AEK Athens F.C.

History

The early years (1924–1959)

The large Greek population of Constantinople, not unlike that of the other Ottoman urban centres, continued its athletic traditions in the form of numerous athletic clubs. Clubs such as Énosis Tatávlon (Ένωσις Ταταύλων) and Iraklís (Ηρακλής) from the Tatavla district, Mégas Aléxandros (Μέγας Αλέξανδρος) and Ermís (Ερμής) of Galata, and Olympiás (Ολυμπιάς) of Therapia existed to promote Hellenic athletic and cultural ideals. These were amongst a dozen Greek-backed clubs that dominated the sporting landscape of the city in the years preceding World War I. After the war, with the influx of mainly French and British soldiers to Constantinople, many of the city's clubs participated in regular competitions with teams formed by foreign troops. Taxim, Pera, and Tatavla became the scene of weekly competitions in not only football, but also athletics, cycling, boxing, and tennis.

Football in the city was dominated by Énosis Tatávlon and Ermís. Ermís, one of the most popular sports clubs, was formed in 1875 by the Greek community of Pera (Galata). Known as "Pera" since the mid-1880s, and "The Greek Football Team" when their football department was formed in 1914, they were forced to change its name to "Pera Sports Club", and then "Beyoğluspor Kulübü" in 1923. Many of its athletes, and those of most other sporting clubs, fled during the population exchanges at the end of the Greco-Turkish War, settling in Athens and Thessaloniki.

The founders of AEK – a group of Constantinopolitan refugees (among them former athletes from the Pera Sports Club and the other Constantinopolitan clubs) – met at the athletic shop "Lux" owned by Emilios Ionas and Konstantinos Dimopoulos on Veranzerou Street, in the centre of Athens, and created AEK. Their intention was to create a club that provided athletic and cultural diversions for the thousands of predominantly Constantinopolitan and Anatolian refugees who had settled in the new suburbs of Athens (including Nea Filadelfeia, Nea Ionia, Nea Chalkidona, Nea Smyrni).

The first AEK team was: Goalkeeper Kitsos; Defenders Ieremiadis and Asderis; Midfielders Kechagias, Paraskevas, Dimopoulos, and Karagiannidis; and Forwards Baltas, Milas, Ippiadis, and Georgiadis. AEK played their first match against Aias Athens on 23 November 1924, where they won by 2–0.

AEK's football team grew rapidly in popularity during the 1920s, eclipsing the already-established Athens-based refugee clubs (Panionios, Apollon Athens, etc.), thanks mainly to the large pool of immigrants that were drawn to the club, the significance of the name "Constantinople" for many refugees and Greeks, plus, in no small part, to the political connections and wealth of several of the club's board members. 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.

The early Alpha Ethniki years (1959–1974)

With Kostas Nestoridis scoring goals in the early 1960s (top goalscorer for 5 seasons in row, from 1958 to 1963), and the timely signing of attacker Mimis Papaioannou (the club's all-time top goalscorer and record appearance maker) in 1962, AEK went on to win the 1962–63 championship. Known affectionately as "Mimis" by the AEK supporters, Papaioannou scored twice in the 1963 playoff against Panathinaikos, leveling the score at 3–3 and giving AEK its first post-war championship on goal aggregate. Coached by Hungarian-German Jenő Csaknády, the championship team also consisted of Stelios Serafidis, Miltos Papapostolou, and Andreas Stamatiadis. Youngsters like Alekos Sofianidis, Stelios Skevofilakas, Giorgos Petridis, and Manolis Kanellopoulos played a significant role in the victorious 1963 campaign.

The club followed up with Cup victories in 1964 and 1966. With the return of Csaknády to the position of the manager in 1968 and the addition of prominent players like Kostas Nikolaidis, Giorgos Karafeskos, Panagiotis Ventouris, Fotis Balopoulos, Spyros Pomonis, Alekos Iordanou, Nikos Stathopoulos and Andreas Papaemmanouil, AEK easily won the 1967–68 championship.

In the 1968–69 season AEK, under Yugoslav manager Branko Stanković, became the first Greek football club to reach the quarter-finals of the European Champions Cup, but were eliminated by the Czechoslovak Spartak Trnava.

The addition of goalkeeper Stelios Konstantinidis and Apostolos Toskas reinforced the team, and allowed AEK to take their fifth championship title in 1971.

The Barlos ownership years (1974–1981)

Loukas Barlos, a successful industrialist, took over the presidency and financing of AEK in 1974, and with the help of manager František 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: Christos Ardizoglou, Giorgos Dedes, Giorgos Skrekis, the Germans Walter Wagner and Timo Zahnleiter, Dionysis Tsamis, Lakis Nikolaou, Petros Ravousis, Dušan Bajević, Takis Nikoloudis, Stefanos Theodoridis, Babis Intzoglou, Nikos Christidis, and Thomas Mavros.

