Borussia Dortmund’s Giannis Konstantelias suffers cruciate ligament injury after 54 minutes

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that new signing Giannis Konstantelias has suffered a cruciate ligament tear in a major setback for the Greece international.

The 22-year-old midfielder sustained the injury during his first appearance for the German club, coming off in the 54th minute of Dortmund’s 2-0 victory over Hamburger SV in the opening round of the German league season.

The injury came at the beginning of Konstantelias’ career with Dortmund, following a difficult transfer from Greek club PAOK. Supporters gathered outside the stadium and the club’s headquarters before the move in an attempt to prevent the deal from being completed.

Despite those protests, the transfer went through and Konstantelias joined Dortmund. His first competitive outing for the club, however, ended prematurely and has now been overshadowed by the serious knee injury.

Konstantelias had established himself as an important first-team player during his time with PAOK. He made 186 appearances for the club’s senior side, scoring 41 goals.

He was also part of the PAOK teams that won the Greek Super League title in 2024 and the Greek Cup in 2021. Those successes helped underline his standing as one of the leading young players in Greek football before his move to Germany.

The midfielder also spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Belgian club KAS Eupen. During that spell, he played seven matches.

At international level, Konstantelias represented Greece at under-16, under-19 and under-21 level before making his senior debut in March 2023.

Since his first appearance for the Greece national team, he has won 18 caps and scored four goals.

Dortmund’s confirmation of the cruciate ligament tear means the club will now face a period without a player who had only just begun his time in Germany. The injury occurred in the same match in which he made his Dortmund debut, with the side securing all three points through a 2-0 win over Hamburger SV.

The exact length of Konstantelias’ absence was not stated in the announcement, but a cruciate ligament injury represents a significant blow for both the player and his new club.Giannis Konstantelias’ move to Dortmund had attracted considerable attention in Greece because of the opposition from PAOK supporters, yet he completed the transfer and was selected for the league opener.

His involvement lasted only 54 minutes before the injury brought his debut to an early end.