his last appearance in the field, Kone came as a substitute in a home 2–2 UEFA Europa League group stage home game against Rijeka. On 11 December 2017 Kone scored his first goal for the club after 10 years in a 3–1 home win against Kerkyra. After his loan, Kone has returned to Udinese, but the administration of AEK is still expecting experienced Greek international attacking midfielder to be released from the Italian club. Kone made 20 performances in all competitions with the champions of Greece during 2017–18 season. On 31 August 2018 he mutually solved his contract with Udinese. Western United On 31 January 2019, Kone became the first signing for new A-League side Western United FC ahead of their inaugural season in a 2-year marquee deal. International career Kone has represented Greece at the youth level. Shortly after signing for Brescia, new Greece coach Fernando Santos called him up for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Georgia and Croatia. On 17 November 2010, Kone debuted for the senior national team in a 1–2 friendly away win over Austria. He played the entire first half before being replaced. Kone was named in the provisional squad for UEFA Euro 2012. On 26 May 2012, he was sent-off during Greece's 1–1 draw with Slovenia in a pre-tournament friendly. "What happened with Kone is a shame. Sometimes in the heat of the match we lose our minds," Santos explained after the draw. Kone was eventually excluded from Greece's final 23-man squad. Two years later, Kone's exceptional season year with Bologna helped convince Santos to include the player in both the 30-man provisional World Cup squad and final 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup. On 7 June 2014, he scored his first goal with the Greece in a 2–1 friendly victory against Bolivia. On 15 June 2015, Kone, as a Greek player, sparked controversy after a photograph surfaced showed him just one day after Greece's humiliating 1–2 defeat to the Faroe Islands making an Albanian gesture, putting him under scrutiny. On 11 October 2015, Kone scored in a dramatic 4–3 win over Hungary for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, meeting a José Holebas cross to net a powerful header. It was the first and only win for Greece in qualifying, where it finished last in Group F, meaning it will miss out on the final tournament. Career statistics International goals Honours AEK Athens