East Bengal FC on Friday announced the signing of Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos on a two-year contract. The 2023-24 Golden Boot winner of ISL scored 13 goals for Kerala Blasters FC.
He played for Kerala Blasters since 2022 and featured in 44 matches, scoring 28 goals and 7 assists across two seasons. He finished as the joint second-highest goal contributor in Indian football last season (20 goals in 20 games).
At the international level, Diamantakos has represented Greece’s senior national team and was part of the Greek squad that finished runner-up in the 2012 UEFA European U-19 Championship.
He played for several Greek sides during his formative professional years, including Panionios Athens, Aris Thessaloniki, Ergotelis FC and Olympiacos in two stints. Later, between 2015 and 2020, he had a five-year-long spell in Germany which saw him play for Karlsruher SC, VfL Bochum and FC St. Pauli, before joining Croatia’s Hajduk Split (2020-22) and Israel’s FC Ashdod (on loan – 2022) in the subsequent years.
“Everyone knows that East Bengal has one of the greatest fan bases in Asia. I can’t wait to play in front of them. I will do my best to help my team achieve our goals and bring joy to our supporters,” said Diamantakos.
Head Coach Carles Cuadrat said, “Diamantakos’ adaptation to India and the ISL has been remarkable and his inclusion will massively bolster our attack. We had a fruitful conversation with him, which convinced him to join us. He had offers from various clubs, but he believed in our project and chose to join Emami East Bengal.”
Picture Courtesy: East Bengal FC Media
