Petros Mantalos ( el, Πέτρος Μάνταλος; born 31 August 1991) is a Greek professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for
Super League club
AEK Athens
and the
Greece national team.
Club career
Skoda Xanthi
Petros Mantalos began playing professional football for
Superleague club
Skoda Xanthi
Xanthi Football Club ( el, Α.Ο. Ξάνθη Π.Α.Ε.) is a Greek professional football club based in Xanthi, Western Thrace and plays at Xanthi FC Arena. The club resigned from the Super League 2 due to financial issues.
Founded in 1967, Xa ...
. He played a total of 90 games (15 goals, 10 assists) in all competitions and represented his country at
under-19 and
under-21 levels. His performances attracted the interest of Greek giants
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
,
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
and
AEK Athens
A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...
, the latter club newly relegated from the Superleague, bankrupt, and making a fresh start in the third-tier
Football League 2. In July 2013, Mantalos agreed to join AEK from the 2014–15 season. The fee was reported as around €500,000.
He remained with Xanthi for the 2013–14 season, making 30 Superleague appearances as well as playing in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
.
AEK Athens
By the time Mantalos joined up with AEK, they had been promoted to the second-tier
Football League. He made his debut on 12 September in the first round of the
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most ...
, and his first league appearance on 19 October 2014 at home to
Apollon Smyrnis: with his team losing 1–0, Mantalos took the free kick from which
Alexandre D'Acol equalised and then converted a
penalty
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
A p ...
to complete a 2–1 win. He went on to score 11 goals and provide 15 assists in 22 games in League and Cup combined. Mantalos himself missed the last few weeks of the season, having ruptured his
anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...
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. This they proved, finishing
top of the South Group and then winning
the 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 the
2015–16 Superleague and qualify for the Europa League. He scored the only goal of the first leg of the
Greek Cup semifinal against
Atromitos, and captained the side in
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
at the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
. 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.
According to an end-of-season profile, Mantalos "endured a difficult start to
the campaign",
which was interrupted by the need for surgery on a nose broken in training, "but seemed rejuvenated once
Manolo Jiménez took over the team" in January 2017.
He finished the season with a goal and an assist in a 2–1 win against
Panionios
Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...
in the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
that confirmed AEK's place in the
UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, and was voted best Greek footballer in the Superleague at the
PSAP awards. In light of interest from Spanish clubs, AEK were reported to be unwilling to sell at less than €5 or €6 million, as the player still had two years left on his contract.
AEK went top of the Superleague three weeks into the
2017–18 season after a 4–0 win over
Larissa, in which Mantalos opened the scoring with a fourth-minute
bicycle kick
In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before d ...
. Although AEK failed to progress in the Champions League, they qualified for the
Europa League group stage; in their first match, Mantalos scored as AEK beat
Rijeka 2–1. 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. At the end of October, Mantalos suffered another ruptured ACL, this time in his left knee. As a gesture of support, the club offered Mantalos a contract extension until 2022, which he accepted. He returned to action as a substitute on 21 April as AEK beat
Levadiakos
Levadiakos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Λεβαδειακός) is a Greek professional football club that plays in the Super League Greece. Based in Livadeia, Greece, the club was promoted to the Alpha Ethniki, forerunner of the Super League, afte ...
to clinch their first Superleague title since 1994.
Mantalos converted a penalty in a 1–1 draw in the
Champions League play-off round second leg against
Vidi :''Vidi can also refer to Vidi, Prince of Albania.''
:''Vidi can also refer to Hungarian Football Team MOL Vidi FC.''
Vidi or Videe or Virdee is a village near the town Anjar, the taluka of Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is ...
that, despite having two men sent off, was enough to progress to the
group stage
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
on aggregate. Two days after reports emerged that the club had rejected a bid valued at €10 million for Mantalos from English
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
, he scored his first goal of the
2018–19 Superleague season, a penalty, that gave AEK a 1–0 win away to
Asteras Tripolis
Asteras Tripolis Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Αστέρας Τρίπολης), commonly referred to as Asteras Tripolis (meaning "Star of Tripoli"), is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Tripoli in Arcadia, Peloponnese, G ...
. 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. Mantalos scored twice against Atromitos in the quarter-final of
that season's Greek Cup as AEK went on to reach and lose to
PAOK in the final for the third year running.
Mantalos scored in both legs of AEK's
2019–20 Europa League qualifier against
Universitatea Craiova, but despite his goal in the
play-off round
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
against
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
, the tie ended 3–3 on aggregate and AEK were eliminated on
away goals
The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
. On 20 October 2019, he scored a brace sealing a vital 3–2 home win game against
Volos
Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...
. It was elected MVP of the game. On 7 December 2019, he scored with an excellent kick in a hammering 5–0 home win game against
Panionios
Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...
. On 18 December 2019, Mantalos opened the scoring from the penalty spot after six minutes to put
Massimo Carrera
Massimo Carrera (; born 22 April 1964) is an Italian professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of clubs Spartak Moscow and later AEK Athens, before leaving continental football and joining local club Bar ...
