AEK Athens F.C.

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AEK F.C.

Full name	PAE Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos (Athletic Union of Constantinople F.C.)
Nickname(s)	Enosis (Union) Dikefalos Aetos (Double-Headed Eagle) Kitrinomavri (Yellow-Blacks)
Founded	13 April 1924
Ground	Olympic Stadium Athens, Greece (Capacity: 71,030 (all-seated)[1])
Chairman	Nikos Thanopoulos
Manager	Dušan Bajević
League	Super League Greece (Σούπερ Λίγκα Ελλάδα)
2008-09	Super League Greece, 3rd
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

AEK F.C. (Greek: AEK - Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως – Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos), the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Athens, Greece.

Established in Athens on 13 April 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War, AEK has grown to become one of the most successful clubs in Greek football, winning 29 national titles (including 11 Championships, 13 Greek Cups, 1 League Cup, 1 Pre-1991 Mediterranean Games Cup and 3 Super Cups) providing the Greek National Football Team with many of its star players, and continuously appearing in European (UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League) competitions, having participated in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1977. AEK is also a member of the European Club Association^[2] The club currently competes in the Super League Greece^[3]

Contents 1 History 2 Emblem 3 Colours 4 Stadium 5 Feeder clubs 6 Current squad 6.1 Foreign players 6.2 International players 7 Personnel 7.1 Board 8 Honours 9 Europe 9.1 Other notable records 10 UEFA rankings 10.1 UEFA club competition record 11 Managerial history 12 Notable former managers 13 Chairmen history 14 Notable former players 15 Notable stats 16 Shirt sponsors and manufacturers 17 Club anthem 18 References 19 External links

[edit] History

The large Greek population of Constantinople (now Istanbul), not unlike those of the other Ottoman urban centres, continued its athletic traditions in the form of numerous athletic clubs. Clubs such as Enosi Tataoulon (Ένωση Ταταούλων) from the Tatavla district, Megas Alexandros (Μέγας Αλέξανδρος) of Vathyriakos, and Hermes (Ερμής - Ermis) of Pera existed to promote Hellenic athletic and cultural ideals.

On 13 April 1924, a group of Constantinopolitan refugees (among them athletes from Pera Club and the other Constantinopolitan clubs) met at the athletic shop of Emilios and Menelaos Ionas on Veranzerou Street, in the center of Athens and established AEK.

The founders of AEK established the club with the intention of providing athletic and cultural diversions for the thousands of predominantly Constantinopolitan and Anatolian refugees who had settled in the new suburbs of Athens (Nea Filadelfeia, Nea Ionia, Nea Chalkidona, Nea Smyrni etc). AEK’s first game was a 2-0 win against Aias Athinon.

Not possessing a football ground, AEK played most of its early matches at various locations around Athens, including the grounds of the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium.

AEK’s first president, (1871-1941), a journalist and associate of the then Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, petitioned the government to set aside land for the establishment of a sports ground. In 1926, land in Nea Filadelfia that was originally set aside for refugee housing was donated as a training ground for the refugees.^[4] AEK began using the ground for training (albeit unofficially) and by 1930 the property was signed over to the club. Venizelos soon approved the plans to build what was to become AEK’s home ground for the next 70 years, the Nikos Goumas Stadium.^[5] The first home game, in November 1930, was an exhibition match against Olympiacos that ended in a 2-2 draw.

In 1931, won their first Greek Cup title, beating Aris FC 5-3 in the final. The team boasted a number of star football players in Kostas Negrepontis (a veteran of the original Pera Club of Constantinople), Kleanthis Maropoulos, Tryfon Tzanetis, Michalis Delavinias, Giorgos Mageiras and Spyros Sklavounos. The club’s mixed success during the 1930s was highlighted by the first Greek Championship-Cup double in 1939 and the second consecutive championship in 1940.

AEK was Cup winner in 1949, 1950 (when was also Athens champion) and 1956.Thence, took the championship in 1963, with Nestoridis to be the top scorer of 1st division for 5th consecutive time. The club followed up with Cup victories in 1964 and 1966, championship in 1968 and became the first Greek football club to reach the quarter-final of European Champions Cup in 1969.^[6]

In addition, AEK was champion in 1971 (for second time at the last four years). Loukas Barlos took over the presidency of AEK in 1974, and with the help of Czech-Dutch coach Frantisek Fadrhonc built one of the finest teams in the club’s history. The Barlos “Golden Era” saw some of the greatest players ever to have played for AEK.^[7]

Captained by Papaioannou, 1976-1977 saw AEK reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup competition, the first Greek football club to do so. Beating Dinamo Moscow 2-0, Derby County FC 2-0 and 3-2, Red Star Belgrade 2-0, and Queens Park Rangers 3-0 and 7-6 on penalties, AEK were eventually eliminated by Gianni Agnelli’s Juventus FC. Juventus went on to win their first European title.