Captained by Papaioannou in the 1976–1977 season, AEK reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup competition, the first Greek football club to do so. Beating Dynamo Moscow (Russia) 2–0, Derby County (England) 2–0 and 3–2, Red Star Belgrade (Yugoslavia) 2–0, and QPR (England) 3–0 and 7–6 on penalties, AEK were eventually eliminated by Gianni Agnelli's Juventus. Juventus went on to win their first European title.

It was during this period that AEK signed one of Greece's finest strikers, Thomas Mavros, the all-time top goalscorer in the Greek Championship. In the following years, he and Dušan Bajević formed a formidable attacking duo for AEK. Mavros was an integral part of the team that reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1976, but it was his devastating form (top goalscorer in 1978 and 1979 – 22 and 31 goals, respectively) that helped AEK to win the 1977–78 Championship-Cup double. The addition of former Panathinaikos stars Domazos and Eleftherakis to the AEK squad the following year saw the club cap off their most successful decade to date by winning the 1979 Championship.

Under the leadership of Loukas Barlos, the AEK 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 AEK's Academy, made their debut during this period: Stelios Manolas, Spyros Ikonomopoulos, Vangelis Vlachos, and Lysandros Georgamlis.

The post-Barlos sterile years (1981–1988)

After the departure of Loukas Barlos in the ownership of the club was taken over by sports goods businessman, Andreas Zafiropoulos. The club went on for two seasons without claiming any titles or distinctions. In the summer of 1982, Zafiropoulos stepped out of the presidency, which was handed over to the shipowner, Michalis Arkadis. With the Austrian manager Helmut Senekowitsch, who was hired in mid-season, AEK won the 1983 Cup, beating PAOK 2–0 in the newly built Athens Olympic Stadium. Thomas Mavros and Vangelis Vlachos were the goalscorers. After a destructive season under the presidency of the Cypriot travel agency owner, Lefteris Panagidis, Andreas Zafiropoulos returned at the position of the president in 1984. Despite the signing of players such as Håkan Sandberg, Nikos Pias, Theologis Papadopoulos, Makis Chatzis and Márton Esterházy the club finished third. With the magical triplet of Mavros-Sandberg-Esterházy in the team's offense and under the new manager Jacek Gmoch, AEK were able to defeat Real Madrid by 1–0 at home for the first round of the UEFA Cup. Nevertheless, they were eliminated by the Spanish club in the rematch and in the league they barely finished third, winning Iraklis in a play-off match. They following season was marked as one of the worst in the clubs history as the club finished seventh in the league with two managerial changes, in the faces of Ab Fafié and Nikos Alefantos. The latter spoke out against Mavros, considering him "finished" as a footballer, which led in the departure of Mavros, after 11 years in the club.

In the summer of 1987 Todor Veselinović was hired for the position of the manager while Giorgos Savvidis, Henrik Nielsen and Georgios Koutoulas arrived. AEK were in the title race, with their only contenders being AEL. The footballer of AEL, Georgi Tsingov, was tested positive in a doping test and the case was transferred to the courts becoming known as the "Tsingov case". There, AEL were initially punished with zeroing for the match, a two-point deduction and punishment of the player, which brought AEK to the top of the table. AEL appealed with their fans rallied, resulting in the alteration of the regulation overnight and the return of the points, which led in their eventual conquest of the championship. In the last match of the season at Nea Filadelfeia, the tension between the ultras and Zafiropoulos peaked, when the riot police invaded the ultra's stand, resulting in heated encounters. That led in Zafiropoulos stepping away from the presidency.

Golden Years (1988–1997)

In the summer of 1988, the new president Stratos Gidopoulos apointed the former player Dušan Bajević and with signings such as Mirosław Okoński and Antonis Minou built a well-worked team. AEK clinched the title after winning a crucial match 1–0 against Olympiacos at the Athens Olympic Stadium. Takis Karagiozopoulos scored the goal that gave AEK their first Championship after ten years. The following season with the addition of Daniel Batista AEK won also the Greek Super Cup of 1989, beating Panathinaikos on penalties after the match ended in a 1–1 draw and the League Cup winning Olympiacos by 3–2, in an institution that took place only once.

