History of AEK Athens F.C.

Konstantinos Spanoudis, first president of AEK

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Athens Championship: 3 (1925, 1927, 1929)

AEK's squad in 1924

AEK's team in 1925

In 1924, 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" of Emilios Ionas and Konstantinos Dimopoulos on Veranzerou Street, in the center of Athens and created AEK.[2] 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).

AEK's first game was a 1–1 friendly draw against Atromitos in October 1924. Their first official match was a 4–2 win against Goudi on 14 December 1924.

AEK's football team grew rapidly in popularity during the 1920s, eclipsing the already-established Athens-based refugee clubs (Panionios, Apollon Smyrnis), thanks mainly to the large pool of immigrants that were drawn to the club and due, 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 their 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, Konstantinos Spanoudis (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 Filadelfeia that was originally set aside for refugee housing was donated as a training ground for the refugees. AEK began using the ground for training (albeit unofficially) and by 1930 the property was signed over to the club.

In 1927 Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and AEK decided to break away from the Athens regional league after a dispute with the fledgling Hellenic Football Federation (EPO). They formed an alliance called P.O.K. (acronym for Podosfairikes Omades Kentrou or Panathinaikos Olympiacos Konstantinoupolis) and started organising friendly matches against each other and several continental European clubs. This also marked the start of the so-called Easter Cup. In 1928, though, the dispute ended and AEK, along with the other P.O.K. clubs, entered the HFF fold once again.

In 1928, Venizelos approved the plans to build what was to become the club's home ground for the next 70 years, the AEK Stadium.

Iliaskos, Dimopoulos, Negrepontis and Emmanouilidis.

Chatzistavridis, Tzanetis, Maropoulos and Christodoulou (1939–40)

Honours Won: Greek Cup: 2 (1931–32, 1938–39), Easter Cup: 1 (1938), Panhellenic Championship: 2 (1938–39, 1939–40), Athens Championship: 1 (1940)

Runner-up: Athens Championship: 5 (1930, 1931, 1937, 1938, 1939)

In 1930 the AEK Stadium was completed. The area where the stadium was located had been previously used as the training ground of the club. The first home game, in November 1930, was an exhibition match against Olympiacos that ended in a 2–2 draw.

In 1932, AEK won the inaugural Greek Cup, beating Aris 5–3 in the final. The goals for AEK were scored by Ilias Iliaskos, Nikos Baltas (twice), Oikonomou (O.G.) and Kostas Negrepontis, a veteran of the original Pera Club of Constantinople. This was also the first ever title won by the club.

In 1933, former star striker, Kostas Negrepontis took over the managerial guidance of AEK. He managed to build a formidable team which was led by Kleanthis Maropoulos and Tryfon Tzanetis, the best pair of forwards at the time and one of the best in Greek football's history. Other important players included Christos Ribas, Michalis Delavinias, Georgios Magiras and Spyros Sklavounos.

The club's success during the late 1930s was highlighted by the Panhellenic Championships in 1939 and 1940. The 2–1 win in the 1939 cup final, goals by Alekos Chatzistavridis and Vasilios Manettas, marked the first ever double (domestic Championship and Cup) in the history of Greek football.

Honours Won: Christmas Cup: 1 (1943) Easter Cup: 1 (1944)

Runner-up: —

The 1940–41 Panhellenic Championship was interrupted due to the Greco-Italian War. After the Battle of Greece (1941) and during the Axis occupation of Greece sporting events were scarce.

During the Greco-Italian War in a battle at Pogradec, AEK player K. Vavanis was badly injured by a mortar bomb that exploded in front of him. During the spring of 1942 Panathinaikos and AEK were to give a friendly match to raise money for a hospital but were asked to give part of the revenue to the occupation forces. Tasos Kritikos and Kleanthis Maropoulos, who served as captains of the two clubs, refused and the 15,000 spectators turned into one of the largest protests of the time. The game became known as the "Resistance Derby". In June 1944 AEK player Spyros Kontoulis was killed by the Nazi forces during his attempt to escape while being transported to Kaisariani in order to be executed for being part of the resistance.[3]

The 1942–43 Panhellenic Championship was an attempt to restart sporting activity but was not completed.

