Konstantinos Karetsas Impresses on Dortmund Debut
Konstantinos Karetsas needed only one night to announce himself in Germany.
Borussia Dortmund lost the German Super Cup 2-1 to Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park, but the scoreline barely dimmed the spotlight on the 18-year-old Greece international making his debut in yellow and black.
From his first touches, the teenager played as if the stage belonged to him. He demanded the ball, turned under pressure, and threaded passes through tight gaps. His dribbling and vision repeatedly drew gasps from the home crowd, who rose with every sharp feint and disguised delivery. In a game usually defined by its heavyweight rivalry, a newcomer stole long stretches of the attention.
Dortmund did not stumble upon him by chance. They paid 30 million euros to bring Karetsas from Genk this summer, convinced they were investing in the next great playmaker. In Belgium he had already broken into the first team at a remarkably young age, leaving a strong impression last season: 11 assists and two goals in the league, plus five more assists in just 11 Europa League outings. Those numbers, at his age, travel fast across scouting networks.
They had clearly reached Vincent Kompany long before kick-off.
According to "Bild", the Bayern Munich head coach walked away from the Super Cup even more convinced about the youngster’s talent. Dortmund correspondent Michel Schroder recounted how he bumped into Kompany in the stadium corridors after the match and spoke to him about the club’s new signing. The Belgian coach did not bother to hide his admiration.
Kompany described the Greek playmaker, who grew up in Belgium and came through Genk, as "very good" and urged Schroder to keep a close eye on him. The way he spoke, Schroder noted, made it sound as though Kompany had tracked Karetsas for a long time and genuinely "likes him a lot".
The praise did not stop there. Schroder himself believes Karetsas has the tools to grow into one of Dortmund’s leading figures in the coming years, and potentially a fan favourite far sooner than that. On a night when Dortmund failed to lift the Super Cup, the teenager still managed to send a clear message with his poise and creativity against the German champions.
He could not change the result. He may, though, have changed expectations of what Dortmund’s new season – and their new number 10-in-waiting – might look like.