In 1991, AEK faced administrative problems which led Gidopoulos to resign and a temporary administration led by Kostas Generakis took charge. The new administration put the club's finances in order and at the same time proceeded with the transfers of Refik Šabanadžović, Vasilis Dimitriadis and Alexis Alexandris. AEK Stadium was renamed to "Nikos Goumas Stadium". Under Bajević, the team presented a solid performance and won the title, with Dimitriadis finishing as the top scorer of the league. After the season was over, Dimitris Melissanidis and Giannis Karras purchased the shares of Zafiropoulos. In the summer of 1992, the new owners of the club, helped the club recover financially and supported Bajević with siginings such as Zoran Slišković, Tasos Mitropoulos and Ilias Atmatsidis, while in December Vasilios Tsiartas and Charis Kopitsis also arrived. AEK won the title for the second consecutive season with a 1-point difference from Panathinaikos. Dimitriadis emerged again as the league's top scorer with 33 goals, winning the European Silver Shoe. In the following season, Bajević decided to make a renewal in the roster, signing the youngsters Vasilios Borbokis and Michalis Kasapis. AEK won the championship and with three successive championship wins, established themselves as one of the most successful periods in their history. Alexis Alexandris alongside Krzysztof Warzycha of Panathinaikos were the top scorers of the league.

In 1994–95, AEK became the first Greek football club to participate in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League after defeating Scottish champions, Rangers; AEK were eliminated by Ajax and AC Milan, who made it to the final. With Michalis Trochanas as president and Dušan Bajević as manager, the club won the Greek Cup in 1996.

Former player Petros Ravousis took over the position of the manager when Dušan Bajević left for Olympiacos at the end of 1996. By far AEK's most successful run with titles, the period also saw the club sign Temur Ketsbaia and several young, talented players like Demis Nikolaidis, Christos Kostis, Christos Maladenis and Akis Zikos. Nikolaidis, in particular, an AEK fan since childhood, declined more lucrative offers from Olympiacos and Panathinaikos to sign for his beloved club. During the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons, AEK progressed to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where they were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain and Lokomotiv Moscow. Ravousis led the team to its second Super Cup in 1996, and its eleventh Cup title in 1997, beating Panathinaikos in both finals.

ENIC ownership years (1997–2004)

Trochanas no longer being support financially the club, was looking for a buyer, sold his shares to the financially powerful, English multinational ENIC.

In 1999, ex-president Dimitris Melissanidis, took over the management of the club, organised a friendly match against Partizan in Belgrade, during the height of the NATO bombing of Serbia. As a gesture of compassion and solidarity towards the embattled Serbs, the AEK players and management staff defied the international embargo and traveled to Belgrade for the match. The game ended 1–1, when after 60 minutes thousands of Serbian football fans invaded the pitch to embrace the footballers.

AEK won its twelfth Cup title in 2000 under the manager Giannis Pathiakakis, defeating Ionikos 3–0 in the final. The club continued its consistency in the Championship of 2001–02, finishing second on goal difference behind Olympiacos, and beating Olympiacos in the Greek Cup final.

Dušan Bajević returned as manager in the summer of 2002, a move that sparked open hostility towards Bajević from a section of AEK supporters. A strong team, called Dream Team by the fans, was created with players like Kostas Katsouranis, Ilija Ivić, Dionysis Chiotis, Vasilios Borbokis, Grigoris Georgatos, Theodoros Zagorakis, Walter Centeno, Michalis Kapsis, Michel Kreek, Vasilios Lakis, Vasilios Tsiartas (who returned from Sevilla), Ioannis Okkas, Nikos Liberopoulos and Demis Nikolaidis.

Under Bajević, AEK progressed through the qualifying rounds in the 2002 UEFA Champions League by eliminating APOEL. Drawn in Group A with AS Roma, Real Madrid, and Racing Genk, AEK with good performances drew all their games and were knocked out of the competition. They continued to UEFA Cup, eliminating Maccabi Haifa (4–0, 4–1) before being knocked out by Málaga CF.

Off the pitch, the administration of Makis Psomiadis caused many problems for AEK, whose mismanagement put the club into debt. He was also accused of assaulting club captain, Demis Nikolaidis and other players with the assistance of his bodyguards.

After the altercation, and partly due to the club's growing financial problems, Nikolaidis left on a free transfer by mutual consent to Atlético Madrid. Unable to cope with the negativity from a large section of AEK fans, Bajević resigned in 2004 in the middle of a match against Iraklis.

The Demis Nikolaidis era (2004–2008)

In 2004, Demis Nikolaidis and other significant AEK followers formed a supporters' club Enosis 1924 (Union 1924) to motivate all AEK supporters into taking up the club's shares and governance. The project was not fully realised because, in the meantime, various businessmen decided to buy shares and invest money in the club. However, to this date, Enosis 1924's chairman is a member of the AEK Athens board. The same year, Nikos Goumas Stadium, AEK's home stadium for over 70 years, was demolished, large parts of it having been damaged by the 1999 Athens earthquake.

In 2004, on the back of strong AEK fan support, Nikolaidis, at the head of a consortium of businessmen, bought out the beleaguered club and became the new president. His primary task was to lead AEK out of its precarious financial position. The first success was an arrangement through the Greek judicial 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.