Honours Won: Athens Championship: 3 (1946, 1947, 1950), Christmas Cup: 1 (1947), Greek Cup: 2 (1949, 1950)

Runner-up: Panhellenic Championship: 1 (1946), Greek Cup: 1 (1948), Athens Championship: 2 (1951, 1952)

With English coach Jack Beby at the wheel, veteran players such as Maropoulos, Tzanetis, Delavinias and Magiras, along with new generation players such as Kostas Poulis, Goulios and Pavlos Emmanouilidis, AEK won the Greek Cup of 1949 and 1950, beating Panathinaikos by 2–1 and Aris by 4–0.

AEK won also the Athens regional championship of 1950, but the play–off games for the Panhellenic Championship were not played, due to many players being called up for a prolonged training camp for the national team.

Honours Won: Christmas Cup: 1 (1957), Greek Cup: 1 (1956), Easter Cup: 2 (1955, 1958)

Runner-up: Panhellenic Championship: 2 (1958, 1959), Greek Cup: 1 (1953), Athens Championship: 2 (1954, 1958)

The early 1950s saw the addition of the next generation of star footballers in Giannis Kanakis, Andreas Stamatiadis and Stelios Serafidis and along with Poulis and Emmanouilidis.

In 1955 AEK signed Kostas Nestoridis, a player who would become the greatest forward of his era. His former team Panionios did not consent with the transfer, so Nestoridis was forced to sit out for two seasons, due to the restraining law which applied at the time. In his first season at the club Nestoridis showing his class, finished as the top scorer of the league.

AEK won the Greek Cup title of 1956, this time beating Olympiacos by 2–1 in the final.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1960)

1959–60 season

In the first season of the newly formed Alpha Ethniki, AEK under Lukas Aurednik, were strengthened with Giannis Marditsis and Alekos Sofianidis, while Kostas Poulis left after 11 years. In the first matchday on 25 October, Giannis Kanakis became the scorer of the first goal of the institution in the 3rd minute against Ethnikos Piraeus. The end of the championship found AEK and Panathinaikos tied at the top and thus the champion was to be determined by a play-off match. In the match that took place on 31 July, despite taking the lead, AEK eventually lost, as the "greens" overturned the score and won by 2–1. Kostas Nestoridis won the top scorer award for the second time in a row.

1960–61 season, Part I

AEK continued this season with Tryfon Tzanetis in the technical leadership, who was officially hired in January. However, Aurednik remained in the club and alongside the former player, Christos Ribas, formed a coaching triumvirate. Spyros Pomonis was promoted from the academies, while Giannis Kanakis retired after 12 years of service. A series of incidents with the referees prevented AEK from claiming the league and in combination with some bad results, led in Aurednik stepping down as the manager of the club.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1960–61 season, Part II

The assumption of technical leadership by Tryfon Tzanetis for the fourth time did not change things up, as AEK finished at the 4th place. The roster was strengthened with the arrival of Stelios Skevofilakas. Kostas Nestoridis defended successfully his title as the top scorer of the league, for a third season in a row.

1961–62 season

AEK carried out the transfer of Panikos Krystallis, while Pavlos Emmanouilidis left. In January, Nikos Goumas completed the constructions on the Nea Filadelfeia Stadium, which was modernized with the reconstruction of its stands and by acquiring turf. The high competition with other teams, who proved to be more consistent, did not allow them to finish higher than the fourth place for a second season in a row. Kostas Nestoridis stood up again, claiming the top scorer award for a fourth time in a row.

Honours Won: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1963)

Runner-up: —

Serafidis

Marditsis

Papapostolou

Kanellopoulos

Sofianidis

Stamatiadis (c)

Tsachouridis

Petridis

Skevofilakas

Papaioannou

Nestoridis

Lineup against Panathinaikos (1963-06-23)

1962–63 season

Nikos Goumas in his effort to upgrade the club brought Jenő Csaknady. The Hungarian-German manager brought the iron disciplined model in the locker rooms, innovating training methods and new tactical systems. Mimis Papaioannou, Aleko Yordan, and the Syrian Ibrahim Mughrabi, the first foreign player to ever play for a Greek club, were among the arrivals. AEK finished at the top, tied with Panathinaikos and a championship play-off was set. Panathinaikos initially took the lead, the yellow-blacks made it 3–1, but the greens responded makng the final 3–3. Thus, by the regulation of the time AEK won the title due to a better a goal ratio.[4] As AEK won their first post-war league, Nestoridis emerged as the league's top scorer for the fifth time and the last of his career with 23 goals, making a record of consecutive wins of the award.[5]

