Panagiotis Retsos (, born 9 August 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and captain for Super League club Olympiacos. Born in South Africa, he plays for the Greece national team.
Club career
Olympiacos In the summer of 2016, at age 18, he was promoted from Olympiacos' youth team by first manager Víctor Sánchez, who was impressed by his stamina.Ορισμός του value for money ο πιτσιρικάς Ρέτσος! ;Retrieved 14 July 2016 On 25 August 2016, he made his debut with the club in a Europa League playoffs home match against Arouca.
On 8 February 2017, Retsos was appointed captain of the club in a Greek Cup goalless home draw against Atromitos.Τι έζησε αυτό το παιδί! ;Retrieved 8 February 2017 Retsos became the youngest captain of Olympiacos aged only 18, five months and 30 days.
Bayer Leverkusen
On 30 August 2017, Retsos was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £15.75 million. The 19-year-old centre-back signed a five-year deal with Leverkusen.Bayer Leverkusen sign Panagiotis Retsos from Olympiacos ;Retrieved 31 August 2017Η πρώτη φωτογραφία του Ρέτσου με τη φανέλα της Λεβερκούζεν ;Retrieved 31 August 2017 On 17 September 2017, he made his Bundesliga debut in a 4–0 home win against SC Freiburg as a starter. On the club's Twitter account, Retsos was voted the Man of the Match.Bayern Leverkusen vs SC Freiburg 4-0 ;Retrieved 17 September 2017
On 9 April 2018, Retsos scored his first goal in Bundesliga in a 4–1 away win against RB Leipzig. Retsos made a total of 20 appearances in his debut Bundesliga campaign.RB Leipzig - Bayer Leverkusen 1:4 Leverkusen feiert furiosen Sieg in Leipzig ;Retrieved 9 April 2018RB Leipzig - Bayer Leverkusen 1:4: Werkself siegt deutlich und klettert auf Rang vier ;Retrieved 9 April 2018
On 2 August 2018, Retsos suffered a heavy blow to the quadriceps during pre-season training with Bayer Leverkusen and was diagnosed with tendonitis in the right thigh. The injury is expected to sideline the defender for at least six weeks.
On 29 November 2018, Retsos returned to action in a UEFA Europa League home game against Ludogorets,Παναγιώτης Ρέτσος: Παίζει σε επίσημο ματς μετά από 208 μέρες! ;Retrieved 29 November 2018 but suffered a new injury in his left thigh.Ο Ρέτσος αποχώρησε τραυματίας στην πρώτη συμμετοχή του μετά από επτά μήνες! ;Retrieved 29 November 2018 On 29 October 2019, after almost a year out with injury, Retsos played in a DFB-Pokal game as a substitute in a 1–0 home win against Paderborn SC.Επέστρεψε ύστερα από 334 μέρες για την Λεβερκούζεν ο Ρέτσος!;Retrieved 29 October 2019
Loan to Sheffield United On 1 February 2020, Retsos signed for Premier League club Sheffield United on loan from Bayer Leverkusen until the end of the 2019–20 season with an option to buy. The breakout of COVID-19 across the UK, however, which lead to the temporary suspension of football in England meant Retsos failed to make an appearance. Retsos declined an offer to extend his loan to comply with the extended Premier League season, returning to his parent club.Sheffield United: Richairo Zivkovic and Panagiotis Retsos join on loan ;Retrieved 1 February 2020
Loan to Saint-Étienne On 4 October 2020, Retsos joined Saint-Étienne on loan with a purchase option of €6.5 million in the summer of 2021, becoming an obligation if he makes 20 appearances. On 25 October 2020, Retsos suffered a muscular injury at the beginning of the second half vs FC Metz, keeping him out for 2½ months.Ξανά άτυχος ο Παναγιώτης Ρέτσος! ;Retrieved 25 October 2020 He returned on 6 January 2021 playing 90 minutes against PSG. However, three days later in the away match against Reims he went off injured at the end of the first half with another injury.Ρέτσος: Όσκαρ ατυχίας με νέο τραυματισμό ;Retrieved 10 January 2021 Retsos did not appear again for the club.
Hellas Verona On 25 January 2022, Retsos joined Hellas Verona on a free transfer signing an 18-month contract.
Loan to Olympiacos On 31 August 2022, Retsos returned to Olympiacos on loan. After only a few months, in December 2022 Olympiacos activated the purchase option and acquired Panagiotis Retsos through a transfer with a contract until 2025. On 29 May 2024, he won the Conference League with Olympiacos. He played for the entire duration of the match. Before the start of the 2024–25 season, Olympiacos proceeded with an extension of Retsos’ contract until 2028, along with an increase in the player’s earnings. He was also appointed captain of the team together with Giorgos Masouras.
In the 2025–26 season, Retsos continues to be a key member of Olympiacos’ defense, wearing the captain’s armband in several matches and contributing significantly to the team’s strong performance both in the league and in European competitions. In December 2025, he suffered a strain to the adductor muscle, which kept him out for the remainder of the year, with the team choosing to protect him to ensure full recovery.
International career Retsos made his debut for Greece on 31 August 2017, in a 0–0 home draw against Estonia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Personal life Retsos was born in Johannesburg, South Africa to Hungarian-Greek parents Christos and Eleni. He and his family returned to their native Greece a year after his birth. He has a younger cousin, Christos, who is also a footballer. His paternal family hails from Skortsinos.Ο Παναγιώτης Ρέτσος ένα μεγάλο ταλέντο, με καταγωγή από τι χωριό Σκορτσινού Αρκαδίας kalimera-arkadia
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsOlympiacos2016–17Super League Greece18080803402017–18Super League Greece20004060Total20080120400Bayer Leverkusen2017–18Bundesliga24140002812018–19Bundesliga000010102019–20Bundesliga301020602021–22Bundesliga40203090Total3117060441Sheffield United (loan)2019–20Premier League0010–10Saint-Étienne (loan)2020–21Ligue 14000–40Hellas Verona2021–22Serie A5000–502022–23Serie A2000–20Total7000–70Olympiacos (loan)2022–23 Super League Greece 703040140Olympiacos2023–24 Super League Greece270101714512024–25Super League Greece17150903112025–26Super League Greece26231903832026–27Super League Greece10002030Total713913711175Career total14042815912286
Honours Olympiacos Super League Greece: 2016–17, 2024–25 Greek Football Cup: 2024–25 UEFA Conference League: 2023–24 Greek Super Cup: 2025 Individual Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2016–17, 2024–25 Super League Greece Young Player of the Season: 2016–17
References
External links