Official: Pelkas has returned to PAOK

The Joker is back! PAOK PAOK announces the acquisition of Dimitris Pelkas, on a free transfer from Basaksehir. The international footballer has signed a 2.5 year contract and will wear the number 80 shirt.

He may have been far away, but his mind and soul never left. The years passed and the time came. The return one. Live everything in black and white. He won Cups, championships, became captain. He was gone for a while and now he’s back. Thirsty for new successes.

The biography of Dimitris Pelkas

Before he fully realized that he was now in the first team of PAOK, as another elite member of the PAOK Academy, in 2012 he wore the heavy jersey with the number 10, became one of PAOK’s youngest scorers in the European Cups and saw him labeled as one of the greatest talents in Greece.

The weight of expectations that others placed on his shoulders proved to be heavy, but not enough to stop his course. Dimitris Pelkas took a step back, continued to work, put things back on the right footing and came back. Born in 1993, Pelkas took his first footballing steps at the Giannitsa Sports Academy, before being spotted by PAOK in whose academies he matured as a football player.

The second half of the 2013-14 season was loaned to Apollon Kalamarias where he scored seven goals in 18 appearances, and the 2014-15 season was followed by a loan to Portuguese side Vitoria Setúbal. In the Primeira Liga, Pelkas got opportunities to develop his talent and came back stronger and ready to fight for his establishment in PAOK, with whom he renewed his partnership until 2018.

The 2015-16 season was his first full season at PAOK. Igor Tudor initially, but also Vladan Ivic afterwards, trusted him and the young midfielder finished the season with 48 appearances, 3,545 playing minutes, nine goals and eight assists. In 2015, he was called up to the men’s national team for the first time, in the away match against B. Ireland for the EURO 2016 qualifiers.

He continued to work and in the 2017-18 season he was richly rewarded. Under the instructions of Razvan Lucescu, the competitive launch came. He even got an upgraded role, matured and had an excellent year with 12 goals and 12 assists. He was the third captain of PAOK, after Stelios Malezas and Andre Vieirania. The culmination of a wonderful season was the goal he scored in the final of the Greek Cup against AEK.

In 2020, Dimitris Pelkas made the big decision to leave PAOK and continue his career at Fenerbahce. He had an excellent first season with the Turkish team, recording 34 appearances, eight goals and eight assists. He stayed at Fenerbahce for another year, playing in 33 games and scoring five times.

In the summer of 2022, Pelkas was loaned to Hull City. He stayed in England for one season and made 26 appearances, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

In September 2023, Pelkas signed with Basaksehir and returned to Turkey to continue his career. With the jersey of the Turkish team he played for two seasons in which he played in 47 games, scored nine goals and distributed nine assists.

At international level, Pelkas is also a constant link of the Greek National Team, counting over 42 appearances and four goals.