Honours Won: Greek Cup: 1 (1964)

Runner-up: —

Heinrich Müller

1963–64 season

Petrakis

Papapostolou

Marditsis

Charalampidis

Theofanidis

Tasinos

Kanellopoulos

Skevofilakas

Papaioannou

Petridis

Nestoridis (c)

Lineup against Monaco (1963-09-18)

In 1963, the management of AEK removed Csaknády and Heinrich Müller was hired. Ibrahim Mughrabi and Panikos Krystallis departed and returned to their homelands. Kostas Papageorgiou and Giorgos Karafeskos were among the additions. AEK played for the first time in their history in the UEFA competitions, for the preliminary round of the European Cup, where they were eliminated by Monaco. AEK ended up finishing 3rd, but they won the cup, even though the final did not took place, since the other semi-finalists, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, were disqualified due to serious fan incidents of both clubs in the semi-final at Leoforos Alexandras Stadium.[6] After 5 consecutive wins of Kostas Nestoridis, the league's top scorer was Mimis Papaioannou, who with 29 goals kept the award within the club. In the end of the season Müller left the club due to financial differences with the renewal of his contract.

Serafidis

Yordan

Balopoulos

Kefalidis

Sofianidis

Stamatiadis (c)

Pomonis

Petridis

Skevofilakas

Papaioannou

Nestoridis

Lineup against Dinamo Zagreb (1964-09-09)

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1965)

Küçükandonyadis

1964–65 season

In the summer of 1964 Mirko Kokotović was hired. AEK proceeded in the transfers of Fotis Balopoulos, Giorgos Kefalidis, Lakis Fragoudakis and the Turkinsh legend of Greek descent, Lefter Küçükandonyadis. The departure of Giannis Marditsis stood out among others. AEK played for the first time in their history in the final stage of the Cup Winners' Cup against Dinamo Zagreb. Despite their elimination of the tournament, they managed to achieve their first European victory in the first leg. AEK fought for the league title until the final matchday, but eventually finished second. Kokotović was released after the end of the season.

Honours Won: Greek Cup: 1 (1966)

Runner-up: —

1965–66 season

In the summer of 1965, Tryfon Tzanetis in his fifth and final spell in the club, strengthened the roster with the great transfers such as Tasos Vasiliou, Kostas Nikolaidis and Panagiotis Ventouris, while Nikos Stathopoulos was promoted from the academies. On the other side, Miltos Papapostolou and Lefter Küçükandonyadis retired. In a friendly match between AEK and Real Madrid which ended 3–3,[7] Mimis Papaioannou had an impressive performance and the Spaniards made a huge offer for his acquisition. The club's refusal[8] embittered the player, who withdrew from the club's activities and turned to singing, performing with Stelios Kazantzidis.[9] Αt December, shortly before the derby with Panathinaikos, AEK offered a new contract to Papaioannou and the latter returned to the team.[10] Despite his absence, Papaioannou scored a goal and AEK won by 2–3.[11] In the same match of the second round, while the score was at 1–1, Panathinaikos scored from an offside position, the referee awarded the goal and as a result wild incidents occurred with the fans entering the field, which resulted in suspension of the match and its award to Panathinaikos.[12] As a protest, AEK were absent in the next match against Panserraikos,[13] but with the fear of relegation they were forced to return to the championship, eventually finishing 3rd. Mimis Papaioannou won the top scorer award for the second time in his career with 23 goals, succeeding Nestoridis in being the leader of the team and the best player of his era. In the cup, AEK qualified to the final against Olympiacos and the HFF set the match on 10 July, at the Karaiskakis Stadium, which brought reaction of Olympiacos, who announced their intention not to show up, due to the advanced date of the final. Thus, on 7 July the HFF, unable to convince Olympiacos to change their mind, declared AEK the cup winners.[14]

1966–67 season, Part I

After 11 seasons, the legendary Kostas Nestoridis left the club, as well as Giorgos Petridis, however AEK did not proceed in any particular transfer move, considering that the roster was sufficient from the previous seasons. AEK started the season with the European Cup Winners' Cup, playing against Braga, but they were eliminated with 2 defeats. After an away draw against Panserraikos at the 10th matchday, alarmed the management, who took the decision to remove Tzanetis from the bench.

