Kostas Manolas

Manolas began his youth career at Thrasyvoulos in 2007. In 2009, his uncle Stelios Manolas, who was the AEK Athens' technical director at the time, was scouting his nephew at a youth match with AEK manager Dušan Bajević and was impressed with his performance.

On 16 June 2009, Manolas signed a three-year deal with AEK. After signing, Manolas said, "I am very happy signing for the team I support, hopefully I can be a legend at the club like my uncle and end my career at AEK." He made his debut against AO Kavala and was named man of the match. After the game, he stated, "It's a dream to play for the club I love." Manolas was also rewarded with man of the match honours the following week against PAOK. In his first seven matches, Manolas was named man of the match in five of them.

Manolas scored his first professional goal against archrivals Olympiacos on 19 May 2010. Although he was playing with a broken jugal bone since the first minute of the match after a dangerous nudge by Kostas Mitroglou, he scored in the sixth minute, though he later left the match in the 15th minute. He refused to be taken to the hospital before the match was over, despite being urged by his uncle Stelios Manolas. The next day, he underwent a successful three-hour surgery, recovered and quickly returned to training sessions.

On 30 April 2011, Manolas won the first trophy of his career, the Greek Cup. He played a large role in winning the trophy and played solid throughout the match against Atromitos, where at one point he cleared an opposition shot off his line. Manolas also received man of the match honours due to his outstanding display. After the 0–3 victory, Manolas stated, "It is a dream for me to win a trophy with my childhood club AEK, and I hope there's many more to come in the future." He finished the 2010–11 season playing 36 matches, scoring three goals.

On 11 July 2011, Manolas signed a three-year contract extension with AEK, keeping him at the club until 2014. His contract was worth €900,000 earning €300,000 per-season including bonuses that could reach up to €1.4 million. Manolas renewed his contract despite interested from big European outfits Werder Bremen, Sevilla, Wolfsburg and Hamburger SV. Manolas agreed with AEK on €4 million buyout clause for foreign teams and a €10 million buyout clause for Greek teams.

Manolas started the season positively, playing his first competitive match of the 2011–12 season against Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi in a 2011–12 UEFA Europa League qualifier, helping AEK to 1–0 victory. He was given heavy praise from Manolo Jiménez. Manolas scored his first goal of the season in a 0–1 away victory over Panionios. He dedicated the goal to Jiménez, who had been taking criticism in recent weeks for his team's poor performances. Manolas also scored the first goal for AEK Athens in a 1–3 away win against Austrian club Sturm Graz in the Europa League. During the January transfer period, the English Premier League's Everton showed sincere interest in the young centre back, with the team's then-manager David Moyes stating, "Manolas has huge talent and is a player for the future." On 30 January 2012, it was said that AEK and Everton had agreed on terms to sell Manolas to Everton. Manolas, however, declined the offer, as he felt he would be leaving his club in a bad situation as the club would have only had three centre backs in the squad: Traianos Dellas and two youth players Mavroudis Bougaidis and Elfar Freyr Helgason after the departure of loanee Cala, who was recalled back to his club Sevilla. AEK Chairman Stavros Adamidis stated, "It was Manolas who declined the offer, not AEK." He left AEK Athens having 85 appearances (6 goals) in all competitions.

On 1 July 2012, Manolas joined rivals Olympiacos on a free transfer until 30 June 2016 after his contract with AEK Athens had expired. "I am very happy that I'm at Olympiacos and I can't wait to play with the red and white shirt in front of a full Karaiskaki and our fans," Manolas said. At a time where AEK were struggling to pay off crippling debts, the departure of one of the club's key players came as another major blow. Ahead of the next season, AEK were only able to buy and sell Greek players up to the age of 22 and were barred from purchasing foreign players, as punishment for failing to meet the Greek Super League's financial criteria. AEK were allowed to renew the contracts of any player already at the club, whether their highest earners would be willing to remain at a club that has a history of failing to pay player wages remained to be seen. Moreover, AEK were also been banned from taking part in the Europa League that season by the Hellenic Football Federation, with their place taken by Asteras Tripolis.