AEK was champion and cup winner in 1978 (double) and again champion 1979.

Under Loukas Barlos, the Nikos Goumas Stadium was finally completed with the addition of the iconic “Covered Stand”, or Skepasti (Σκεπαστή), which eventually became home to the most fanatic of AEK supporter groups, Original 21. The next generation of star players, fresh out of the AEK Academy, made their debut during this period – Stelios Manolas, Spyros Ekonomopoulos, Vangelis Vlachos and Lysandros Georgamlis

With new president Michalis Arkadis and Austrian head coach Helmut Senekowitsch, AEK won the 1983 Greek Cup, beating PAOK FC 2-0 in the newly-built Athens Olympic Stadium. Thomas Mavros and 21-year old captain Vangelis Vlachos were the goalscorers.

In 1989 AEK was champion and also Greek Super Cup winner.

After the 1989 triumphs, under Dušan Bajević, AEK built what was to become one of the most successful teams in its history. Led by Stelios Manolas, the team, which included Toni Savevski, Daniel Batista, Vaios Karagiannis, Vasilis Dimitriadis, Giorgos Savvidis, Alekos Alexandris and Refik Šabanadžović dominated the Greek league through the 1990s with three successive Championship titles (1992, 1993, 1994). AEK also won the Greek League Cup of 1990 (beating Olympiacos FC 3-2) and the Pre-Mediterranean Cup of 1991 (beating OFI Crete 1-0).

In 1994-1995 AEK was the first Greek football club that participated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League after defeating Scottish champions Rangers FC, AEK was eliminated by Ajax Amsterdam and AC Milan, who made it to the final. With Michalis Trochanas as president and Dušan Bajević as coach, the club won the 1996 Greek Cup and Super Cup and also the 1997 Greek Cup. During seasons 1996-1997 and 1997-1998, AEK progressed to the Quarter-Final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

AEK was also Greek cup winner in 2000 and 2002 (for 4th time at the last seven years).

Despite AEK’s on-field successes, the period was best remembered for the return of Dusan Bajevic as coach in the summer of 2002, a move that sparked open hostility towards Bajevic from a section of AEK supporters. Modest performances, though, were not enough as more off-field dramas unfolded. Punctuated by the demolition of Nikos Goumas Stadium, home to AEK for over 70 years, Demis Nikolaidis was let on free transfer by mutual consent and signed for Atlético Madrid, Unable to cope with the negativity from a large section of AEK fans, Bajević resigned in 2004 during a season match against Iraklis FC.

By now, on the brink of bankruptcy, and losing most of its Euro 2004 stars and experienced players to other European clubs,^[8] AEK needed a miracle to prevent it from being relegated to the Greek amateur leagues. Though both Kostas Katsouranis and Nikos Liberopoulos remained, Vassilis Borbokis, Grigoris Georgatos, Theodoros Zagorakis, Michalis Kapsis, Michalis Kasapis, Michel Kreek, Vassilis Lakis, Vassilis Tsiartas, and Ioannis Okkas all left the club in the wake of the troubles.

In 2004 Demis Nikolaidis, at the head of a consortium of businessmen, bought out the beleaguered AEK and became the new club president.^[9] His primary task was to lead AEK out of its precarious financial position.^[10] The first success was an arrangement through the Greek justice system to write off most of the massive debt that previous club administrators had amassed, and to repay any remaining public debts in manageable installments^[11] . A key factor to the recent AEK FC revival was the dynamic fans' come-back.^[12] AEK surprising many people finished 2nd, after media prediction had them to finish mid table. The following season Demis appointed Llorenç Serra Ferrer as head coach, and after a first successful season, finishing AEK in second and to within 1 point of a Last 16 spot in the Champions League, however during the 2007-08 season after unsuccessful signings and poor performances, he was sacked and replaced by Nikos Kostenoglou on a caretaker bases,^[13] After the end of a decent season, The team initially finished in first place in the league, but after the court case between Apollon Kalamaria and Olympiacos for the illegal usage of a player in the 1-0 Apollon Kalamaria win earlier in the season, Olympiacos were awarded the 3 points in a court hearing, thus finishing 2 points ahead of AEK.^[14] AEK president Demis Nikolaidis and several other managers and chairmen have been angered with the alleged court decision, stating that the Hellenic Football Federation knew about the usage of the illegal player prior to the game but didn't do anything about it. Giorgos Donis was appointed head coach on 14 May.^[15] His reign at the club did not go well. It all began when AEK failed to surpass AC Omonia in the UEFA Cup second qualifying round, meaning their elimination from European competitions for the season ^[16]. Key player Rivaldo asked to leave the club to sign for Bunyodkor on August 27 ^[17]. The league campaign started very well after a win over rivals Panathinaikos in the opening game of the season, but poor performances and results from then on left AEK in a difficult situation. Head coach Giorgos Donis was eager to leave the club, but president Demis Nikolaidis did not allow him to leave. Nevertheless, Nikolaidis left due to these disappointing results and after a controversy with the clubs supporters Original 21 ^[18], leaving the presidency to member of the D.C., Nikos Koulis and Takis Kanellopoulos ^[19].

