[1] Manolas started football from a young age, playing on the streets and vacant lots in and around the Athens suburb of Galatsi, where he lived during his childhood.
In his early teens he, alongside his friend Kostas Antoniou, played for the small amateur club, Aetos Galatsi,[2] where he was discovered by scouts and brought to the attention of AEK Athens.
As a young player, his solid technical training, dynamism and perception and a fighting spirit, were shown in his efforts on the pitch for team defense and attack.
He made his debut appearance in a 1–1 draw against Kastoria on 3 February 1980 and from the next season onwards, he became a regular in the defense of the yellow-blacks until his retirement.
He gave his best in winning many titles, while alongside Toni Savevski, the main players that were based in the 90's.
[7] Stelios Manolas ended his career having 447 appearances in the league, second only to Mimis Papaioannou and 12th in the history of the respective division, achieving a total of 34 goals.