Panagiotis Kone (Albanian: Panajot Gjergji Kone) (born July 26, 1987 in Tirana) is a Greek footballer of Albanian descent who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Brescia in the Italian Serie A.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking Midfield | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brescia Calcio | ||
| Number | - | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:46, 30 March 2008 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Kone started at the Olympiacos youth academy as a young teenager but moved to France just before his 17th birthday when RC Lens showed interest in him. After one year with Lens he came back to Greece, this time with AEK Athens signing his first professional contract. Kone was a hot prospect as a youngster and was tipped to have a big career but never fully blossomed. Surprisingly he wore the number 10 shirt for the 2005/06 season as an 18 year old but with the arrival of Rivaldo he changed it to 22.
Iraklis FC
Kone moved to Iraklis in 2008 after he was surplus to requirements in AEK. In the two seasons he has played since with the club from Thessaloniki he made 49 league appearances and scored 8 goals. In 37 of these matches he either played as a substitute or he was substituted. Although in times he showed football brilliance, the facts that he was rather unstable and the lack of teamwork couldn't secure him a firm place in Iraklis' starting eleven.
Contract dispute with Iraklis
In July 2010 he trained with Brescia Calcio[1] although he was still under contract with Iraklis FC. He stopped training with Brescia after the Italian club was informed that the player was still under contract with Iraklis FC. Kone expected to have his contract with Iraklis FC terminated due to supposed debt by the club to him. In the 22th of July, 2010 the Hellenic Football Federation decided against the request of Panagiotis Kone to terminate his contract with the club[2].
International career
Kone has represented Greece at youth level and new Greece national coach, Fernando Santos call him for friendly matches with Georgia and Croatia, because of his very good apperances with Brescia.
References
- ^ "Biabiany, Obinna, Suazo: aperto un canale con l'Inter". Retrieved 2010-07-15.
- ^ "Μεγάλη δικαίωση του Ηρακλή στο θέμα Κονέ". Retrieved 2010-07-22.