However, the series of disappointing results continued, bringing anger and insecure situations for everyone in the team. The first to be hit by this wave of disappointment and with the council of the team upset, was the coach Giorgos Donis, who was asked to leave the team ^[20]. On 21 November 2008, AEK hired Dušan Bajević as head coach for the third time ^[21]. However, after a while, Takis Kanellopoulos left the team, as he sparked a rivarly with Bajević. Up until now, there is no serious improvement to the club's negative running. Greek billionaire Georgios Kintis bought AEK for € 75 Million and became the team's new president shortly after ^[22] On 4 February 2009, Nikos Thanopoulos was elected as number 41 president of AEK FC ^[23]. Bajevic brought some much-needed stability to the club, and performances on the pitch improved vastly towards the end of the season, culminating in AEK's progression to the Greek Cup final against Olympiacos which will be played on 2 May 2009 at Athens Olympic Stadium ^[24]. AEK lost in the final 14-15 on penalty's ^[25]. AEK finished the regular season in 4th, thus qualifying for the seasons playoff's. AEK finished 2nd in the playoff's just missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification. Instead AEK will compete for the first time in the newly founded UEFA Europa League ^[26].

[edit] Emblem

In 1924, AEK adopted as their emblem the image of a double-headed eagle (Δικέφαλος Αετός - Dikefalos Aetos). When AEK was created by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the years following the Greco-Turkish War and subsequent population exchange, the emblem and colours (yellow & black) were chosen as a reminder of lost homelands; they represent the club's historical ties to Constantinople.

AEK's main emblem underwent numerous minor changes between 1924 and 1989. The design of the eagle on the shirt badge was often not identical to the design of the eagle depicted on official club correspondence, merchandise and promotional material. All designs were considered "official" (in the broadest sense of the word), however, it was not until 1989 that an identifiable, copyrighted design was established as the club's official, and shirt, badge. The emblem design was changed again in 1993 to the current shield design.

[edit] Colours

AEK's first home colours, used from 1924 until c.1927.

The colours of yellow and black were adopted from AEK's connections with Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.^[27]

AEK have always worn predominantly yellow shirts (striped or plain), black shorts, and yellow or black socks. The only exception has been in the unusual, but notable, Kappa kits of the 1990s (which featured a double-headed eagle across the kit), or in recent years, mainly in European competitions, when the club has worn an all-yellow kit.

AEK's traditional away colours are all-black or all-white; on a few occasions, the club has introduced a light blue, a grey, and even a dark scarlet kit as a third kit. In Greece there are no Home and Away kits, per se. Teams always wear their 1st kit unless there is a resemblance between both team kits. In case of a colour clash, the home team usually wears one of its alternate kits; AEK has often worn their 3rd kit at home against other teams that wear yellow kits.

AEK's current kit is manufactured by Puma, which is contracted to supply the club's kit from 2007 to 2011. Their previous kit manufacturer were Diadora, Kappa, Nike and Adidas. AEK's first shirt sponsor was Citizen (1982-83), followed by Nissan (1984-85), Ethniki Asfalistiki and Phoenix Asfaleies (1988-96), Geniki Bank (1996-98), Firestone (1999), Marfin (1999-2001), Alpha Digital (2001-02), Piraeus Bank (2002-04), which caused controversy because it was situated in Pireaus - home of fierce rivals Olympiacos, and TIM (2004-06). AEK's current shirt sponsor is LG.^[28]

[edit] Stadium

Main articles: Olympic Stadium (Athens)

Since the demolition in 2003 of the Nikos Goumas Stadium – AEK’s home ground since 1930,^[5] the club plays its home games at the 70,000-capacity "Spiridon Louis" (Athens Olympic Stadium) in Athens^[29]. The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens, also known as OAKA, is one of the most complete European athletic complexes. The Main Olympic Stadium was designed in 1979 and inaugurated in 1982 at the 13th European Athletics Championship. The following years a number of other sport facilities surrounded the Main Olympic Stadium: the Olympic Velodrome (inaugurated in 1991), the Olympic Aquatics Center (1991), the Olympic Indoor Sports Center (1995), the Olympic Tennis Center (2004), as well as other supplementary sport facilities. The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens hosted the Mediterranean Games in 1991, the World Championship in Athletics in 1997, the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final well as other important athletic and cultural events, the most significant of which remains the Athens Olympic Games in 2004^[30].

On 6 September 2007 a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Greek Minister Finance and Economy, Giorgos Alogoskoufis and club Chairman Ntemis Nikolaidis that outlined the details of a development project for the construction of a new stadium at Ano Liosia. The Greek Government promised to provide for public land and access infrastructure, while the club will deal with the financing of the project.^[31] Although the memorandum refers to the construction of a 50,000, 5-star stadium, further details including cost estimates, exact seating capacity and naming rights or name for the stadium are still forthcoming. For the time being, the stadium is referred by some as AEK Arena, which is the preliminary name given to an earlier attempt at a stadium by a previous ownership.

[edit] Feeder clubs

• Nea Ionia
• Anagennisi Karditsa

[edit] Current squad

As of 27 June 2009^[32]

No. Position Player 1 MF Pantelis Kafes 4 DF Geraldo Alves 5 DF Daniel Majstorović 6 DF Giorgos Alexopoulos 7 DF Juanfran 8 MF Tamandani Nsaliwa 9 FW Edinho 10 FW Rafik Djebbour 11 FW Gustavo Manduca 13 DF Dimitris Koutroumanos 14 MF Grigoris Makos 15 DF Nikolaos Karabelas 17 MF Antonis Rikka 18 FW Ismael Blanco 19 MF Panagiotis Lagos

No. Position Player 20 FW Nathan Burns 21 FW Michalis Pavlis 23 GK Sebastián Saja 25 DF Sotiris Kyrgiakos (captain) 27 GK Milan Lukac 30 MF Ilie Iordache 31 DF Nikos Georgeas (vice-captain) 32 FW Nacho Scocco 34 MF Panagiotis Tachtsidis 40 FW Panagiotis Zorbas 56 MF Perparim Hetemaj 80 MF El Hadji Diouf 84 GK Giannis Arabatzis 90 DF Savvas Gentsoglou — DF Kostas Manolas

For recent transfers, see AEK Athens transfers in season 2009-10 and List of Greek football transfers summer 2009.

[edit] Foreign players

Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Greek Super league. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Greek citizenship after playing in Greece for 7 years. Players such as Sebastián Saja are not registerd as non-EU because they have dual citizenship with a EU country.

EU Nationals Perparim Hetemaj Geraldo Alves Edinho Juanfran Daniel Majstorović

EU Nationals (Dual citizenship) Rafik Djebbour Manduca Tamandani Nsaliwa Sebastián Saja Nacho Scocco

Non-EU Nationals Ismael Blanco Nathan Burns El Hadji Diouf

[edit] International players

Giorgos Alexopoulos Pantelis Kafes Sotiris Kyrgiakos Panagiotis Lagos Grigoris Makos

Rafik Djebbour Sebastián Saja Nathan Burns

Tamandani Nsaliwa Edinho Juanfran Daniel Majstorović

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Board

• President: Nikos Thanopoulos
• Vice Presidents: Nikos Notias, Pantelis Athinis
• Board Members : Nasos Thanopoulos, Gikas Goumas,Michalis Dimarakis, Dimitris Hatzihristos (representing AEK Athens), Kyriakos Chinas (representing "Union 1924")
• Technical Director: Vassilis Tsartas
• Public Relations: Anthi Papacosta
• Legal Advisors: Xaris Grigoriou,
• Press Office: Lina Roditou, Panagiotis Aroniadis & Thodoris Zagas
• Event Manager: Alexis Papageorgiou
• Security Department: Akis Takis & Giannis Kapogiannis
• Ticketing Department Manager: Spilios Fotopoulos
• Ticketing Department:Nikos Xirokostas

Source: ^[33][34]

[edit] Honours

Domestic

• Greek League^[35]

Winners (11)  :

1939,1940,1963,1968,1971,1978,1979,1989,1992,1993,1994

Runners-up (19):

1946,1958,1959,1960,1965,1967,1970,1975,1976,1981,1988,1990,1996,1997,1999,2002,2006,2007,2008

• Greek Cup^[36]

Winners (13)  :

1932,1939,1949,1950,1956,1964,1966,1978,1983,1996,1997,2000,2002

Runners-up (7) :

1948,1953,1979,1994,1995,2006,2009

• Greek League Cup^[37]

Winners (1)  : 1990

• Pre-1991 Mediterranean Games Cup

Winners (1)  : 1991

• Greek Super Cup^[37]

Winners (3)  : 1971,1989,1996

Runners-up (3) : 1992,1993,1994

Note: AEK Athens is the only Greek club that has won all domestic titles.

International

• UEFA Cup^[38]

Semi-Finalist (1): 1977

• UEFA Champions League^[39]

Quarter-Finalist (1): 1969

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup^[40][41]

Quarter-Finalist (2): 1997,1998

[edit] Europe

Longest campaigns

Season	Manager	Round	Notes
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
1968-69	Branko Stanković	Quarterfinal	eliminated by Spartak Trnava (1-2 in Trnava, 1-1 in Athens)
1978-79	Ferenc Puskás	Last 16	eliminated by Nottingham Forest (1-2 in Athens, 1-5 in West Bridgford)
1989-90	Dušan Bajević	Last 16	eliminated by Marseille (0-2 in Marseille, 1-1 in Athens)
1992-93	Dušan Bajević	Last 16	eliminated by PSV (1-0 in Athens, 0-3 in Eindhoven)
1994-95	Dušan Bajević	Last 16	finished fourth in a group with Ajax, Milan and Casino Salzburg
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1995-96	Dušan Bajević	Last 16	eliminated by Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-4 in Mönchengladbach, 0-1 in Athens)
1996-97	Petros Ravousis	Quarterfinal	eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain (0-0 in Paris, 0-3 in Athens)
1997-98	Dumitru Dumitriu	Quarterfinal	eliminated by Lokomotiv Moscow (0-0 in Athens, 1-2 in Moscow)
UEFA Cup
1976-77	František Fadrhonc	Semifinal	eliminated by Juventus (1-4 in Turin, 0-1 in Athens)
1991-92	Dušan Bajević	Last 16	eliminated by Torino (2-2 in Athens, 0-1 in Turin)
2000-01	Toni Savevski	Last 16	eliminated by Barcelona (0-1 in Athens, 0-5 in Barcelona)
2001-02	Fernando Santos	Last 16	eliminated by Internazionale (1-3 in Milan, 2-2 in Athens)
2002-03	Dušan Bajević	Last 16	eliminated by Málaga (0-0 in Málaga, 0-1 in Athens)

Notable games Season Match Score European Cup / UEFA Champions League 1968-69 AB - AEK Athens 0-2 1971-72 AEK Athens - Internazionale 3-2 1978-79 AEK Athens - Porto 6-1 1989-90 AEK Athens - Dynamo Dresden 5-3 1992-93 AEK Athens - PSV 1-0 1994-95 AEK Athens - Rangers 2-0 1994-95 Rangers - AEK Athens 0-1 2002-03 AEK Athens - Real Madrid 3-3 2002-03 Real Madrid - AEK Athens 2-2 2003-04 AEK Athens - Grasshopper 3-1 2006-07 AEK Athens - Milan 1-0 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1964-65 AEK Athens - Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 1996-97 Olimpija Ljubljana - AEK Athens 0-2 1997-98 AEK Athens - Sturm Graz 2-0 UEFA Cup 1976-77 AEK Athens - Dynamo Moscow 2-0 1976-77 AEK Athens - Derby County 2-0 1976-77 Derby County - AEK Athens 2-3 1976-77 AEK Athens - Red Star 2-0 1976-77 AEK Athens - Queens Park Rangers 3-0 1985-86 AEK Athens - Real Madrid 1-0 1991-92 AEK Athens - Spartak Moscow 2-1 1998-99 AEK Athens - Ferencvaros 4-0 2000-01 Bayer Leverkusen - AEK Athens 4-4 2000-01 AEK Athens - Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 2007-08 AEK Athens - Red Bull Salzburg 3-0

Biggest wins Season Match Score European Cup / UEFA Champions League 1968-69 AEK Athens - Jeunesse Esch 3-0 1978-79 AEK Athens - Porto 6-1 2006-07 AEK Athens - Hearts 3-0 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1996-97 AEK Athens - Olimpija Ljubljana 4-0 1997-98 AEK Athens - Dinaburg 5-0 UEFA Cup 1976-77 AEK Athens - Queens Park Rangers 3-0 1977-78 AEK Athens - ASA Târgu Mureş 3-0 1998-99 AEK Athens - Ferencváros 4-0 1999-00 AEK Athens - Torpedo Kutaisi 6-1 2000-01 AEK Athens - Herfølge 5-0 2001-02 AEK Athens - Grevenmacher 6-0 2002-03 AEK Athens - Maccabi Haifa 4-0 2002-03 Maccabi Haifa - AEK Athens 1-4 2007-08 AEK Athens - Red Bull Salzburg 3-0

[edit] Other notable records

• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have participated in the quarter-final round of all the major European competitions.
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have reached the semi-final round of the UEFA Cup (1976-77).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have participated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League without losing a single game (2002-03).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have advanced to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup in 3 consecutive seasons (2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have advanced to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 3 consecutive seasons (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have advanced to the last 16 of European Competitions in 4 consecutive seasons 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club to have participated in a European competition's quarter-final round in two consecutive seasons (1996-97, 1997-98).
• AEK Athens is the only Greek club that participates in European Competitions for 22 consecutive years (1988-2010), excluding the season 1990-91 when was punished by UEFA.
• AEK Athens is the first Greek club to have reached the quarter-final round of the Champions Cup (1968-69).
• AEK Athens is the first Greek club to have participated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (1994-95).

[edit] UEFA rankings

UEFA team ranking Rank Form Previous Country Team Points 72 75 Athletic Bilbao 29.753 73 69 Dinamo Bucureşti 29.415 74 83 AEK Athens 27.892 75 85 RC Strasbourg 27.490 76 77 Feyenoord 26.988

UEFA country ranking Rank Form Previous Country League Points 12 10 Clydesdale Bank Premier League 26.875 13 16 Axpo Super League 24.850 14 14 Super League Greece 23.915 15 13 Jupiler League 21.325 16 19 SAS Ligaen 20.650

Correct as of 29 August 2008

[edit] UEFA club competition record

Competition	App	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
UEFA Champions League	14	62	16	20	26	71	98
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	6	22	10	3	9	33	27
UEFA Cup	20	88	32	18	38	125	130
UEFA Super Cup	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Intercontinental Cup	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	40	172	58	41	73	229	255

As of 29 August 2008^[42]

[edit] Managerial history

This is a list of the last ten AEK Athens managers:

Name	Nat	From	To	Record							Honours
				P	W	D	L	F	A	%W
Giannis Pathiakakis		9 January 2000	24 January 2001	59	37	10	12	143	70	62.71	1 Greek Cup
Toni Savevski*		25 January 2001	15 June 2001	17	11	1	5	32	18	64.70	–
Fernando Santos		17 June 2001	9 May 2002	51	38	5	8	134	51	74.50	1 Greek Cup
Dušan Bajević		20 May 2002	25 January 2004	82	45	23	14	166	78	54.87	–
Ilie Dumitrescu		2 February 2004	25 May 2004	16	8	3	5	24	20	50.00	–
Fernando Santos		20 July 2004	13 May 2006	96	47	23	16	115	69	48.95	–
Llorenç Serra Ferrer		7 June 2006	12 February 2008	71	39	13	19	122	67	54.92	–
Nikos Kostenoglou		12 February 2008	14 May 2008	18	10	5	3	35	19	55.55	–
Giorgos Donis		14 May 2008	17 November 2008	10	3	6	1	13	12	30.00	–
Dušan Bajević		21 November 2008	Incumbent	32	17	11	4	45	25	53.13	–

Key

* Served as Caretaker-manager.
† Served as caretaker manager before being appointed permanently.

Only competitive matches are counted. Wins, losses and draws are results at the final whistle; the results of penalty shootouts are not counted.

As of 11 June 2009.

[edit] Notable former managers

Kostas Negrepontis Giannis Pathiakakis Tryfon Tzanetis Stan Anderson Dušan Bajević

Ljubiša Tumbaković Dragoslav Stepanović Oleg Blokhin Zlatko Čajkovski Jenő Csaknady

Ferenc Puskás Frantisek Fadrhonc Eugene Gerards Jacek Gmoch Fernando Santos

Helmut Senekowitsch Llorenç Serra Ferrer

[edit] Chairmen history

Konstantinos Spanoudis: 1924-32 Alexandros Strogilos: 1932-33 Konstantinos Sarifis: 1933-35 Konstantinos Theofanidis: 1935-37 Konstantinos Chrisopoulos: 1937-38 Vassilios Fridas: 1938-40 Emilios Ionas: 1945-49 Spiridon Skouras: 1949-50 Georgios Melas: 1950-52 Eleftherios Venizelos: 1952 Georgios Chrisafidis: 1952-57 Nikolaos Goumas: 1957-63 Alexandros Makridis: 1963-66 Georgios Toubalidis: 1966 Michail Trikoglou: 1966-67

Emmanuil Calitsounakis: 1967 Kosmas Kiriakidis: 1967-68 Ilias Georgopoulos: 1968-69 Georgios Chrisafidis: 1969-70 Kosmas Chatzicharalabous: 1970-73 Dimitrios Avramidis: 1973 Ioannis Theodorakopoulos: 1973-74 Loukas Barlos: 1974-81 Andreas Zafiropoulos: 1981-82 Michalis Arkadis: 1982-83 Eleftherios Panagidis: 1983-84 Andreas Zafiropoulos: 1984-88 Efstratios Gidopoulos: 1988-91 Konstantinos Generakis: 1991-92 Dimitrios Melissanidis: 1992-93