Honours Won: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1968)

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1967), Balkans Cup: 1 (1967),

1966–67 season, Part II

Serafidis

Yordan

Vasiliou

Skevofilax

Sofianidis

Karafeskos

Balopoulos

Stamatiadis (c)

Nikolaidis

Papaioannou

Mastrakoulis

Lineup against Fenerbahçe (1967-10-11)

Jenő Csaknády returned after three and a half years.[15] The Hungarian-German made his mark from the beginning, with two wins in the first two games. While AEK were covering the distance for the title race, the government was overthrown and a military dictatorship was imposed on the country, resulting in the interruption of the championship. AEK were not affected by the interruption and continued in covering up the distance, but two draws in the final matchdays ended their chances of winning the championship, finishing second. They also competed in the Balkans Cup, finishing first in their group and qualified in the final against Fenerbahçe. In the first leg at Nea Filadelfeia, AEK won by 2–1, but in Istanbul, the Turks won by 1–0 and a third match was set. 7 months later, on 30 May 1968 at Mithat Paşa, AEK lost the opportunity to win an international trophy, as they lost with 3–1.

1967–68 season

Serafidis

Vasiliou

Fragoudakis

Balopoulos

Karafeskos

Sofianidis

Stamatiadis (c)

Pomonis

Ventouris

Skevofilax

Papaioannou

Lineup against Olympiacos (1967-12-03)

In the summer of 1967, Csaknády, evaluating the roster decided not to proceed in any particular transfer, as he considered that AEK were ready to claim the title. Indeed, AEK appeared complete in all their lines and seemed capable of defeating any opponent, as on 3 December crushed Olympiacos with 1–4. In the second round with a victory against the same opponent at home, they secured the title 8 matchdays before the end of the league.[16] Csaknády did not agree on staying in the club, becoming the only coach of AEK to win two championship titles in his two full seasons.[17][18]

Honours Won: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1971)

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1970)

1968–69 season

Branko Stanković

Konstantinidis

Vasiliou

Balopoulos

Kefalidis

Stathopoulos

Karafeskos

Stamatiadis
(c)

Skevofilax

Nikolaidis

Pomonis

Papaioannou

Lineup against Spartak Trnava (1969-03-12)

A transitional year for AEK, as after the departure of Csaknády, Branko Stanković was hired. Due to a lack of sufficient money, did not proceed in any big transfer moves, as they acquired a couple of young footballers from smaller clubs and promoted players from the academy, such as Giorgos Lavaridis. Under the Yugoslav, the team's model was based on tactics, technique, physical strength and discipline. The inability of the players to quickly adapt to the new model, resulted in a bad start in the league, but in time the team started to increase their performance. On 27 October they defeated Olympiacos by 2–3 with Papaioannou playing as goalkeeper from the 85th minute, due to the suspension of Serafidis.[19] AEK were consistently close in claiming the title, until the 22nd matchday when they were defeated at home by Olympiacos, which resulted in their downfall and their sixth-place finish. However, AEK made one of the most impressive European campaigns in the history of Greek football in the European Cup. Eliminating Jeunesse Esch in first round and AB in the second round, became the first Greek club to ever reach the quarter-finals of a European competition. There, AEK were drawn against Spartak Trnava and after their away defeat in the first leg they were eliminated with a 1–1 at home.

1969–70 season

Stanković proceeded in the renewal in their roster, that he planned since the previous season. Stefanos Theodoridis was promoted to the first team, while Apostolos Toskas and Andreas Papaemmanouil were acquired. At the same time Alekos Sofianidis, Aleko Yordan Andreas, Stamatiadis and Kostas Papageorgiou departed. The conquest of the second place in the league was considered a success, considering the radical changes in the squad and the strength of Panathinaikos at the time. In the cup, AEK were eliminated in the second round, by Panathinaikos at home, losing by 3–5 in the penalty shootout.

1970–71 season

Stanković completed the renewal of the roster creating a well-worked team. The club did not proceed in any particular transfer, while on the other side the experienced defenders Tasos Vasiliou, Fotis Balopoulos and Lakis Fragoudakis left the club for various reasons. AEK began their competitive obligations with the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, where they were eliminated in the first round by the newly formed Twente. Despite their elimination, AEK played spectacular football throughout the season and won the league, relatively early on in the season.

