At 18 years of age, the midfielder has already cemented his status as one of his country's finest players in any position

Out of seemingly nowhere, Greece has suddenly become a hotbed for some of the world's most promising youngsters. We've already covered strikers Charalampos Kostoulas, nicknamed 'Babistuta', and Miroslav Klose prodigy Stefanos Tzimas here on NXGN. Now, it's the turn of midfielder Christos Mouzakitis.

A wonderfully flair-filled lefty who can break the lines by means of pass or dribble, the 18-year-old Olympiacos playmaker has gone from little-known starlet to a transfer gossip column regular and a starter for his country in the space of a few months. Some of Europe's biggest and best clubs are in the mix to sign him, including Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester United, AC Milan and Nottingham Forest, who are also controlled by Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis.

So, who is Mouzakitis? What has he done to warrant this sort of interest? Could he actually form part of Greece's new generation headlined by so many budding superstars? GOAL has you covered…

Where it all began

Born in the capital of Athens on Christmas Day 2006 – Christos Day, anyone? – Mouzakitis began his journey as a footballer with local side Heraklion Attica in the suburbs of the city. By the time he was 10, he had been snapped up by Olympiacos from their fierce crosstown rivals of AEK.

Mouzakitis was actually first spotted as a goalkeeper, but a traumatic injury changed the course of his future career forever. "I had an eye injury when I was a goalkeeper, I could have lost my eye. That happened when I was little – seven years old. I had made a play and they had hit me in the eye with the ball," he told .

After coming out of goal, Mouzakitis tried his hand at left-back and then on the wing, before settling on central midfield when making the step up to 11-v-11 football. Thank goodness the youth coaches of his later years saw sense.

Per the tradition of most football clubs, Mouzakitis was assigned to ball-boy duties for the first team as an adolescent, even during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. He has cited a Champions League clash with eventual finalists Manchester City as his favourite, and given a similarly silky left-footed player in Phil Foden scored the only goal that night for a total football team, it's easy to understand why.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe big break

Olympiacos pumped a lot of money into improving their infrastructure and youth development at the perfect time for a teenage Mouzakitis to take advantage of. At only 16, he was featuring for both their U17 and U19 sides, proving a standout in both age groups and ending the 2022-23 season as the top scorer in the latter, registering eight goals and two assists in 22 matches. From midfield, remember.

Mouzakitis had the distinction of playing his hand in title wins for those two different age groups simultaneously. The following year, he played a starring role in Olympiacos' UEFA Youth League triumph – scoring a penalty in their 3-0 final win over AC Milan to boot – which made them the first Greek club to ever win the competition.

By that point, it was impossible for Mouzakitis to be ignored for a first-team berth. Manager Jose Luis Mendilibar, most famous for winning the 2023 Europa League with Sevilla, called the young midfielder into the senior setup and slowly started the integration process with a smattering of squad appearances to bed him in to new surroundings.

How it's going

Though Mendilibar was initially patient with Mouzakitis' integration, he actually threw him into the deep end with a start against Atromitos for his Super League debut on September 29, 2024, which made him the third-youngest player in the competition's history (top spot belongs to team-mate Kostoulas). Olympiacos were 2-0 victors, and it was their newest starlet who assisted their clincher in the second half. As a reward, Mouzakitis retained his place in the starting lineup for their subsequent domestic and Europa League games, thereafter remaining a regular in the starting XI until the winter break.

In 2025, Mouzakitis has flittered between the starting XI and the bench, though has only failed to feature in five games across three competitions since his debut. One way or another, he is already an important player at Mendilibar's disposal. "Mouzakitis has earned his playing time – he wins his own rewards," he has noted.

After Mouzakitis scored his first senior goal in a late 1-0 win away at APO Levadiakos, the Spanish coach said: "He works hard, just like all the players do. Anyone in the squad has to put in the effort. But beyond effort, he has got the talent and quality that help him even more. We are happy every time he is in the starting lineup and contributes… Now, we celebrate Mouzakitis' goal."

And they were soon celebrating another Mouzakitis goal before too long. Up next were noisy neighbours Panathinaikos in the second leg of their Greek Cup quarter-final, with the tie finely poised at 1-1. Elimination was staring Olympiacos dead in the face when they conceded a 94th-minute penalty, only for Yuriy Lodygin to fluff his lines from 12 yards. Up the other end went the hosts, who scrambled in a long throw before the final whistle. The initial delivery was cleared, but there stood an unmarked Mouzakitis on the edge of the box, and without a second thought, he looped a volley up and in to send the Karaiskakis Stadium into raptures. Right there, a boy became a man, a player became a hero.

"Inspiration is a great feature for a footballer, but when you have skill, it turns inspiration into something meaningful," Mendilibar gushed at full-time. "If you only have inspiration without the ability, you can't achieve what Mouzakitis does – therefore, he's capable. He is a talented player, earning his minutes and proving his quality, which benefits the entire team."

Even though starts have been a tad harder to come by down the final stretch of the season, Mouzakitis is still involved all the same, often coming on from the bench even when not featuring from minute one.

Back in November, Mouzakitis earned his first senior Greece cap and became the eighth-youngest player to debut for the national team. With so many other talented youngsters coming through at the same time, there's now great hope the Ethniki can become a force in Europe and beyond again.

Biggest strengths

It's tough for a teenage midfielder to make waves without the added bow of scoring at senior level. Yet, it's Mouzakitis' feel for the game and excellent range of passing that has elevated him to a higher platform. You need core players to bring a level of consistency and reliability if you're to be successful and despite his age, Mouzakitis has done just that, as Mendilibar has so frequently referenced.

Whether he's threading the needle or pacing the midfield metronome, Mouzakitis has the requisite technical ability to match his composure and concentration. As his manager attested, the hunger and grit is the base to begin with, and everything that has followed has been a scrumptious bonus.

Mouzakitis is able to evade pressure so effortlessly with his quick feet and nimble frame, which has opened the floodgates to comparisons with some of the game's most gifted midfielders (more on those later).