Platanias On 23 April 2017, Papanikolaou made his official debut in a 3–1 home loss against
PAOK. On 5 November 2017, he scored his first professional goal in a 5–1 away loss against
Olympiacos.
Panionios On 11 June 2019,
Panionios officially announced the signing of Papanikolaou on a free transfer. The young winger, who made 31 appearances during the
2018–19 season, scoring four goals and giving five assists, joined the club, following his refusal to renew his contract with
Platanias.
Raków Częstochowa On 11 August 2020, Papanikolaou joined Polish
Ekstraklasa club
Raków Częstochowa, on a contract until the end of June 2021, and an available option of a four-years extension of the contract. On 8 February 2021, the club announced they have made use of the option and have extended his contract until the end of June 2025. On 12 February 2022, he opened the score with a kick in the left corner in an away 1–0 win game against
Radomiak Radom in the 20th second of the game. It was his first goal with the club in all competitions. During his four-year stay, Papanikolaou made 118 appearances for Raków across all competitions, and one for their reserve team, and contributed to their first-ever league
title, two
national cup and two
Super Cup wins.
Caykur Rizespor On 13 June 2024, Turkish
Süper Lig club
Çaykur Rizespor announced they have reached an agreement with Raków to sign Papanikolaou on a three-year contract. ==International career==