1971–72 season

Konstantinidis

Triantafyllou

Kefalidis

Theodoridis

Karafeskos

Lavaridis

Papaemmanouil

Pomonis

Ventouris

Papaioannou (c)

Psimogiannos

Lineup against Internazionale (1971-09-29)

The administrative disputes and the demands of the players that appeared within the club, resulted in the start of a declining period for AEK. However, that did not prevent AEK from presenting a competitive team. Lakis Nikolaou stood out among the transfers. AEK played in the European Cup and were eliminated from the first round by Internazionale, but they achieved a historic win at Nea Filadelfeia, with 3–2[20] In the league they finished third, while in the cup they experienced a surprise elimination in the round of 16 by Lamia.

1972–73 season, Part I

The declining course of AEK continued. Important players such as Petros Ravousis, Tasos Konstantinou, Lakis Stergioudas and Dionysis Tsamis were acquired. On the other hand, Stelios Serafidis retired after 19 years at the club, while Panagiotis Ventouris and Andreas Papaemmanouil also departed. In their first appearance in the UEFA Cup AEK were eliminated in the second round by Liverpool. In the cup they faced again a surprise elimination by Apollon Kalamarias at the round of 16. The elimination from the cup resulted in the removal of Stanković after five years in the club.

Overview

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1972–73 season, Part II

Billy Bingham was appointed as a replacement of Stanković. In a bad season for the club, the Irish coach did not succeed in making any significant contribution. In the end AEK finished 5th and Bingham was sacked after the season was over.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1973–74 season

As the combination of administrative changes and financial difficulties continued, the Stan Anderson was hired. Giorgos Sidiropoulos was acquired, while Stelios Konstantinidis, Kostas Nikolaidis and Spyros Pomonis left. In a disappointing season Anderson was sacked before the end of the season with the club closing the season with coach of the reserve team, Kostas Chatzimichail. AEK finished for the second consecutive year in the 5th place.

František Fadrhonc

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki: 2 (1975, 1976)

1974–75 season

Huge administrative changes occurred within the club in the summer of 1974, as Loukas Barlos, owner of bauxite factories, won the elections of the club and became their new president.[21] He started to build a new team, by hiring František Fadrhonc as coach.[22] The Czechoslovak brought a series of innovations to the club. On his part, Barlos brought great players such as Christos Ardizoglou[23] Georgios Dedes, Walter Wagner and Timo Zahnleiter.[24] Among the departures, were those of Giorgos Karafeskos and Nikos Stathopoulos. The newly reformed AEK played impressive football from their first season, finishing second in the league, having the best attack and defense, while they reached the quarter-finals of the cup.

1975–76 season

AEK continued their ascending course with the main focus point for Barlos was the acquisition of Thomas Mavros from Panionios. The president of AEK approached and convinced Mavros to join the club, but they came across the obstacle of Panionios. A legal dispute began, with Mavros staying out the stadiums for a season.[25] Giorgos Lavaridis was among the departures. Fadrhonc's work was becoming effective, creating a team that combined spectacle and results. AEK returned in the UEFA Cup, after two years of absence, reaching its second round, where they were merely eliminated by Inter Bratislava. In the league, AEK despite being undefeated for 23 matches, some defeats during the end of the season, resulted in finishing at the second place for a second season in a row. Georgios Dedes with 15 goals won the top scorer award.

1976–77 season

Stergioudas

Nikolaou

Ravousis

Intzoglou

Theodoridis

Tsamis

Tasos

Nikoloudis

Papaioannou (c)

Wagner

Mavros

Lineup against QPR (1977-03-02)

The team that Barlos envisioned with Fadrhonc was reaching its completion. As the legal dispute with Panionios ended and the transfer of Mavros was completed. Furthermore, they acquired Nikos Christidis, Takis Nikoloudis and Babis Intzoglou. Fadrhonc, considering the playing intelligence and high technical qualities of Mimis Papaioannou, decided to relocate him as an attacking midfielder, in order to fit all the great attackers of his roster. In the first round of the UEFA Cup they eliminated Dynamo Moscow, with a 2–0 win at home and a 2–1 defeat away after extra time. In the second round they faced Derby County, where they got a 2–0 win at home and at the Baseball Ground, got the qualifictation with a 2–3 win. With that victory, AEK became the first club in the history of the European tournaments to win in English ground.[26] In the third round AEK came across Red Star Belgrade and eliminated on away goals by winning 2–0 at home and losing by 3–1 away. In the quarter-finals AEK faced QPR and despite their 3–0 defeat in England, AEK managed to equale the score of the first match and sent the match to penalty shoot-out, where they won by 7–6. In the semi-finals AEK were drawn against Juventus, who eneded their European campaign by winning 4–1 and 0–1. The negative results that were occurred in matches that coincided near European games, costed AEK points and finished 4th, but at a distance of only 3 points from the top.