Ioannis Karras: 1993-1994 Dimitrios Melissanidis: 1994-95 Michalis Trochanas: 1995-97 Georgios Kiriopoulos: 1997 Alexis Kougias: 1997 Lakis Nikolaou: 1997-98 Konstantinos Generakis: 1998-99 Stefanos Mamatzis: 1999-00 Cornilios Sirchaouz: 2000-01 Filonas Antonopoulos: 2001 Charilaos Psomiadis: 2001-03 Ioannis Granitsas: 2003-04 Demis Nikolaidis: 2004-2008 Georgios Kintis: 2008-2009 Nikos Thanopoulos: 2009-

[edit] Notable former players

Giorgos Agorogiannis Alexandros Alexandris Christos Ardizoglou Ilias Atmatsidis Angelos Basinas Daniel Batista Vassilis Borbokis Nikos Christidis Giorgos Dedes Traianos Dellas Vasilis Dimitriadis Mimis Domazos Giorgos Donis Kostas Eleftherakis Lysandros Georgamlis Grigoris Georgatos Christos Itzoglou Giannis Kalitzakis Michalis Kapsis Giorgos Karafeskos Vaios Karagiannis Takis Karagiozopoulos Michalis Kasapis Charis Kopitsis Nikos Kostenoglou Christos Kostis

Kostas Katsouranis Vassilis Lakis Nikos Liberopoulos Stelios Manolas Dimitris Markos Kleanthis Maropoulos Thomas Mavros Antonis Minou Tasos Mitropoulos Dimitris Nalitzis Kostas Negrepontis Kostas Nestoridis Demis Nikolaidis Kostas Nikolaidis Lakis Nikolaou Takis Nikoloudis Theologis Papadopoulos Mimis Papaioannou Pavlos Papaioannou Andreas Papaemmanouil Sokratis Papastathopoulos Petros Ravousis Dimitris Saravakos Stelios Serafeidis Stelios Skevofilakas Andreas Stamatiadis

Lakis Stergioudas Stefanos Theodoridis Apostolos Toskas Vasilis Tsiartas Tryfon Tzanetis Michalis Vlachos Vangelis Vlachos Akis Zikos Theodoros Zagorakis Bruno Alves António Folha Rodolfo Arruabarrena Fernando Navas Paulo Assunção Emerson Júlio César Rivaldo Dušan Bajević Franjo Vladić Hristo Bonev Ilian Iliev Milen Petkov Walter Centeno Mauricio Wright Dragan Ćirić Ilija Ivić

Bruno Cirillo Stefano Sorrentino Anton Doboş Márton Esterházy Dániel Tőzsér Carlos Gamarra Arnar Grétarsson Temuri Ketsbaia Mohamed Kallon Frank Klopas Bledar Kola Michel Kreek Lefter Küçükandonyadis Henrik Nielsen Ioannis Okkas Giorgos Savvidis Mirosław Okoński Jim Patikas Trevor Ross Refik Šabanadžović Håkan Sandberg Toni Savevski Christopher Wreh Ifeanyi Udeze Oleh Venglinsky Milton Viera Walter Wagner

see also AEK Athens players

[edit] Notable stats

Most league appearances for the club Rank Name Nat Apps Active 1 Mimis Papaioannou 483 No 2 Stelios Manolas 451 No 3 Toni Savevski 356 No 4 Stelios Skevofilakas 293 No – Lakis Nikolaou 293 No 6 Thomas Mavros 277 No 7 Andreas Stamatiadis 269 No 8 Petros Ravousis 263 No 9 Christos Ardizoglou 261 No 10 Pavlos Papaioannou 255 No Most league goals for the club Rank Name Nat Goals Active 1 Mimis Papaioannou 233 No 2 Thomas Mavros 174 No 3 Kostas Nestoridis 140 No 4 Demis Nikolaidis 125 No 5 Kostas Nikolaidis 94 No 6 Vasilis Dimitriadis 81 No 7 Vasilis Tsiartas 80 No 8 Daniel Batista 67 No 9 Nikos Liberopoulos 65 Yes – Dušan Bajević 65 No

