Konstantinos Tzolakis

Greek footballer

Konstantinos Tzolakis
Personal information
Tzolakis with Olympiacos in 2024
Date of birth	(2002-11-08) 8 November 2002 (age 21)
Place of birth	Chania, Crete, Greece
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Olympiacos
Number	88
Youth career
2015–2018	Platanias
2018–2019	Olympiacos
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–	Olympiacos	26	(0)
International career^‡
2017	Greece U16	2	(0)
2019	Greece U17	7	(0)
2020–2024	Greece U21	21	(0)
2024–	Greece	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 June 2024

Konstantinos Tzolakis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Τζολάκης; born 8 November 2002) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Super League club Olympiacos and the Greece national team.^[1]

Club career

Tzolakis joined the youth setup of Olympiacos in 2018, after spending three seasons with his local club Platanias. He made his senior debut in 2019, at the Cup semi-final against PAOK in which he played the whole game but he conceded 3 goals as Olympiacos lost 3–2. Tzolakis made his league debut in a game against Aris getting subbed on in the place of Bobby Allain in the 78th minute. His next game was a very crucial game for the club, since the main Goalkeeper of Olympiacos, Jose Sa was injured, Tzolakis had to take his place in the starting eleven that faced AEK Athens in the Cup final. Tzolakis made some crucial saves and kept a clean sheet as Olympiacos defeated AEK 1–0 and won the title.

On 7 October 2020, Tzolakis signed a new contract with Olympiacos until the summer of 2024 for an undisclosed fee.^[2]

The following season, Tzolakis managed to play a total of 6 games despite being third in the goalkeeper pecking order; he registered 5 league appearances and 1 cup appearance against Aris. He kept a clean sheet against Asteras Tripolis twice.

On 21 July 2021, Tzolakis made a crucial save and kept a clean sheet in his European debut against Neftchi Baku in a 1–0 home win on the 2nd qualification round of UEFA Champions League.^[3]

On 18 April 2024, Tzolakis was the undisputed hero in the qualification of Olympiacos for the semi-final of the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference league, saving three penalties in a 3–2 winning shootout away at Fenerbahçe, following a 3–3 aggregate draw.^[4] He was also a key figure in helping his team lift the Conference League, as his saves played a large part in the Reds' 1–0 victory over Fiorentina after extra time, in the final held at OPAP Arena, Athens.^[5]

International career

After featuring regularly in the youth teams of Greece, Tzolakis earned his first full senior cap with the Greece national team, on 11 June 2024, in a friendly match against Malta held in Salzburg, Austria,^[6] keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win.^[7]

Honours

Olympiacos

Individual

Super League Greece Player of the Month: May 2023

References

^ Konstantinos Tzolakis at Soccerway
^ "Υπέγραψε μέχρι το 2024 στον Ολυμπιακό ο Τζολάκης". sport24.gr.
^ "Olympiacos-Neftçi UEFA Champions League 2021/22". UEFA.com.
^ "Απίστευτος Τζολάκης Έτσι απέκλεισε... μόνος τη Φενέρ στα πέναλτι (ΒΙΝΤΕΟ)". Αθλητικά Νέα & Αθλητικές Ειδήσεις στο Sportdog (in Greek). 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
^ ^a ^b "El Kaabi swoops to secure Greece's first major European trophy". UEFA. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
^ "Με Τζολάκη η ενδεκάδα της Εθνικής για το φιλικό με τη Μάλτα". in.gr (in Greek). 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
^ "Μάλτα - Ελλάδα 0-2: Με πρωταγωνιστή τον Τζόλη η Εθνική έδειξε καλά στοιχεία". www.sport24.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-06-11.