Securing the club's existence in the Alpha Ethniki, Nikolaidis then began a program to rebuild AEK to its former glory. He appointed experienced former player Ilija Ivić as technical director and brought back Fernando Santos as a manager. The AEK fans, emboldened by Nikolaidis' efforts, followed suit by buying season ticket packages in record numbers (over 17,000).

AEK recruited promising young players to strengthen a depleted team. Led by the experienced Katsouranis and Liberopoulos, and featuring Brazilian Júlio César, the club made it to the Greek Cup final for the seventh time in 13 years but finished second in the Championship, and in the process, secured a place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. For the 2006–07 season, former Real Betis manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer was appointed as manager after Fernando Santos' contract was not renewed.

By beating Hearts over both legs (2–1 in Scotland and 3–0 in Greece), AEK progressed to the group stage of the Champions League. The club obtained a total of 8 points, having beaten AC Milan 1–0, Lille 1–0, and managing two draws with Anderlecht (1–1 in Greece and 2–2 in Belgium). AEK finished second in the Greek Super League, qualifying again for the third round in the UEFA Champions League.

Financial struggle and relegation (2008–2013)

However, the series of disappointing results continued, bringing anger and insecure situations for everyone on the team. The first to be hit by this wave of disappointment and upset with the team council was manager Donis, who was asked to leave the team. On 21 November 2008, AEK hired Dušan Bajević as manager for third time. However, after a while, Takis Kanellopoulos left the club, as he sparked a rivalry with Bajević.

On 4 February 2009, Nikos Thanopoulos was elected as the 41st president of AEK FC. Bajević 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 was played on 2 May 2009, at Athens Olympic Stadium. AEK lost in the final 14–15 on penalties. AEK finished the regular season in fourth position, thus qualifying for the season's playoffs, in which they eventually finished second, just missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification.

In the summer transfer period of 2010, AEK, despite being low on budget, managed to reinforce its ranks with many notable players. Club idols Nikos Liberopoulos and Traianos Dellas signed the last one-year contracts of their careers, and many new and experienced players signed to AEK, the most notable of whom were Papa Bouba Diop, Cristian Nasuti, and Christos Patsatzoglou. AEK qualified for the 2010–11 Europa League group stage after defeating Dundee United 2–1 on aggregate.

On 7 October 2010, Manolo Jiménez agreed to a two-year deal and took over for Bajević.

On 30 April 2011, AEK won the Greek Cup for the 14th time, defeating 3–0 Atromitos at the final.

To compensate for the departures of Nacho Scocco, Papa Bouba Diop, Sebastián Saja, and Ismael Blanco in the summer of 2011, AEK signed the captain of Iceland Eiður Guðjohnsen, and Colombian international Fabián Vargas. Due to financial problems, on 25 June 2012, AEK legend Thomas Mavros took over the club's management and on 1 August 2012, became president in an effort to save the club from financial disaster. Many other former AEK players like Vasilios Tsiartas, Mimis Papaioannou, Kostas Nestoridis, Christos Kostis, Vangelis Vlachos, Christos Arvanitis, and Giorgos Karafeskos were hired to help the club return to its previous glory days. Due to bad results, on 30 September 2012, Vangelis Vlachos was fired and Ewald Lienen hired as manager. On 9 April 2013, Lienen was fired after disappointing results and AEK hired Traianos Dellas as manager with Vasilios Borbokis and Akis Zikos as assistants.

Rebirth and return to titles (2013–2018)

On 7 June 2013, during an AEK council, it was decided that AEK FC would become an amateur football club and would not participate in the Football League division for the 2013–14 season, preferring instead, to self-relegate and participate in the Football League 2 division and start from scratch. On the same day Dimitris Melissanidis, the former president of the club, became administrative leader of the club, under the supervision of Amateur AEK, with the aim of saving the club. Along with other notable AEK fans and old players, they went on to create the non-profit association Independent Union of Friends of AEK (Greek: Ανεξάρτητη Ένωση Φίλων ΑΕΚ; Anexártiti Énosi Fίlon AEK) which took the majority stake of the football club.

AEK began its revival by signing Traianos Dellas as their new manager. Dellas led AEK to first place in the third national division with a record of 23 wins, 3 draws, and only one defeat. The following year AEK participated in the 2014–15 Football League, finishing first and undefeated in the regular season standings. AEK successfully finished first in the playoffs and gained promotion back to the top tier, the Greek Super League. The club's biggest signing after returning to the Greek Super League was that of Argentinian star Diego Buonanotte, who only stayed at the club for a year.