Manolas made his Olympiacos debut against PAS Giannina on 15 September in a 1–2 away win, then scored his first goal for his new side against Skoda Xanthi in a 4–0 home win. Manolas made 24 appearances for Olympiacos in the league that season, helping them win the Superleague. On 11 May 2013, he played in the Greek Cup Final against Asteras Tripoli, winning 3–1 to clinch a league and cup double for the season.

On 22 March 2014, Manolas extended his contract with Olympiacos for another year, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2017. He left Olympiakos having 73 appearances (6 goals, 2 assists) in all competitions.

On 27 August 2014, Italian Serie A side Roma announced the signing of Manolas for an estimated fee of €15 million. Upon joining Roma, Manolas said, "I had offers from several big clubs, including Juve. But it was my decision to come here to Roma. I wanted to come to Roma. Lots of people told me good things. Their advice and my decision is what brought me here. The club has big goals. I want to win the Scudetto, as does the whole squad. We can also go far in the Champions League."

On 30 August 2014, Manolas made his official debut for Roma as they beat Fiorentina 2–0 in the opening game of the 2014–15 Serie A season. On 17 September, he made his first European appearance with Roma in the Champions League as they cruised to an impressive 5–1 victory over CSKA Moscow. On 5 October, Manolas was sent off in a match against Juventus for retaliating after being fouled by Álvaro Morata, who was sent off as well. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) subsequently banned Manolas for two games for his part in the altercation.

Manolas enjoyed an excellent first season in Serie A, cementing his place at the heart of manager Rudi Garcia's defence as his side finished second in the league table. In the ensuing close season, Arsenal offered Roma £15 million for the player, whom they originally tried to sign last summer before being beaten by Roma. On 19 June 2015, at the end of the season, Manolas, via a Roma fan poll, was named the club's "best purchase of the season" after capturing 56% of the vote, in front of the likes of Seydou Keita (18%) and Juan Iturbe (8%).

Manolas began the 2015–16 campaign as the de facto leader of the Roma defence. According to Tuttomercatoweb, Chelsea manager José Mourinho attempted to bring the Greek international to Stamford Bridge the previous season, and will try again in the New Year, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur continuing their interest. On 17 September 2015, after the 1–1 home draw against 2014–15 Champions League title holders Barcelona, Manolas praised his club's tactical performance: "We played a great game on a tactical level. We've been doing well in defence, and I think it’s an important step for the team," he told Sky Sports. On 23 September, Roma's unbeaten start to the season ended after losing 2–1 away at Sampdoria, with Manolas scoring an own goal.

On 5 December, in a dramatic 1–1 away draw against Torino in domestic league action, Manolas brought down Andrea Belotti inside the area, whereupon Maxi López coolly converted the subsequent 94th-minute penalty kick. Despite replays suggesting the Greek defender may well have gotten the ball in the challenge, the referee nonetheless awarded the penalty. On 11 December, towards the end of a Champions League match against Belarusians BATE Borisov, Manolas engaged in a quarrel with teammate Miralem Pjanić for mishandling a ball possession. As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the two players continued the fighting into the team's locker room. On 17 February 2016, in a 1st leg UEFA Champions League game for the last 16, he was the indisputable leader of the defence, despite the 2–0 home loss from the Spanish giants Real Madrid. Manolas closed down Karim Benzema quite well throughout the game. Most of the low crosses were taken care of well by him but he could do nothing about the two goals. On 20 April 2016, in a match for Serie A, Manolas scored his second goal in the season, giving an assist in a glorious home win against Torino F.C.

On 25 July 2016, coach Luciano Spalletti has insisted that the international defender is happy at A.S. Roma and will stay at the club, despite every summer speculations involving Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea's interest about the Greek defender. Arsenal were so displeased by the way Roma handled the talks that they later refused to allow Jack Wilshere to go there on loan. Manolas began the 2016–17 campaign as the de facto leader of the Roma defence.

