Kostas Mitroglou (Greek: Κώστας Μήτρογλου, pronounced [konsta(n)ˈdinos ˈkostas ˈmitroɣlu]; born 12 March 1988) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is nicknamed "Mitrogoal" and "Pistolero" by fans due to his goalscoring abilities.
Raised in Germany, Mitroglou started his career at Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he established himself as an excellent prospect. He was signed by Olympiacos in the summer of 2007 and had two loan spells at Panionios and Atromitos before establishing himself in the team. He transferred to Premier League club Fulham in 2014 for a club record £12 million, and they were relegated in his only season, in which he was troubled by injury. He then returned to Olympiacos on loan and then to Benfica in Portugal, before joining the latter on a permanent basis in 2016. With Benfica, he would win five major honours, including back-to-back league titles, and set his single-season scoring record with 27 goals.
A full international since 2009, Mitroglou has earned over 60 caps for the Greece national team. He was selected in their squads for UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Mitroglou was born on 12 March 1988, in Krinides, Kavala, Greece, and emigrated as an infant with his parents from his native country to Germany. He grew up in Neukirchen-Vluyn, North Rhine-Westphalia. He began his career at TuS Preussen Vluyn. At age 11, he scored 24 goals in 16 matches. He then played for SV Neukirchen. In 2003, he joined MSV Duisburg. Later on, he joined Borussia Mönchengladbach. Mitroglou was a dominant player in the Under 19 Bundesliga. He scored 14 goals in 10 matches.
After impressing at the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, Mitroglou was signed by Greek champions Olympiacos. His first official goal for Olympiacos came in a 2–1 away win against Diagoras in the Greek Cup after an assist by Luciano Galletti. His first Super League goal came in a 4–0 home win against Levadiakos.
During the final stages of the season, Mitroglou played an important part in helping Olympiacos claim their 36th league title, scoring the last-minute winning goal (2–1) in their match against AEL, this time assisted by Mirnes Šišić. His first goal in the Super League came in a 4–0 home win against Levadiakos. He then scored two goals in the last league fixture against Iraklis to seal a 3–1 win. He also scored in a 2–2 away draw against Iraklis in the Greek Cup semi-finals, after an assist from Michalis Konstantinou. In the 2007 Greek Super Cup, he scored the only goal as Olympiacos defeated AEL 1–0.
For the 2008–09 season, Olympiacos appointed Ernesto Valverde as their new head coach, who dropped Mitroglou because he wanted his team to play a quicker and more offensive style of football. Mitroglou therefore made fewer appearances than the prior season. He scored in a 2–0 away win against Nordsjælland in the first round of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. In the Super League, he scored two goals in a home win 4–1 against Panionios.
After Valverde left Olympiacos, Mitroglou saw increased playing time. He scored his first goal of the season against Sheriff Tiraspol in a 2–0 first leg away win in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, also scoring in the return leg (a 1–0 home win). Mitroglou scored the equalizing goal in an eventual 2–1 defeat of Standard Liège in a UEFA Champions League group stage match on 21 October 2009. He also scored in home wins against Asteras Tripolis (3–0) and Ergotelis (2–1). His next goal came in an away draw (2–2) against PAS Giannina after an assist by Dudu Cearense. He also scored a goal in a heavy 3–1 away loss to Panserraikos.
Mitroglou scored both goals in a 2–0 win against rivals Panathinaikos after assists by Dudu Cearense and Jaouad Zairi. He added two more goals in a 5–1 home win against Levadiakos. He scored in the club's 2–1 loss to Bordeaux in the Champions League round of 16, which saw Olympiacos eliminated following a 3–1 aggregate loss. His next goal came in Olympiacos' 2–0 win against Atromitos.
Ernesto Valverde returned as head coach of Olympiacos for the 2010–11 season. Despite being a starter and scoring a spectacular goal in the opening league match against Iraklis (1–2 away loss), Mitroglou only made four more appearances as Valverde chose to use Kevin Mirallas and Marko Pantelić instead. Mitroglou participated in the international match "8th Match Against Poverty" on 14 December 2010 (held at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium) as a player in the Olympiacos All-Star team and scored two goals.
In January 2011, Mitroglou joined Panionios on a six-month loan from Olympiacos. In his debut, he scored both goals in a historic 2–0 away win against Aris, the first for the club in 50 years. His next goals came at a 1–1 home draw against Panathinaikos and a 1–1 away draw against AEK Athens, the latter after an assist from Georgios Galitsios. He scored the winning goal (2–1) against Atromitos and converted a penalty at the 3–3 home draw against AEL. He added another one at a 1–1 away draw against Iraklis. He scored his last goal at the 2–1 away win against Kerkyra after an assist from Fanouris Goundoulakis. Mitroglou ended this year with nine goals in the Superleague, one with Olympiacos and eight with Panionios.
Mitroglou was once again loaned, this time to Atromitos for the 2011–12 campaign. He scored his first goal at a 1–0 away win against Aris after an assist from Miguel Sebastián Garcia. He next scored at a 1–1 home draw against Panathinaikos after an assist of Denis Epstein. He scored two goals in a 2–1 home win against Panetolikos and one in a 1–0 away win against Doxa Drama. His next goal was at a 1–1 home draw against Levadiakos, once again assisted by Denis Epstein. He went on to score goals in the victories against Ergotelis (1–0) and OFI (2–0).
Mitroglou's next goal came from the penalty spot in a 1–1 away draw against Panetolikos. He scored a goal in a 2–1 away win against PAS Giannina and scored two goals in another 2–1 away win against his former loan team Panionios. He next scored at a 2–0 home win against Doxa Drama and a 2–2 away draw against Levadiakos. He scored the winning goal (1–0) against Skoda Xanthi His next goal came with a penalty kick in a 2–2 away draw against Ergotelis.
Mitroglou also scored a goal in the semi-finals of the Greek Cup against Asteras Tripoli, sending his team reach the final against parent club Olympiacos. He finished the season with 16 league goals, helping Atromitos to reach the Super League play-offs for the first time, where he added one more goal in a 1–1 home draw against PAOK after an assist from Ilias Anastasakos. At the end of the campaign, he was voted the Super League Greece Footballer of the Year.
The 2012–13 season found Mitroglou back at parent club Olympiacos. After Ernesto Valverde left, Mitroglou was favoured by new head coach Leonardo Jardim. Mitroglou showed a good form in the pre-season training scoring a total of three goals, two of them in a friendly against Spanish side Málaga at the Karaiskakis Stadium. However, the season started a bit irregular for him, as he had to compete with first-choice striker Rafik Djebbour in the starting 11. He therefore did not receive much playing time and often played as a substitute. His first goal of the season came in a 2–1 away win against PAS Giannina after an assist from Djebbour. In the same match, he provided an assist on Olympicaos' second goal, scored by Djebbour.
With Djebbour absent due to injury, Mitroglou was a starter for the second group game of the UEFA Champions League against Arsenal in the Emirates Stadium, where he scored the equalizer in an eventual 3–1 loss. He next scored a goal in a 2–0 home win against OFI after an assist from Paulo Machado. He scored again in the Champions League by scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 away win against Montpellier after an assist from Djamel Abdoun. He also added another goal against Montpellier in the return fixture on 6 November as Olympiacos claimed a 3–1 victory.