On 20 October 2015, Traianos Dellas was forced to resign as a result of a dispute with the board, and a heavy 4–0 away loss to Olympiacos. Stelios Manolas was named interim manager and later Gus Poyet was appointed as new manager. On 19 April, Poyet was fired by AEK Athens after being accused by the board of revealing private club conversations. Stelios Manolas took charge as interim manager once again. Manolas managed to guide AEK to a 3rd-place finish in the league qualifying for the playoff round and also to their first piece of silverware since the 2010–11 season by lifting the Greek Cup, defeating Olympiacos in the final 2–1. With the postponement of the final on two separate occasions and the congested fixture list of the playoff round, AEK had to play a fixture every three days, which evidently took its toll on the players, but they finished third in the playoffs and qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League Third Qualifying Round. The first season back in the top flight was considered a success with a trophy and qualification for European football the following season, a return after a five-year hiatus.

The new season started with high expectations by AEK Athens fans as the club signed Dmytro Chyhrynskyi, Hugo Almeida and Joleon Lescott, announcing three of the biggest transfers in their history. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old English defender suffered a knee detached cartilage while cycling in his apartment. The injury ruled Lescott out for the remainder of the season. The player refused to get help from the team's doctors and insisted on completing his rehabilitation in the United Kingdom. The board did not agree to the player's wishes and additional demands, which resulted in his contract being terminated. This outcome led what it until then seemed to be a powerful defending duo to a midsummer night's nightmare. In addition, a 0–1 aggregate loss to AS Saint-Étienne in the Europa League qualifiers brought disappointment to fans' dreams of European participation. Nevertheless, AEK defeated Xanthi 4–1 in the first match of the season, raising hopes for domestic success. However, the decision was made to replace Temur Ketsbaia with José Morais; the decision was based on the team's stuttering start to the season, 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, and poor displays. José's arrival, however, did not improve the team's results or performances, winning only three of his fourteen matches as manager. On 19 January 2017, former manager Manolo Jiménez was appointed as manager for the second time following José's resignation. Upon his appointment he got the team from 7th place up to a 4th-place finish, and first place in the European Playoffs, claiming second place in the league overall and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round. Jiménez also guided the team to a second consecutive Greek Cup final where they faced PAOK in a controversial game marred by pre-match violence between the two sets of fans and a winning goal from an offside position.

Homecoming with new beginning (2022–2024)

Hoping to rebuild, AEK acquired the services of Vladan Milojević. However, his tenure ended early, with AEK Athens being disqualified on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina club, Velež Mostar in 2021–22 Europa Conference League second qualifying round. Barely making it to Christmas, Milojevic's head was turned by an offer from the Middle East, and AEK dismissed him. They hired the Greek manager Argiris Giannikis, who managed PAS Giannina successfully prior to his appointment. However, his time at AEK was short and once again, he was dismissed, with AEK B manager Sokratis Ofrydopoulos managing AEK through a turbulent play-off period and an exclusion from Europe. Matías Almeyda became AEK's new manager.

Ahead of the 2022–23 season and AEK's entry into Agia Sophia Stadium, AEK underwent another rebuild under the leadership of Matias Almeyda. Signed as manager towards the end of the 2021–22 season but only taking over in the 2022–23 pre-season, Almeyda played a significant part in AEK's 2022–23 success. Instilling a high-pressing, tireless, and attractive style of attacking football, he established AEK as the best team in Greece along with Panathinaikos, themselves under the leadership of Ivan Jovanovic. Despite initial losses, Almeyda gave AEK great derby victories and team cohesion. Overcoming Panathinaikos' early-season unbeaten run, being 8 points behind the league leaders, AEK were level on points with Panathinaikos in the playoff round. Notably, AEK defeated PAOK 2–0 at home, 1–0 away, Panathinaikos 1–0, Olympiacos 3–0 in the Greek Cup (reaching the final with PAOK), and 3–1 away. They also underwent a 14-game win-streak at their new stadium, the Agia Sofia or OPAP Arena stadium.

The newly built stadium is located in the place where the old Nikos Goumas Stadium was situated, at Nea Filadelfeia. The Agia Sophia Stadium, also known as OPAP Arena for sponsoring reasons, is a category 4 UEFA stadium and can host 32,500 spectators. The net construction cost is estimated around € 81,700,000. The administrative region of Attica funded the stadium with the amount of € 20,000,000. The stadium's opening ceremony took place on 30 September 2022. AEK Athens beat Ionikos 4–1 in the inaugural match on 3 October 2022, which was the sixth fixture of the 2022–23 Greek Super League.

In the summer transfer window of the 2022–23 season, AEK Athens announced the signing of two famous football players who played as opponents in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final in Russia. The first player was the Croatian center-back Domagoj Vida who previously played for Süper Lig side Beşiktaş, and the second player was the French right-back Djibril Sidibé, most recently of Ligue 1 club Monaco. The latter was the most valuable player to have ever arrived at the club with a market value of € 8,000,000, surpassing the previous record holder Juanfran by € 2,000,000. Sidibé is also the fifth World Cup winner to play in the Greek Super League, after Frenchman Christian Karembeu and Brazilian players Rivaldo, Gilberto Silva and Denilson.

The Marios Iliopoulos era (2024–present)

Following an ultimately disappointing season for AEK and a missed chance to win a second consecutive league title, major shareholder and owner Dimitris Melissanidis announced his departure from the club's ownership on June 10, 2024, selling his shares to Seajets owner, Marios Iliopoulos for a seeming €90 million. At his final interview, Melissanidis stated that he "had completed his part and brought AEK back to the top, with a new stadium, a competitive team in Greek and European football, and zero debt".

At an Iliopoulos presentation, he stated he wanted a competitive team that will dominate Greek football and become a significant European power, while also focusing on the one thing AEK was lacking in, their academies. On a question regarding an increase on the transfer budget and a change on the current transfer policy, he urged AEK fans to "put on their seatbelts slowly and enjoy it". Not long after, Iliopoulos sold Ezequiel Ponce for a club record €9,000,000, while signing players such as Roberto Pereyra, Erik Lamela and Thomas Strakosha with club record contract fees.

The season, however, started with an early elimination of AEK from the Conference Cup by FC Noah.

On 19 September 2024, the club announced ex Manchester United player, Anthony Martial, on a three-year deal. This is the club's highest valued player arrival, with an estimate of €10m. In October 2024 they announced the signing of Javier Ribalta as their new Executive Director.

In the 2024–25 Super League, AEK finished fourth resulting in the announcement of manager Matías Almeyda's departure after the end of the season.

In June 2025, AEK announced their new manager, Marko Nikolić. They proceeded in signings such as Filipe Relvas, Marko Grujić, Răzvan Marin, Luka Jović. Under Nikolić they managed to qualify in the League phase of the Conference League for their first time in their history. There, they finished at the third place of the standings and advanced to the round of 16. They achieved their greatest campaign in the institution by reaching its quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by the eventual finalists, Rayo Vallecano. A month later, in May 2026, AEK won the Championship, their 14th title and the first title of the Iliopoulos ownership.

Crest

In 1924, AEK adopted the image of a double-headed eagle (Δικέφαλος Αετός; Dikéfalos Aetós) as their emblem. Created by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the years following the Greco-Turkish War and subsequent population exchange, the emblem and colours (yellow and black) of AEK were chosen as a reminder of lost homelands; they represent the club's historical ties to Constantinople. The double-headed eagle is featured in the flag of the various entities of the Greek Orthodox Church, whose headquarters are in Constantinople, and served as Imperial emblem under the Palaiologos dynasty, which was the last one to rule the Byzantine Empire.

AEK's main emblem underwent numerous minor changes between 1924 and 1982. 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 1982 that an identifiable, copyrighted design was established as the club's official, and shirt badge. The emblem design was changed in 1989, again in 1993, and again in 2013 to the current design.

Anthem of AEK

AEK's club anthem, Embrós tis AEK Palikária (Advance AEK's Lads), was composed by Stelios Kazantzidis. The lyrics were written by Christos Kolokotronis. The most popular version of the anthem is sung by the former footballer, Mimis Papaioannou.

Kit and colours

The colours of yellow/gold and black were adopted due to AEK's connections with Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.

AEK have almost always worn predominantly gold or yellow shirts and black shorts. An exception was the unusual but popular Kappa kits of the 1990s, which featured a large two-headed eagle motif across the kit.

AEK's traditional away colours are all-black or all-white; on a few occasions, the club has worn a third kit of light blue, silver, dark red, or Tyrian purple (porphyra, a type of reddish purple), inspired by the use of the colour on the Byzantine war flag and by Byzantine imperial dynasties.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Since 1 June 2021, AEK's kit has been manufactured by Nike. Previous manufacturers have been Adidas (1974–75, 1977–83 and 2005–07), Zita Hellas (1983–89), Diadora (1989–93), Basic (1993–95), Kappa (1995–2000), Puma (1975–77 and 2007–15) and Capelli (2018–21).

Starting in 2015, the club's main shirt sponsors are OPAP, which also sponsored them in 2010–14. Previous shirt sponsors have been Citizen (1982–83), Nissan (1983–85), Ethniki Asfalistiki (1985–93 and 1995–96), Phoenix Asfaleies (1993–95), Geniki Bank (1996–98), Firestone (1999), Marfin Investment Group (1999–2001), Alpha Digital (2001–02), Piraeus Bank (2002–04), TIM (2004–06), LG (2006–08), Diners Club (2009–10), and Jeep (2014–15).

Main shirt sponsors for 2026 Pame Stoixima, Cosmote TV, Seajets, Nike, Piraeus Bank.