1977–78 season, Part I

Dušan Bajević

Barlos continued in strengthening the club's roster, bringing, Aris Damianidis, Milton Viera, Giannis Mousouris and Dušan Bajević. On the other hand, Giorgos Sidiropoulos, Timo Zahnleiter, Walter Wagner and Georgios Dedes among others left the club. The philosophical differences between Barlos and Fadrhonc regarding the future of AEK showed up, which resulted in the removal of the Czechoslovak after the away defeat against Olympiacos at the 2nd matchday.

Overview

Zlatko (Čik) Čajkovski

Honours Won: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1978), Greek Cup: 1 (1978)

Runner-up: —

1977–78 season, Part II

Christidis

Nikolaou

Ravousis

Mousouris

Intzoglou

Viera

Tasos

Nikoloudis

Papaioannou (c)

Bajević

Mavros

Lineup against Olympiacos (1978-05-17)

Fadrhonc's assistant, Andreas Stamatiadis sat on the bench for the next two games as an interim coach and from there Zlatko Čajkovski took over the fate of AEK. In the UEFA Cup, AEK after eliminating ASA Târgu Mureș in the first round, were eliminated in the second round by Standard Liège. After the recovery of the injured Bajević and his pairing with Mavros in the offense, AEK played impressive attacking football, achieving a total of 74 goals and they easily won the league with only 2 defeats. Thomas Mavros claimed the top scorer of the league award with 22 goals. In the cup, AEK seemed unstoppable, eliminating AO Chania in the first round, Panathinaikos in the second round, Panionios in the round of 16 and Panelefsiniakos in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, they crushed Olympiacos with a historic 6–1 at Nea Filadelfeia. In the final, AEK confirmed their superiority defeating PAOK by 2–0 and won the trophy, achieving the second domestic double in their history. Dušan Bajević emerged as the top scorer of the cup with 9 goals. Despite that being one of the most successful years in the history of the club, Čajkovski had already signed with Zürich for the next eason.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1978–79 season, Part I

Ferenc Puskás

Christidis

Nikolaou (c)

Ravousis

Mousouris

Intzoglou

Nikoloudis

Tasos

Ardizoglou

Domazos

Bajević

Mavros

Lineup against Porto (1978-09-13)

Barlos hoping that the club would continue their great course in both domestic and European competitions, did not proceed in any particular addition as the team was already full, with the promotions of Spyros Ikonomopoulos and Panagiotis Stylianopoulos, but most importantly the legend of Panathinaikos, Mimis Domazos. Thus, for one season, AEK had the two best Greek football players of their era, Papaioannou and Domazos. Barlos hired the legendary Ferenc Puskás as the coach of the team. In the championship, AEK started impressively and were ahead in the standings with Olympiacos being the only rival for the title. While AEK were scattering their opponents, there were many official complaints from the opponents of Olympiacos for attempts of bribery by the red and whites. AEK in the European Cup against were drawn against Porto for the first round and they achieved their greatest victory in the European Cup, scattering the Portuguese champions with 6–1, while in the rematch AEK took the lead, securing the qualification, but in the end lost by 4–1. In the second round they faced Nottingham Forest, who eliminated them with 2 wins. Towards the end of the season, AEK presented an decline in their performance and Barlos in fear of losing the championship, removed Puskás from the bench.

Honours Won: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1979)

Runner-up: Greek Cup: 1 (1979)

1978–79 season, Part II

Puskás' assistant, Andreas Stamatiadis took charge for the rest of the season. The end of the championship found AEK and Olympiacos, tied in the first place and a play-off match for the title was set. Olympiacos did not show up to the match and AEK were declared champion.[27] In the cup, AEK easily reached the final where they met Panionios and despite taking the lead early on, they lost the title with a 3–1 defeat in one of the biggest surprises in the history of the tournament.[28] