 Mantalos withAEK Athens in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1991-08-31)31 August 1991 (age 34) | ||
| Place of birth | Komotini, Greece | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AEK Athens | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2009 | Skoda Xanthi | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2014 | Skoda Xanthi | 81 | (12) |
| 2014– | AEK Athens | 300 | (43) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2009–2010 | Greece U19 | 9 | (4) |
| 2011–2012 | Greece U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2014– | Greece | 71 | (7) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 | |||
Petros Mantalos (Greek:Πέτρος Μάνταλος; born 31 August 1991) is a Greek professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder forSuper League clubAEK Athens, which he captains, and theGreece national team.
Petros Mantalos began playing professional football forSuper League clubSkoda Xanthi. He played a total of 90 games (15 goals, 10 assists) in all competitions and represented his country atunder-19 andunder-21 levels. His performances attracted the interest of Greek giantsOlympiacos,Panathinaikos andAEK Athens, the latter club newly relegated from the Super League, bankrupt, and making a fresh start in the third-tierFootball League 2.[1] In July 2013, Mantalos agreed to join AEK from the 2014–15 season.[2] The fee was reported as around €500,000.[3] He remained with Xanthi for the 2013–14 season, making 30 Super League appearances as well as playing in theUEFA Europa League.[4]
By the time Mantalos joined up with AEK, they had been promoted to the second-tierFootball League. He made his debut on 12 September in the first round of theGreek Cup, and his first league appearance on 19 October 2014 at home toApollon Smyrnis: with his team losing 1–0, Mantalos took the free kick from whichAlexandre D'Acol equalised and then converted apenalty to complete a 2–1 win.[5] He went on to score 11 goals and provide 15 assists in 22 games in League and Cup combined.[citation needed] Mantalos himself missed the last few weeks of the season, having ruptured hisanterior cruciate ligament while playing in a cup derby against Olympiacos in March 2015. He said afterwards that it was his first major injury, he was not going to rush his recovery, and that AEK could manage well enough without him.[6] This they proved, finishingtop of the South Group and then winningthe play-offs.
After six months out, Mantalos returned to competitive action and continued as a regular in the first team, helping AEK finish third in the2015–16 season and qualify for the Europa League.[citation needed] He scored the only goal of the first leg of theGreek Cup semi-final againstAtromitos,[7] and captained the side inthe final at theOlympic Stadium. His first-half headed goal contributed to AEK's 2–1 defeat of champions Olympiacos to win the competition for the 15th time, and he was named MVP of the match.[8]
According to an end-of-season profile, Mantalos "endured a difficult start tothe campaign",[9] which was interrupted by the need for surgery on a nose broken in training,[10] "but seemed rejuvenated onceManolo Jiménez took over the team" in January 2017.[9] He finished the season with a goal and an assist in a 2–1 win againstPanionios in theplay-offs that confirmed AEK's place in theUEFA Champions League third qualifying round,[11] and was voted best Greek footballer in the Super League at thePSAP awards.[12] In light of interest from Spanish clubs, AEK were reported to be unwilling to sell at less than €5 or € million, as the player still had two years left on his contract.[13]
AEK went top of the Super League three weeks into the2017–18 season after a 4–0 win overAEL, in which Mantalos opened the scoring with a fourth-minutebicycle kick.[14] Although AEK failed to progress in the Champions League, they qualified for theEuropa League group stage; in their first match, Mantalos scored as AEK beatRijeka 2–1.[15] A few days later, he scored an 89th-minute winner as they came back from 2–0 down after 63 minutes to beat reigning champions Olympiacos 3–2.[16] At the end of October, Mantalos suffered another ruptured ACL, this time in his left knee.[17] As a gesture of support, the club offered Mantalos a contract extension until 2022, which he accepted.[18] He returned to action as a substitute on 21 April as AEK beatLevadiakos to clinch their first Super League title since 1994.[19]
Mantalos converted a penalty in a 1–1 draw in theChampions League play-off round second leg againstVidi that, despite having two men sent off, was enough to progress to thegroup stage on aggregate.[20] Two days after reports emerged that the club had rejected a bid valued at €10 million for Mantalos from EnglishChampionship clubWest Bromwich Albion,[21] he scored his first goal of the2018–19 Super League season, a penalty, that gave AEK a 1–0 win away toAsteras Tripolis.[22] His fourth league goal, which opened the scoring in a 2–0 win away to Panionios in January 2019, was controversial as he appeared to handle the ball when controlling the final pass.[23] Mantalos scored twice against Atromitos in the quarter-final ofthat season's Greek Cup as AEK went on to reach and lose toPAOK in the final for the third year running.[24]
Mantalos scored in both legs of AEK's2019–20 Europa League qualifier againstUniversitatea Craiova, but despite his goal in theplay-off round againstTrabzonspor, the tie ended 3–3 on aggregate and AEK were eliminated onaway goals.[25][26] On 20 October 2019, he scored a brace sealing a vital 3–2 home win game againstVolos. It was elected MVP of the game.[27] On 7 December 2019, he scored with an excellent kick in a hammering 5–0 home win game againstPanionios.[28] On 18 December 2019, Mantalos opened the scoring from the penalty spot after six minutes to putMassimo Carrera’s AEK in front in a 2–1 home win game againstAsteras Tripolis.[29] On 23 February 2020, Mantalos scored with a diagonal header into the corner, after five minutes from aMarko Livaja's cross, in a 3–0 home win game againstOFI.[30] On 4 March 2020,Marko Livaja picked out the onrushing Mantalos on the left, and the latter calmly stroked the ball into the far corner beyondJulián Cuesta, opening the score in a slender 2–1 advantage againstAris in Athens, with the second leg of theGreek Cup semi-final to be played at theKleanthis Vikelidis Stadium next month.[31] At the end of the regular season, Mantalos has showed a consistency throughout the entire campaign and as a result clubs from Turkey, including Super Lig leadersİstanbul Başakşehir, are reportedly eager to sign the 28-year-old in the upcoming transfer window.
