​Greece sit first in League A - Group B with 7 points from 3 matches, having won 2 and drawn 1. They are unbeaten in the Nations League, and the main reason the run has started to feel more than just a decent spell is the age of the players carrying it. Konstantinos Karetsas is 18, Christos Mouzakitis is 19 and Konstantinos Kostoulas is 19.

The young core behind the start

The three teenagers are the face of the rebuild, but they are not alone. Vangelis Pavlidis and Konstantinos Tsimikas are part of a squad that has mixed youth with established names, and the early return has been solid enough to justify the attention. Greece have scored 5 and conceded 3, which fits a team that is playing with energy without losing control.

Karetsas has already made 4 Nations League appearances and played 292 minutes. His 6.35 rating is steady rather than spectacular, which is probably the right place to start with an 18-year-old who is already part of a winning group. The wider point is that Greece are not waiting on these players to grow into international football, they are using them now.

Results and the domestic base

There is also a stronger Greek-club base behind the squad than people outside the country may have expected. Ten selections in this Nations League break come from Greek teams, more than 30% of the group, with Olympiakos supplying 2 players and PAOK and Panathinaikos supplying 3 each. That gives the national side a core that is familiar with each other before they even meet up.

The best sign is that the results have matched the profile. Greece are top of the section after 3 matches, and the three teenagers are not passengers in that start. They are part of why the team now looks like a project with some substance behind it, not just a feel-good week of headlines.

The immediate test is the next Nations League fixture, but the bigger point already stands. Greece’s current run has 7 points, no defeats and a young core that is doing more than taking up space in the squad.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →