AEK midfielder Orbelín Pineda and PAOK’s Giannis Konstantelias took the top player prizes at the 45th PSAPP awards in Athens on Monday night, after a vote by fellow professionals.

Members of the Panhellenic Association of Professional Footballers (PSAPP) voted Pineda the best foreign player of the 2025–26 season. Konstantelias also won the best Greek player award once again.

However, neither winner was at the Hellenic Cosmos cultural centre for the ceremony. Instead, Pineda sent a message from Mexico and signed off with “Only AEK”.

The Mexico international had won his second league title with AEK, so the prize capped a strong season. He scored five goals and made two assists in 31 league games.

Nikolić takes coach prize at PSAPP awards

Serbian coach Marko Nikolić won the coach of the year prize after he led AEK to the 2026 league title. Unlike the two players, he came to collect it in person.

Christos Kontis and Nikos Papadopoulos completed the top three in the coaching vote. Still, Nikolić’s champions lost 2-0 to Panathinaikos in Sunday’s derby.

Also at the PSAPP awards, Ayoub El Kaabi received the top scorer prize, and the Olympiacos striker walked on stage without crutches. He broke his tibia in a match against Volos in September and had surgery soon after.

The Moroccan scored 21 goals last season, including 18 in the league. That was one more than AEK forward Luka Jović, who finished second in the scoring race.

“I am very proud that I won the top scorer award last season,” El Kaabi said. “I am coming back quickly to help my team again.”

Doctors first expected his return in March 2027, but it may now come sooner.

In addition, the women’s prize at the PSAPP awards went to Panathinaikos international Grigoria Pouliou. She dedicated the award to her brother, who she said is fighting for his life.

“I want to say sorry to him that I am not by his side. He taught me to love football,” Pouliou said. As a result, she drew the warmest applause of the night.

A season XI with three ties

Members also picked a team of the season at the PSAPP awards. Three ties left it with 14 names rather than 11.

AEK goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha starts the side. In front of him are Levadiakos left-back Marios Vichos, AEK centre-back Relvas and Olympiacos defender Panagiotis Retsos.

Lazaros Rota of AEK and Levadiakos defender Triantafyllos Tsapras shared the right-back spot. In midfield, Pineda and Konstantelias joined AEK’s Răzvan Marin and PAOK’s Andrija Živković, who tied with Olympiacos winger Gelson Martins.

Up front, AEK striker Jović made the side, while El Kaabi and Tetteh tied for the second place in attack.

Arsenal winger Christos Tzolis also took a prize at the PSAPP awards, for best Greek player abroad. He returned from injury at Anfield on Sunday, a day before the ceremony.

Finally, the other PSAPP awards went to Sotiris Kontouris as best young player and to Angelos Evangelou as top Greek referee. Chania-born Veatriki Sarri, who has lived in England for 11 years, won the prize for top Greek female player abroad.