Financial information

Loukas Barlos, a successful bauxite Mine Owner, was also owner and president since 1974, and was in charge when Greek football turned professional in 1979. In 1981, due to health problems, he passed his shares to Andreas Zafiropoulos. In 1982 the business shipping magnate Michalis Arkadis became president, aiming to reinforce financial support, with Zafiropoulos holding the majority stake. In 1988, Zafiropoulos placed Stratos Gidopoulos in the presidency, and AEK managed to win their first championship in ten years.

On 17 June 1992, the club passed to new owners. The business shipping magnate and oil tycoon Dimitris Melissanidis, together with Giannis Karras, took the majority stake and continued the successful and champion seasons.

After an unsuccessful season, in 1995, they passed their shares to Michalis Trochanas, and with his turn a percentage to ENIC Group investment company. In 1999, NETMED, a Dutch media company, took over the management of the club. A crisis period followed with mismanagement and many changes in the presidency. In 2004, ex-AEK player Demis Nikolaidis made a plan to progress with the reorganization and financial consolidation, and together with other investors (such as Nicholas X. Notias, Gikas Goumas, Takis Kanellopoulos, a shareholder of Titan Cement, and others) took the majority stake.

The plan initially seemed to work, but the downfall continued. The team was relegated after the 2012–13 season for the first time in its history. In an effort to discharge the immense debt created by years of mismanagement, its directors chose for the team to compete in the third tier. On the same day Dimitris Melissanidis, the old president of the club, became the administrative leader of AEK, under the supervision of the amateur AEK Later, together with other notable AEK fans and old players, they created the non-profit association "Union Friends of AEK" (Enosi Filon AEK) which took the majority stake of the football club.

In March 2015, AEK FC became the first Greek company that is listed in the Elite programme of the London Stock Exchange, a pan-European programme for ambitious high-growth businesses that was launched in 2012 at Borsa Italiana and following its success was rolled out in the UK in 2014, and the first Greek football club quoted on a stock exchange. Raffaele Jerusalmi, executive director of the board of directors of LSEG, stated: "We are delighted to welcome AEK to the Elite programme". On 27 April 2015, AEK FC was selected for the honor of opening a session of the London Stock Exchange.

Stadium

Nikos Goumas Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Nea Filadelfeia ("New Philadelphia"), a northwestern suburb of Athens, Greece. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home stadium of AEK Athens. It was named after one-time club president, Nicholas Goumas, who contributed to its building and later upgrading. It served as AEK's home ground since 1930. The Nikos Goumas Stadium had severe damages from 1999's earthquake and in 2003 was demolished with the prospect to build a new stadium for AEK FC. Unfortunately, prolonged obstruction, legal issues, and tight deadlines caused multiple delays to the project.

In 2004 the club moved to the 70,000-capacity "Spyros Louis" (Athens Olympic Stadium) in Athens. The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens, also known as OAKA, is one of the most complete European athletic complexes.

It has hosted the 1991 Mediterranean Games, the 1997 World Championships in Athletics, the 1994 and 2007 UEFA Champions League Finals, as well as other important athletic and cultural events, the most significant of which remains the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Construction of an all-new purpose-built stadium initially began on 28 July 2017 in the site of the old Nikos Goumas stadium. It suffered from major delays due to the local authorities taking too long on confirming certain proposals concerning the stadium's road system. Construction was completed in 2022. The stadium has capacity of approximately 32,500 fans and features a unique underground road system that the teams use to enter the stadium.

Agia Sophia Stadium features The Museum of Refugee Hellenism of AEK Athens. It is open daily from Tuesday to Sunday (10:00-18.00).

The stadium's opening ceremony took place on 30 September 2022. AEK Athens won Ionikos 4–1 in their new stadium opening game on 3 October 2022, a game conducted for the sixth fixture of the 2022–23 Super League.

Training facility

Since December 2010, AEK has been using state-of-the-art facilities in an area of 144 acres in the Mazareko area in Spata. Previously owned by Nicholas X. Notias, it is the most expensive (with a total cost around €25m) and one of the biggest training centers in Greece. These facilities include two lawns with natural turf and one with plastic for the needs of the Academies (which was created in 2013 with a viewing platform for spectators) and all the necessary and well-equipped areas for the preparation of a team with modern instruments. A standard football studio, one of the most complete in Greece. The main building of the centre hosts the offices of the club, a press room, and the players' rooms. The training ground is used by the first team and youth teams. The Spata Training Centre includes state-of-the-art facilities, a fitness and health centre with weight-training and fitness rooms, a cryotherapy centre, and more. There are also plans for an AEK Museum, hotel, aquatic centre, and two more soccer fields. From 2013 on, AEK training centre services have been upgraded dramatically. The players of the teamwork daily in an environment with all the necessary infrastructure, while in the last few months, they have at their disposal in the basement of the building a treatment centre with the most modern means. Even the young athletes of the Academies work in facilities that very few Academies have in Greece. But the outlook is even more impressive. Since 2014, the official name of the ground is "OPAP Sports Centre". On 4 July 2018, the Sports Centre came to auction which was bought by Dimitrios Melissanidis for a price of €3.5m and then donated it to AEK. Alongside the Sports Centre, Melissanidis also bought 70 hectares for an extra €5.5m which were added to the wider area of the existing training center and there will be additional stadiums along with the necessary additional facilities for the preparation of the team and for the hospitality of the players.

