Konstantinos Karetsas: The most valuable player in the Belgian 2nd Division
Not even 15, he already dominated the headlines in Belgian football in January 2023. Despite the interest from Manchester City and Ajax Amsterdam, Konstantinos Karetsas decided to leave RSC Anderlecht, whom he joined in the summer of 2020, and return to his hometown club, KRC Genk. At that point, the playmaker was the first talent that left Anderlecht because of the club’s sporting and financial problems.
“Anderlecht took good care of me and also convinced me to continue there,” Karetsas said in an interview with Het Belang van Limburg. “But Genk’s plan is a better fit for me. The club gives young players a chance, and many academy players make the step to the first team. Of course, Anderlecht were unhappy about my decision but were also understanding. I have listened to the offers of a few clubs, but not all of them. I signed here because I want to prove myself in Genk. My hope was that once I was 16, I could play occasionally with Jong Genk in the Challenger Pro League. But that I would be a starter? That I didn’t expect.”
Indeed, the attacking midfielder started the first nine games of the Belgian second division, setting new records. In his first game, the no.10 provided the assist for the winner against SK Beveren, and on matchday 4 he scored his first goal against RSCA Futures in spectacular fashion—that makes Karetsas the youngest player to assist and score in league history. The young Genk talent has since added two more goals. Then, at the end of November, Karetsas made his debut for Belgium’s U17 on his 16th birthday, and Transfermarkt gifted him his first-ever market value set at €1.5m. Together with Zinho Gano from Zulte Waregem, he is now the most valuable second-division player in Belgium (overview).
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Many fans of the Belgian national team are hopeful that Karetsas will continue to represent the Red Devils, but whether that is the case hasn’t been fully decided yet. The right-footed midfielder also holds a Greek passport. “It is a decision that I haven’t fully committed to yet,” Karetsas said. “The Greek football federation has called me twice and asked this question. During the last international window, I was nominated by both Belgium and Greece. I decided to represent the Belgian U17 team because it would have been more difficult to travel. But I don’t know what the future will bring.”
Nobody doubts that Karetsas will have a good professional career. His head coach, Jelle Coen, is certainly optimistic. “Kos is a player who has the ability to play in small spaces and can play both short and long passes,” Coen said. “He has the potential to make the next step in the coming years. He has a fantastic shot, which he can turn into goals. Kos should have the ability to secure a starting position in Genk’s first team—once that door is opened, it is difficult to say what comes next.”
The ability to ignore all the hype and simply remain Kos is one of the biggest strengths of the top talent. “There are many people who all of a sudden want to be friends or friendly to me, which wasn’t always the case prior,” Karetsas said. “But I am relaxed about all that. I just say hello and move on. I am just trying to stay humble and never get nervous. Even when I played my first game for Jong Genk, I didn’t feel nervous; just had a slight tinkle in my stomach that I got before every game because I love playing football. To play against professionals is my biggest dream. The quality and intensity are bigger. It is more fun to play in bigger stadiums in front of more fans. Before every game, I watch highlight reels of my favorite players on YouTube. Mostly Brazilians like Neymar or Ronaldinho. I can learn a lot from them because I am also a creative player. When I train, I try to copy their moves, and when I succeed in training, I try them in games.”
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2006 and 2007. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
- Total Market Value:
- €111.05m
- Competition:
- Jupiler Pro League
- Position:
- 6.
- Manager:
- Wouter Vrancken
- Squad size:
- 26
- Latest Transfer:
- Ken Nkuba