At mid August 2020, UAE Pro League clubAl-Nasr offer an amount of €4.3 million for the Greek international. According to information, AEK are considering the proposal from Al-Nasr, with negotiations continuing between the two organisations. Mantalos would reportedly earn in the region of €1 million per year with Al-Nasr,[32] but the transfer is not completed.[33]
On 19 September 2020, in the2020–21 Super League Greece opener, Mantalos scored as a substitute sealing a 2–0 away win againstPanetolikos.[34] On 5 November 2020, he scored in a 4–1 away win2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage game againstZorya Luhansk helping AEK to increase the possibility of qualifying for the next phase of theUEFA Europa League.[35] On 22 November 2020, Mantalos made an impressive performance, giving 3 assists and receiving the Man of the Match award in a 4–1 home win againstAEL.[36] On 19 March 2021, Mantalos renew his contract with the club until the summer of 2024.[37] On 9 May 2021, he scored a vital goal sealing a 1–0 away victory against rivalsPanathinaikos in his club effort to gain the last ticket for2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League.[38]
On 30 July 2021, Mantalos scored with a penalty kick at the last moment of theUEFA Europa Conference League game, but AEK faced a frustrated defeat with 3–2 on penalties againstFK Velež Mostar, withSergio Araujo losing the decisive penalty for the club.[39] In the three last seasons, starting from2019–20 season he has more than 10 assists per year.[40]
As a "second division" player Mantalos' international call inGreece national football team was a big surprise byClaudio Ranieri.[41] On 7 September 2014 Mantalos made his international debut in a match againstRomania for the European Qualifiers 2016.
Mantalos scored his first international goal on 7 June 2016 in Melbourne Australia, against Australia in an eventual 2–1 win.[42]
On 7 October 2016, he scored the second goal sealing a 2–0 home win againstCyprus forUEFA World Cup 2018 preliminary round.[43]
| Club | Season | League | Greek Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Skoda Xanthi | 2009–10 | Super League Greece | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2011–12 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 31 | 5 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 31 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4[a] | 0 | 37 | 8 | |||
| Total | 81 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 90 | 15 | |||
| AEK Athens | 2014–15 | Super League Greece 2 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 2 | — | 23 | 11 | ||
| 2015–16 | Super League Greece | 29 | 2 | 7 | 4 | — | 36 | 6 | |||
| 2016–17 | 31 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 41 | 7 | |||
| 2017–18 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7[b] | 1 | 21 | 4 | |||
| 2018–19 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 9[c] | 1 | 40 | 9 | |||
| 2019–20 | 30 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 4[a] | 3 | 41 | 11 | |||
| 2020–21 | 33 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 7[a] | 1 | 45 | 4 | |||
| 2021–22 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 1 | 33 | 4 | |||
| 2022–23 | 30 | 2 | 8 | 4 | — | 38 | 6 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |||
| 2024–25 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3[d] | 0 | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2025–26 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5[d] | 0 | 11 | 2 | |||
| Total | 294 | 43 | 57 | 18 | 49 | 7 | 400 | 68 | |||
| Career total | 375 | 55 | 62 | 21 | 53 | 7 | 490 | 83 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | |||
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 1 | |
| Total | 68 | 7 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 June 2016 | Docklands Stadium,Melbourne, Australia | 7 |  Australia | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 7 October 2016 | Karaiskakis Stadium,Pireaus, Greece | 10 |  Cyprus | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 18 November 2019 | Olympic Stadium,Athens, Greece | 27 |  Finland | 1–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 4 | 11 October 2020 | Olympic Stadium,Athens, Greece | 31 |  Moldova | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C |
| 5 | 12 June 2022 | Panthessaliko Stadium, Volos, Greece | 47 |  Kosovo | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
| 6 | 27 September 2022 | Georgios Kamaras Stadium,Athens, Greece | 48 |  Northern Ireland | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
| 7 | 13 October 2024 | Karaiskakis Stadium,Pireaus, Greece | 65 |  Republic of Ireland | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B |
AEK Athens
Individual
