOK players who earned their first cap for Greece under the age of 22 is as follows:
| Name | Date of Birth | Debut | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kostas Stafylidis | 02/12/1993 | 14/11/2012 | 18 years 11 months 12 days |
| 2 | Giannis Gounaris | 15/03/1952 | 18/06/1971 | 19 years 3 months 3 days |
| 3 | Stavros Sarafis | 26/01/1950 | 19/07/1969 | 19 years 5 months 23 days |
| 4 | Giorgos Toursounidis | 21/08/1970 | 31/05/1990 | 20 years 9 months 10 days |
| 5 | Giorgos Kostikos | 26/04/1958 | 21/03/1979 | 20 years 10 months 23 days |
| 6 | Lazaros Christodoulopoulos | 19/12/1986 | 05/02/2008 | 21 years 1 month 17 days |
| 7 | Stefanos Borbokis | 26/09/1966 | 17/02/1988 | 21 years 4 months 22 days |
| 8 | Kostas Iosifidis | 14/10/1952 | 28/04/1974 | 21 years 6 months 14 days |
| 9 | Kostas Orfanos | 22/08/1956 | 23/03/1977 | 21 years 7 months 1 day |
| 10 | Sotiris Mavromatis | 21/02/1966 | 16/12/1987 | 21 years 9 months 25 days |
| 11 | Thanasis Dimopoulos | 21/04/1963 | 27/03/1985 | 21 years 11 months 6 days |
| 12 | Stelios Kitsiou | 28/09/1993 | 07/09/2015 | 21 years 11 months 11 days |
| 13 | Giorgos Koudas | 23/11/1946 | 05/11/1967 | 21 years 11 months 13 days |
Check out paokfc.gr’s section on all their international players by clicking here.