Supporters, rivalries, and affiliations

Support

AEK Athens has a large fans' base across all over Greece and is one of the two most popular Greek clubs in relation to their fans' base. According to Sky Sports, AEK have around 30% of all Greek football fans. AEK's fan base in Greece is believed to be over 1 million with various types of research. AEK Athens traditional fanbase comes from the area of Athens, where the club is based.

AEK has a strong support of fans in Greek diaspora especially in Cyprus where the club has a large following with a recent fan poll having AEK as the most popular Greek-supported team in Cyprus, having about 35% of Cypriot football fans supporting the club. One of the main reasons for AEK's popularity in Cyprus, ahead of Olympiacos (the most popular Greek team in Greece), is due to the fact AEK are a refugees' club, and many Greek Cypriots were made refugees after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. AEK has also a strong following in Australia, the US, the UK, Germany and France. The most hardcore supporters of AEK are Original 21, which is the largest group fan organisation of the club and is known for its loyal and passionate support.

Supporters friendships

A so-called "triangle of brotherhood" has developed between the largest fan clubs of AEK (Original 21), Marseille (Ultras) and Livorno. The connection is mostly an ideological one. AEK's and St. Pauli's left-wing fans have a strong friendship, and their connection is also mostly for ideological reasons. There is an informal friendship and fraternization between the supporters of AEK and Fenerbahçe. In the 2017 Euroleague final, Fenerbahçe S.K. supporters displayed a banner that read "Same City's Sons" There is also a friendship and cooperation between AEK fans club of Piraeus and Chelsea fans club of Athens (including Chelsea supporters club of South Africa).

Rivalries

AEK Athens' biggest rivalries are with Panathinaikos and Olympiacos.

Against their city neighbours Panathinaikos, they contest the Athens local football derby. The rivalry started not only because of both competing for the major titles, but also because of the refugee ancestry of a big part of AEK fans and, by contrast, that Panathinaikos was considered in general the representative of the Athenian high-class society.

The rivalry with Piraeus based club Olympiacos stems from the rivalry between two of the most successful Greek football clubs. The rivalry was particularly inflamed after 1996, when AEK's former star player and then-manager Dušan Bajević moved to Olympiacos, and most recently after the controversial 2007–08 Super League which was awarded to Olympiacos.

Affiliated clubs

Atlético Morelia

BV Weckhoven

Honours

S Shared record

Doubles

Winners (3): 1938–39, 1977–78, 2022–23

European competitions

European Cup/UEFA Champions League

Quarter-finals (1): 1968–69

UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League

Semi-finals (1): 1976–77

UEFA Conference League

Quarter-finals (1): 2025–26

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Quarter-finals (2): 1996–97, 1997–98

Balkans Cup

Runners-up (1): 1966–67

Unofficial titles

S Shared record

Source: AEK Athens F.C.

European performance

Best seasons

Players

Current squad

As of 2 September 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Statistics and records

Super League top scorers

AEK has a tradition in strikers and goal-scoring players. 14 different teams' players, 24 times overall, have finished the season as the top scorer in the Super League.

Player records

Most club appearances: 593–Stelios Manolas

Most club goals: 299–Mimis Papaioannou

Manager records

Most club titles: 8–Dušan Bajević

Contribution to the Greece national team

AEK, through their history, have highlighted some of the greatest Greek players in the history of Greek football, who also contributed to the national team (Papaioannou, Nestoridis, Mavros, Tsiartas, Nikolaidis, etc.).

Five players of the club were part of the golden team of 2004 that won the UEFA Euro 2004:

UEFA Euro 2004 (6): Thodoris Zagorakis (player of the tournament), Vasilios Tsiartas, Michalis Kapsis, Kostas Katsouranis, Demis Nikolaidis and Vasilios Lakis.

A total of 113 players of AEK had played for the Greece national football team up to 7 June 2026.

Personnel

Ownership and current board

Source: AEK Athens F.C.

Executives

Source: AEK Athens F.C.

Source: AEK Athens F.C.

Coaching and medical staff

Coaching staff

Source: AEK Athens F.C.

Medical staff

Source: AEK Athens F.C.

Other staff

Source: AEK Athens F.C.

Notable managers

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.