Greek league top scorer with the club Year Name Nat Goals Active 1960 Kostas Nestoridis 33 No 1961 Kostas Nestoridis 27 No 1962 Kostas Nestoridis 29 No 1963 Kostas Nestoridis 23 No 1964 Mimis Papaioannou 29 No 1966 Mimis Papaioannou 24 No 1976 Giorgos Dedes 15 No 1978 Thomas Mavros 22 No 1979 Thomas Mavros 31 No 1980 Dušan Bajević 25 No 1985 Thomas Mavros 27 No 1988 Henrik Nielsen 21 No 1992 Vasilis Dimitriadis 28 No 1993 Vasilis Dimitriadis 33 No 1994 Alekos Alexandris 24 No 1996 Vasilis Tsiartas 26 No 1999 Demis Nikolaidis 22 No 2007 Nikos Liberopoulos 18 Yes 2008 Ismael Blanco 19 Yes 2009 Ismael Blanco 14 Yes

Notes:

• Bold signals active players
• Correct as of 15 May 2008

Highest attendances

Opponent	Stadium	Date	Attendance
Panathinaikos	Athens Olympic Stadium	23 May 1986	74.473
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	9 February 1986	74.241
PAOK	Athens Olympic Stadium	29 June 1983	73.000
Milan	Athens Olympic Stadium	21 November 2006	65.000
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	7 November 2004	63.129
PAOK	Athens Olympic Stadium	2 September 1985	57.000
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	2 November 1986	56.000
Inter Milan	Athens Olympic Stadium	13 September 1986	55.196
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	1 February 2009	45.000
Panathinaikos	Athens Olympic Stadium	8 January 2005	45.000
Hearts	Athens Olympic Stadium	23 August 2006	43.000
Olympiacos	Athens Olympic Stadium	30 March 2008	42.000
Panathinaikos	Athens Olympic Stadium	2 March 2008	41.000
PAOK	Athens Olympic Stadium	10 April 2005	41.000
Real Madrid	Athens Olympic Stadium	23 September 1985	40.000
Anderlecht	Athens Olympic Stadium	26 September 2006	38.982
Asteras Tripolis	Athens Olympic Stadium	20 April 2008	37.996

[edit] Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period	Kit Manufacturer	Shirt Sponsor
1986–89	Zita	Ethniki Asfalistiki
1989–90	Diadora
1990–93		None
1993–95	Basic	Phoenix Asfaleies
1995–96	Kappa	Ethniki Asfalistiki
1996–98		Geniki Bank
1999		Firestone
1999-2000		Marfin
2000-01	Nike
2001-02		Alpha Digital
2002-04		Piraeus Bank
2004		TIM
2005-06	Adidas
2006-07		LG
2007-11	Puma

[edit] Club anthem

AEK's club anthem was composed and written by famous Greek singer Stelios Kazantzidis, and sung by AEK legend Mimis Papaioannou. AEK Club Anthem

Greek	Greek Transliteration	English Translation
First stanza
ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ Αναστενάζουν τα γκολπόστ και τα δοκάρια σπάζουν Της Ένωσης οι αετοί τα δίχτυα κοματιάζουν	AEK, AEK, AEK Anasthenazoun ta golpost ke ta dokaria spazoun Tis Enosis i aeti ta dihtia komatiazoun	AEK, AEK, AEK The goalposts sigh and the crossbars break The Union's eagles tear the nets
Chorus
Εμπρός της ΑΕΚ παλικάρια Σουτάρετε και σπάστε τα δοκάρια Τα δίχτυα σκίστε Τη δόξα κατακτήστε Νικήστε, νικήστε, νικήστε Τα δίχτυα σκίστε Τη δόξα κατακτήστε Νικήστε, νικήστε, νικήστε	Embros tis AEK palikaria Soutarete ke spaste ta dokaria Ta dihtia skiste Ti doxa kataktiste Nikiste, nikiste, nikiste Ta dihtia skiste Ti doxa kataktiste Nikiste, nikiste, nikiste	Go AEK's lads Shoot and break the crossbars Tear the nets Achieve glory Win, Win, Win Tear the nets Achieve glory Win, Win, Win
Second stanza
ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ Οι κυνηγοί σου κεραυνοί Βράχος η άμυνα σου Και της Ρεάλ το φόβητρο έγινε το όνομα σου	AEK, AEK, AEK I kinigi sou keravni Vrahos i amina sou Ke tis REAL to fovitro egine t'onoma sou	AEK, AEK, AEK Your attackers are lightning Your defence a rock And your name brings fear to Real
Chorus
ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ, ΑΕΚ	AEK, AEK, AEK	AEK, AEK, AEK
Chorus

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: AEK FC

• AEK FC (Official website)(Greek) (English)
• AEKSHOP (Official merchandise)
• AEK Fans Salamina Club (Unofficial)
• AEK FC News and Analysis (Unofficial)
• AEK Sports Club (Official website)
• Original21(Official fansite)
• AEK Internet Fan Club(Unofficial fansite)
• AEK Fans Club (Official fansite)
• AEK London Fans Club site
• AEK TV channel from Goal4Replay.net (English) (Greek)

AEK Athens F.C. v • d • e
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