Brighton’s young forward Charalampos Kostoulas is beginning to make the Premier League look rather more familiar territory. The 18-year-old, known as ‘Babistuta’, has returned four goals and three assists from eight appearances this season, helping Fabian Hürzeler’s side find lift in England and Europe.
His latest run has included a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over Arsenal, following another decisive contribution against Manchester United in the League Cup, where his goal helped Brighton knock out the holders in a 3-2 victory. He had also scored once and set up another in a 4-0 win against Tromso, a result which secured qualification for the Conference League’s league phase.
A centre-forward made in Piraeus
Kostoulas arrived at the Amex from Olympiacos for €35 million a year ago, having first made his senior debut in 2024 under José Luis Mendilibar. He was 17 years, two months and 18 days old at the time.
His football roots are firmly Greek. His father, Athanasios, made more than 200 appearances as a defender for Olympiacos, while Kostoulas junior led the club’s academy side to its first UEFA Youth League title in 2024.
Though now operating principally through the middle, he began as a wide player and still carries some of that winger’s pace. He has been clocked at 36km/h, an unusual extra for a No 9 who also wants to occupy the penalty area.
Darko Kovacevic, formerly Olympiacos sporting director, described the teenager as “a marvel of nature”. Mendilibar saw early signs of a striker with more than one string to his bow, saying Kostoulas did not merely score but created chances, drove the side forward and stayed close to goal.
Finding his feet in England
Kostoulas knew the move would require patience. At his unveiling, he said England’s top flight was the world’s best league because its tempo exceeded that of Greece and every fixture would be difficult.
His first campaign brought three goals, including an overhead kick, and one assist in only 532 minutes. There was a small piece of Premier League history along the way when he combined with James Milner: for the first time in the competition’s modern era, a player provided an assist for someone who had not been born when the creator made his own senior debut.
The greater workload this term has brought a greater return. Kostoulas said he is playing more minutes and more matches, and believes he can make a significant contribution if he continues to improve each day.
“I have to give my best every day,” he said. “I believe in myself and think I can help the team a lot. Things are going well, and they can get much better if we keep doing what we need to do.”
Hürzeler sees a natural finisher
Hürzeler believes the forward’s adjustment period is now paying off. The Brighton manager said the club had allowed Kostoulas time to settle and that, since pre-season, his level had been exceptionally high.
“Every training session shows he can make a difference,” Hürzeler said. “He is a scorer, a natural scorer. When you watch the way he finishes in training, you can see he has something special.”
The manager also pointed to work away from the highlights, saying Kostoulas had put in maximum effort and understood the need to get the basic parts of the game right before expecting reward.
Brighton have a young striker with pace, movement and an increasingly confident finish. For now, ‘Babistuta’ is less a nostalgic nickname than a player giving the Amex something new to sing about.