On September 2016, A.S. Roma are obliged to pay the sum of €6.5 million to Olympiakos for the international defender. Roma did not want to sell the Greek defender this summer as Olympiakos had a 50% next percentage sale until this August. Roma also rejected a bid from Arsenal in the region of €39 million for Manolas and therefore the player stayed put. Now Olympiakos will receive from Roma the fee of €6,5 million and Roma will activate the clause obtaining the 100% of the player. Manolas is considered the best marker of 'calcio' and Barcelona have been following him for a while. The Greek international has always been on a list of defenders that Barcelona have been interested in. With Thomas Vermaelen's loan to Roma they received an option to buy on Manolas at the summer of 2017. On 2 October 2016, he scored the second goal sealing a 2–1 home win against rivals Inter, as well as made the Inter captain Mauro Icardi disappear. On 18 October 2016, Manolas rejected A.S. Roma's proposal on the extension of his contract, which expires in 2019, despite the fact that the management was ready to raise the salary of the Greek centre back from €1.8 million to €2.5 million per year. According to the newspapers sources, the 25-year-old international player saw that almost 12 players had a higher salary than his and now expects an improved offer.

On 23 October 2016, Manolas reached 100 appearances with the jersey of Roma, in a 4–1 home win Serie A game against Palermo. On 31 October, he broke his nose in AS Roma's 0–0 away draw against Empoli, in a game where the Greek defender simply covered every possible hole, thus missing Europa League clash against FK Austria Wien and Serie A match with Bologna at the Olimpico, the Giallorossi said. On 4 December 2016, in one of the most spectacular Roman derbies in history, Manolas showed the usual ability both in anticipating and blocking his opponents, giving Balde Diao Keita and Ciro Immobile a very difficult afternoon. On 13 December 2016, Roma's center-back trio had an amazing performance, especially Manolas and Federico Fazio who combined 15 clearances, 11 interceptions and won 12 duels. Manolas' impact surpassed just defensive duties as he assisted for Radja Nainggolan's 1–0 winner against A.C. Milan. On 18 December 2016, Manolas according to doctors' report, will be out for around two weeks after picking up another injury in Roma's 1–0 defeat to Juventus. Manolas was forced off in the latter stages at Juventus Stadium, and he will now miss Roma's match against Chievo, the defender having already been struck down with a broken nose and muscle strain this season. On 8 January 2017, he returned to the squad playing as a late substitute in a 1–0 away win against Genoa. On 25 May 2017, a week before the end of the season, Manolas and Diego Perotti came a step away from putting their hands on them during training. To avoid the worst, only the provisional intervention of teammates,along with the Luciano Spalletti's decision to send them in the dressing room, without even finishing the training, helped to lower the tension.

Despite a possible move to FC Zenit, following teammate Leandro Paredes, during the summer of 2017 Manolas remained at Roma for the 2017–18 season. On 27 September 2017, he opened the scoring in a 2–1 away win against Qarabağ FK in the UEFA Champions League Group stage.

On 2 December 2017, the Greek international renewed his contract with the Giallorossi, until 2022, with a release clause set at €35 million. On 15 October 2017, the Greek defender was substituted during the Serie A match against Napoli that took place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The Greek defender was out for almost a month due to a Grade I strain of his left adductor longus (thigh) muscle. On 31 October 2017, he returned to the squad in a convincing 3–0 Champions League home game against English champions Chelsea F.C. On 5 November 2017, he scored his first goal in 2017-18 season from an Edin Džeko assist in a 4–2 away win against Fiorentina.

On 9 June 2017, Manolas and his Roma teammate Edin Dzeko came to blows during an ugly brawl in World Cup qualifier game between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece. The game ended 0–0 and descended into chaos after the final whistle, when numerous players and members of staff clashed.

