Kostas Manolas

AEK Athens

2009–10 season

Manolas began his youth career at Thrasyvoulos in 2008. In 2009, his uncle Stelios Manolas, who was the technical director of AEK Athens at the time, was scouting his nephew at a youth match with AEK manager Dušan Bajević and was impressed with his performance. On 16 June 2009, Manolas signed a three-year deal with AEK. After signing, Manolas said, "I am very happy signing for the team I support, hopefully I can be a legend at the club like my uncle and end my career at AEK." He made his debut against Kavala and was named man of the match. After the game, he stated, "It's a dream to play for the club I love." Manolas was also rewarded with man of the match honours the following week against PAOK. In his first seven matches, Manolas was named man of the match in five of them. Manolas scored his first professional goal against archrivals Olympiacos on 19 May 2010. Although he was playing with a broken jugal bone since the first minute of the match after a dangerous nudge by Kostas Mitroglou, he scored in the sixth minute, though he later left the match in the 15th minute. He refused to be taken to the hospital before the match was over, despite being urged by his uncle Stelios Manolas. The next day, he underwent a successful three-hour surgery, recovered and quickly returned to training sessions.

2010–11 season

Manolas was a key figure for AEK Athens in the 2010–11 season, playing impressive performances in the Super…

Following a continued stretch of form from Manolas, former Greece national team manager Otto Rehhagel called Manolas up for the 30-man provisional World Cup squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, though he failed to make the final 23-man squad. Manolas would wait roughly three more years before eventually making his international debut against Switzerland in a friendly. Leading up to the 2014 World Cup, Manolas' strong 2013–14 season with Olympiacos earned him a spot in manager Fernando Santos' final 23-man squad for the tournament. It was in Brazil where the centre-back really caught the attention of the watching world, with a string of imperious displays that carried Greece into the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time in its history. He was named by The Independent as being among the 50 best players at the World Cup, as the Greeks ultimately fell to Costa Rica. On 9 June 2017, Manolas and his Roma teammate Edin Dzeko came to blows during an ugly brawl in World Cup qualifier game between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece. The game ended 0–0 and descended into chaos after the final whistle, when numerous players and members of staff clashed. On 12 September 2018, Manolas netted his first goal with Greece, leaping over his marker to head a free kick through the goalkeeper's hands in a 2–1 away loss against Hungary for the Nations League.

Manolas profile includes the speed to keep track of agile attackers and have the strength used in physical challenges. During defensive role, he is attentive in marking of opponents. When playing other roles, he is able to sweep up behind a high-line but also having the versatility to play deeper. Although his primary role is that of a stopper, he also participates in the team's build-up play through his passing. His playing style combines traditional centre-half defense characteristics with modern tactical forms for ball distribution. Additionally he is noted for his tackling and ability in the air.

Manolas is the nephew of the legendary Greek footballer Stelios Manolas, and the cousin of Konstantinos Manolas. He is a fluent speaker of Greek, Italian, and English.