In his first couple of years with the Athens-based club, he already showed signs of his talent as a very energetic player in the centre of midfield who could also score goals.

In the UEFA Champions League, he appeared in all 12 of Panathanaikos' games, scoring a memorable goal from a free kick against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

[7] The following season, at the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Karagounis scored a wonderful goal against Arsenal, beating David Seaman with a header to help his team reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

At the end of his first season in Italy, despite Karagounis spending a lot of time on the substitutes' bench, Inter could only finish a disappointing fourth, with city rivals Milan winning the title.

[citation needed] In 2005, Karagounis moved to Portugal to sign a three-year contract with Benfica,[9] who are based at the Estádio da Luz, the stadium where he won the Euro 2004 final with Greece.

[10] Karagounis scored a couple of memorable long-range goals while in Portugal,[11] against Shakhtar Donetsk, and a free kick against Desportivo das Aves.

[18] Karagounis became the eighth Greek player from the Euro 2004-winning side to play in the Premier League, after Nikos Dabizas, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Vassilios Lakis, Theodoros Zagorakis, Angelos Basinas and Kostas Chalkias.

Then-Fulham manager Martin Jol added, "Giorgos Karagounis has a wealth of club and international experience and I'm happy that he's joined us for this season.

"[19] Karagounis made his debut for the club in the Premier League on 29 September 2012, against Manchester City at Craven Cottage, coming on in the 81st minute to replace Chris Baird.

He scored his first goal in England on 5 January 2013 in the FA Cup against Blackpool in the 80th minute, with a "stunning 25-yard half-volley" which went in off the underside of the crossbar; the match ended 1–1.

[21] On 12 January 2013, a week after his FA Cup strike, he scored his first Premier League goal against Wigan Athletic in the 22nd minute.

[27] Karagounis suffered from muscle problems throughout the season, but on 19 April 2014, he came on as a substitute in his last match for the club in a 3–1 away defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.

[31] Karagounis captained Greece's entry to the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and the team came very close to winning, losing 1–0 to Spain in the final.

On 12 October 2010, Karagounis made his 101st appearance, becoming the second-most capped player in Greek footballing history, behind Theodoros Zagorakis, and scoring his seventh goal in the victory against the Israel national team.

[36][37] On 12 October 2012, Karagounis played in the second half in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, making the 121st appearance for his country.

Karagounis played another inspiring and energetic role throughout the qualifying campaign and helped lead to its third World Cup finals appearance.

Greece head coach Fernando Santos, who worked with Karagounis at both Panathinaikos and Benfica, held him in high regard due to the sureness the veteran exudes.

[citation needed] Karagounis retired from international football after Greece's World Cup elimination in a penalty shootout loss to Costa Rica.

Greece's goalscorer in the Costa Rica match, defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, paid tribute to his departing leader: "He's written his own story ... he's the record holder [of caps], he's given everything for the team and had to make concessions for it...

His dribbling was noted as one of his strengths, with Karagounis able to win his own free kicks as well as provide a sometimes-laboured attack with bursts of energy.

He also possessed a shooting ability from distance and combined his varied attacking talents with an aggression in midfield that made him able to win the ball back, as well as produce with it at his feet.