On 9 March 2018, he scored the first goal in a 3–0 win with a header against Torino F.C. after an assist by Alessandro Florenzi with a cross following a corner. After his goal, Manolas dropped to his knees and pointed to the sky in tribute to Davide Astori, the Fiorentina captain who died on 4 March. On 4 April 2018, in a frustrating 4–1 away loss for 2017–18 Champions League quarter finals 1st leg to FC Barcelona, Manolas scored Roma's second own-goal after a clearance that in turn hit the right post, Samuel Umtiti and the Greek defender. However, Manolas more than compensated for the 1st leg performance as he brilliantly headed the final goal in the Giallorossi's 3–0 dominant victory over the Blaugrana in the return leg, sending Roma to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1984. On 21 April 2018, Manolas captained his first match with the club against SPAL during a 3–0 away win in Serie A, after receiving the armband from his teammate Radja Nainggolan.

Despite the yearly summer rumours surrounding his possible departure from the club, Manolas remained at Roma for a fifth season, aiming to win his first title with the club during the 2018–19 season. On 27 August 2018, Manolas scored against Atalanta, as he tapped in Javier Pastore's chipped free kick at the far post, helping Roma complete a comeback from 3–1 down to 3–3 at the Stadio Olimpico. On 7 November, Manolas scored with a glancing header from very close range, placing the ball high and in the centre of the goal, from an assist by Lorenzo Pellegrini with a cross following a corner, helping his club to a vital 2–1 away win against CSKA Moscow in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. His impressive performance saw him included in UEFA Champions League's team of the week the following day. On 15 November, Manolas was forced off during Greece's 1–0 win over Finland due to a blow to the adductor magnus muscle in his leg. He underwent scans to determine the severity but it appears unlikely that he will return to fitness in time. Manolas has been at the heart of Eusebio Di Francesco's defence since the Italian took over the reins in the summer. On 6 March 2019, Manolas made his 200th appearance in all competitions with Roma in the second leg of the club's round of 16 UEFA Champions League tie against FC Porto; Manolas played the full 120 minutes as Roma lost 3–1 at home to exit the Champions League. Reports from the Italian media later confirmed that the 27-year-old had strained a muscle, and would miss around three weeks of action, meaning that he would not be expected to participate in his nation's UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Liechtenstein and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 12 September 2018, Manolas netted his first goal with Greece, leaping over his marker to head a free kick through the goalkeeper's hands in a 2–1 away loss against Hungary for the Nations League.

On 27 June 2019, Manolas was close to a move to Napoli after Roma and Neapolitan club reached a deal for the Greek defender; Manolas agreed to pen a five-year contract with the latter club, with annual earnings of €4.5 million (including bonuses). Napoli officially the defender for €34m plus a €2m signing-on fee, effectively activating his release clause. However, in the agreement between the two Italian sides, Roma purchased defensive midfielder Amadou Diawara for €18m plus €3m in add-ons. Manolas had previous also been linked with Juventus, Milan, and Arsenal. He officially signed for Napoli on 30 June. On 24 August, he made his debut with the club, starting in the 4–3 away win against Fiorentina. A week later he scored his first goal for the club in a thrilling 4–3 away loss against Juventus, netting a goal with a header after a beautiful free-kick from Mário Rui. On 28 September, Manolas scored his second goal of the season with a header after Nikola Maksimović's corner, helping his club to seal a 2–1 home win game against Brescia.

On 31 December 2019, Manolas currently of Napoli in Serie A, was included in the Roma Team of the Decade.After transferring from Olympiacos in August 2014, Manolas subsequently starred for Roma, quickly turning into the team's leading centre-back with his agile, alert and passionate style of game. In the end, Manolas would spend five years at Roma, amassing over 200 official appearances for the Giallorossi across Serie A, the UEFA Champions League and Italian Cup. On 29 February 2020, Manolas firmly connected with Lorenzo Insigne's free-kick from the right wing, thumping an unstoppable header into the net to give Napoli the lead, in a 2–1 home win game against Torino F.C. After scoring in his side's 2–1 defeat of Torino last weekend, Manolas was named to the latest FIFA 20 Team of the Week 25 (TOTW) for the popular game mode FIFA Ultimate Team.

On 20 September 2020, Manolas was a starter in a 2-0 away win 2020-21 Serie A opener game against Parma.