’s AEK in front in a 2–1 home win game against
Asteras Tripolis
Asteras Tripolis Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Αστέρας Τρίπολης), commonly referred to as Asteras Tripolis (meaning "Star of Tripoli"), is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Tripoli in Arcadia, Peloponnese, G ...
. On 23 February 2020, Mantalos scored with a diagonal header into the corner, after five minutes from a
Marko Livaja
Marko Livaja (; born 26 August 1993) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Hajduk Split and the Croatia national team. He has represented his country at every level from the under-15s to the senior team.
Club caree ...
's cross, in a 3–0 home win game against
OFI. On 4 March 2020,
Marko Livaja
Marko Livaja (; born 26 August 1993) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Hajduk Split and the Croatia national team. He has represented his country at every level from the under-15s to the senior team.
Club caree ...
picked out the onrushing Mantalos on the left, and the latter calmly stroked the ball into the far corner beyond
Julián Cuesta
Julián Cuesta Díaz (born 28 March 1991), known simply as Julián, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Super League Greece club Aris Thessaloniki F.C. as a goalkeeper.
Club career Sevilla
Julián was born in Campotéjar, Provi ...
, opening the score in a slender 2–1 advantage against
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
in Athens, with the second leg of the
Greek Cup semi-final to be played at the
Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium
The Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium () or Charilaou Ground (Γήπεδο Χαριλάου) is a football stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece. It was built in 1951 as the home stadium of Aris F.C. (Thessaloniki), one of the most popular football clubs in ...
next month. 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 leaders
İstanbul Başakşehir, are reportedly eager to sign the 28-year-old in the upcoming transfer window.
At mid August 2020, UAE Pro League club
Al-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, but the transfer is not completed.
On 19 September 2020, in the
2020–21 Super League Greece
The 2020–21 Super League Greece was the 85th season of the Super League Greece, the top Greek professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1959. Olympiacos were the defending champions.
Teams
Fourteen teams w ...
opener, Mantalos scored as a substitute sealing a 2–0 away win against
Panetolikos
Panetolikos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Παναιτωλικός), or with its full name Panetolikós Yimnastikós Filekpedeftikós Síllogos ( el, Παναιτωλικός Γυμναστικός Φιλεκπαιδευτικός Σύλλογος'' ...
. On 5 November 2020, he scored in a 4–1 away win
2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage The 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage began on 22 October 2020 and ended on 10 December 2020. A total of 48 teams competed in the group stage to decide 24 of the 32 places in the knockout phase of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.
Antwerp, ...
game against
Zorya Luhansk
FC Zorya Luhansk ( uk, ФК «Зоря» Луганськ ) is a Ukrainian football team. Zorya Luhansk is based in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine. However, because of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the team play their games at Slavutych-Arena in Zapor ...
helping AEK to increase the possibility of qualifying for the next phase of the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
. 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 against
AEL. On 19 March 2021, Mantalos renew his contract with the club until the summer of 2024. On 9 May 2021, he scored a vital goal sealing a 1–0 away victory against rivals
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
in his club effort to gain the last ticket for
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League
The 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.
The final was played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania, with Ro ...
.
On 30 July 2021, Mantalos scored with a penalty kick at the last moment of the
UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on thei ...
game, but AEK faced a frustrated defeat with 3–2 on penalties against
FK Velež Mostar
Fudbalski klub Velež Mostar ( sh-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Beлеж Мостар; English: Football club Velež Mostar) is a professional football club based in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club has a history of being one of the ...
, with
Sergio Araujo losing the decisive penalty for the club. In the three last season, starting from
2019-20 season has more than 10 assists per year.
International career
As a "second division" player Mantalos' international call in
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team ( el, Εθνική Ελλάδας, ) represents Greece in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece play most ...
was a big surprise by
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri Grande Ufficiale OMRI (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian football manager and former player. He will be the new head coach of club Cagliari from 1 January 2023.
Ranieri began his managerial career in the lower leagues in ...
. On September 7, 2014 Mantalos made his international debut in a match against
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
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.
On 7 October 2016, he scored the second goal sealing a 2–0 home win against
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
for
UEFA World Cup 2018 preliminary round.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''As of match played 11 October 2020. Greece score listed first, score column indicates score after each Mantalos goal.''
Honours
Club
AEK ATHENS
*
Super League Greece:
2017–18
*
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most ...
:
2015–16, ; runner-up:
2016–17,
2017–18,
2018–19,
2019–20
*
Football League Greece
The Football League ( el, Φούτμπολ Λιγκ) was the second highest professional football league in Greece since its inception in 1962 as ''Beta Ethniki'' and until 2019. It then served as a third tier after the creation of the Super Le ...
:
2014–15 (South Group)
Individual
*
Super League Greece Greek Footballer of the Year:
2016–17
*
Super League Greece Team of the Year:
2016–17
*Super League Greece Top assist provider:
2021–22
References
External links
*
*
Super League profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mantalos, Petros
1991 births
Living people
Greek footballers
Xanthi F.C. players
AEK Athens F.C. players
Super League Greece players
Footballers from Komotini
Greece youth international footballers
Greece under-21 international footballers
Greece international footballers
Association football midfielders