Christos Mouzakitis’…3D Football and the Making of a Rising Star (Pics+Vids)

Tuttosport, the major sports eriodical in the Italian north, again asked its international readers this year to vote for the “best, most talented, and most beloved football player under the age of 21 playing for a European team.” It drew up a highly demanding five-month process consisting of four rounds, having pre-selected the best football teens and young adults from the most popular clubs on the planet. In the end, with 1.15 million users voting for their favorite, we saw a kid who until recently had been going to the Rentis training center, southwest of downtown Athens, by taxi —because he didn’t have a driver’s license—become the ultimate “X factor” and the undisputed winner.

Christos Mouzakitis prevailed in all four rounds, leaving behind last year’s winner, Kenan Yildiz, of Juventus, along with Real Madrid’s Arda Güler, Leny Yoro of Manchester United and Pau Cubarsí of Barcelona. He even beat out Paris Saint-Germain’s Désiré Doué, who won the other “Golden Boy” award, which is based on votes cast by selected and accredited sports journalists from across Europe. These are some of the talented players from the most heralded football brands in the world.

Olympiacos FC’s “Lil’ one”, as his mentor and coach José Luis Mendilibar likes to call him, received a total of 472,913 votes. This means that in a prestigious international competition – the only one of its kind – Mouzakitis alone garnered enough votes that if he were heading up a political party in a Greek general election, he’d get elected as the main opposition party. These are extraordinary numbers, capable of highlighting the talent of a budding football star who, for the past year and a half, has been living a sports “dream”. His poster is now in the rooms of kids who, through his success, have taken heart and courage to achieve the unthinkable.

He was crowned a champion with Olympiacos at the U17, U19, and at the senior’s level. He was elevated to European champion (UEFA Youth League 2024) and served as the captain of the best youth football team ever produced in Greece. He’s one of the few players who wore the Greek national team jersey while still a minor. Moreover, he was a key player in Olympiacos’ journey in the league phase of the Europa League last year, when the Reds finished 7th in the league phase.

He’s been a protagonist in Olympiacos’ Champions League appearances this year as well. A kid with two big eyes and a permanent smile on his face, he looks like the boy who lives next door. The “new Iniesta,” as his experienced teammate Dani Garcia called him, who played alongside the latter Spanish star, that’s what he has to say about the undeniable charm entailed in the simplicity of an 18-year-old who, without seeking the extraordinary, is becoming a phenomenon. “He plays this beautiful, simple football that you don’t see at his age,” according to Thodoris Zagorakis, the captain of the Greek national team that won the Euro 2004.

“Mouza” as he is endearingly known to fans and co-players alike, introduced himself as an authentic “creator” in the midfield, behind the offense. He has a special talent for passing, especially for pushing forward vertical football, where his forward passes in the final third of the field are his trademark.

He first became known for his direct threat through shots from the mid-range and long range, but also for his overall ability with set plays—in 2024, he scored six goals on the way to winning the UEFA Youth League with Olympiacos’ U19 team. He made 36 appearances and played 2,250 minutes in his rookie season in the seniors’ level, where he won the title of best newcomer without any competition. And he did so in a highly competitive environment, playing for a team that won the Double.

This year, his growth in height, strength and muscle mass has helped him greatly increase his effectiveness in winning duels, second balls, and steals, bringing him closer to being an all-round star.

He is a mature box-to-box player who, with the right positioning and decisions, is capable of significantly influencing both phases of the game, both on defense and offense. It is characteristic that, one third of the way through the current Greek Super League season, he is in the top 10 in 12 different statistical categories for central midfielders. In seven of these, he is in the top Five. He often resembles a football “one-man orchestra”, like a band that plays everything.

See the relevant graph:

He’s Olympiacos’ best passer in vertical play, and the third most accurate passer in the Greek Super League in passes within the final third of the field and, at the same time, fourth in defensive duels won.

Mouzakitis ranks fifth in assists and sixth in pre-assists (passes leading to assists).

At the same time, he is ranked 5th among U18 midfielders worldwide in “long passes per 90 minutes,” which, beyond his confidence in his “miraculous” left foot, also shows the personality of someone who is there to take responsibility on the field. And all of this with the caveat that we are talking about someone who has just reached adulthood.

🌍 All Leagues U18 Midfielders: Long passes per 90

🥇 6.16 — N. De Cat (Anderlecht, 17)
🥈 4.31 — O. Giménez (General Caballero, 18)
🥉 3.78 — M. Siltanen (Djurgården, 18)
🏅 3.34 — K. Karetsas (Genk, 17)
🏅 3.26 — C. Mouzakitis (Olympiacos, 18)

📊 https://t.co/McR5zrPkTO pic.twitter.com/nhjp6dqh9W

— DataMB (@DataMB_) November 15, 2025

Everything is measurable in football now. And professionals confirm their reports with data. For Mouzakitis, reports refer with certainty to his football background in the super-demanding environment of Olympiacos FC, as well as about the character required to bear the weight of such a jersey.

Highlights show his exceptional intelligence on the pitch and his talent for making the right decisions; for his box-to-box qualities and his “vertical” play; his ball control and his long runs at the Champions League level. Who can forget that magical buzzer beater that qualified the Reds in last year’s Cup semifinal against Panathinaikos? Finally, his receiving kudos far and wide for the consistency that sets him apart from every other midfield playmaker of his generation.

The numbers and math models record his ability in the offensive portion of the game, but also his rapid development on the defensive side. Mouzakitis is a player who excels in both attack and defense. The same player who, on a Saturday morning, confirmed a …3D component to his talent, namely, virtue, the gift of popularity that is already becoming a key requirement for this near “perfect package.”

At a time when a transfer can change the share price of a football club listed on the stock exchange Mouzakitis has the makings of a star. He already had them at the age of 16 when he led Olympiacos faced off against Inter, Bayern Munich, Milan, etc. in the UEFA Youth Championship – the incredible journey to the top of Europe (Youth League).

Mouzakitis is a player you enjoy watching play football; a “little prince” and at the same time the humblest of youngsters when he hears people talking about him.

They asked him how he felt about being named Golden Boy (Web) for 2025, and in his response, the only thing he didn’t do was…apologize: “I’m really happy, even though I didn’t expect it. I try not to get too excited, and I always stay focused on the goals I set for my career, even from the time I was a kid.”

Simple and to the point, just like his passes.