| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2007-11-19)19 November 2007 (age 17) | ||
| Place of birth | Genk, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder,winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Genk | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2020 | Genk | ||
| 2020–2023 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Jong Genk | 20 | (6) |
| 2024– | Genk | 30 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Belgium U15 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Belgium U16 | 13 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Belgium U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2024 | Belgium U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2025– | Greece | 2 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 March 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2025 | |||
Konstantinos Karetsas (Greek:Κωνσταντίνος Καρέτσας; born 19 November 2007) is a professionalfootballer who plays as a midfielder forRacing Genk in theBelgian Pro League.[1] Born in Belgium and a former Belgian youth international, he represents theGreece national team.
Karetsas came through the system at his home town clubGenk before spending three years atAnderlecht. He then returned to Genk in January 2023.[2]
He made his professional debut as a fifteen year-old forJong Genk in the opening game of the 2023-24 season. He scored three goals in his first seven league games.[3] When he scored his first professional goal on 1 September 2023, in theChallenger Pro League againstRSCA Futures, he became the youngest goalscorer in Belgian pro-league history.[4][5]
After a few strong months at Jong Genk, Karetsas was promoted to Genk's first team in February 2024 together with teammateNoah Adedeji-Sternberg. He was given his official debut by coachWouter Vrancken in the league match againstCercle Brugge on 4 May. In the 88th minute, Karetsas came on forBilal El Khannouss. Two weeks later, interim head coachDomenico Olivieri give him a first-team start for the first time for the league match againstRoyal Antwerp and in the 28th minute, he provided the assist for the only goal of the game, scored byAndi Zeqiri.
Karetsas continued to impress in the opening weeks of the 2024-25 season, while still 16 years old, and was selected amongThe Guardian's 60 best young talents in world football selection for 2024.[6]
Karetsas was born inBelgium to Greek parents.[7] He chose to represent the Greek international team. He is a Belgian youth international.[8]
Karetsas was selected by theBelgian Under-21s for European qualifiers against Scotland and Hungary in October 2024, coming on as a substitute in the latter match for this debut at that level.[9]
In March 2025, FIFA approved the change of association Karetsas could represent from Belgium toGreece.[10] He made his international debut as a substitute againstScotland on 20 March 2025.[11] He scored his first goal in the next game, at the age of 17 years, 4 months and 4 days old, making him the youngest scorer inGreece's history as well asNation League's history.
| Club | Season | League | Belgian Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong Genk | 2023–24 | Challenger Pro League | 20 | 6 | — | 20 | 6 | |
| Genk | 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 26 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| Total | 30 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 50 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 55 | 9 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 2025 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2025 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League |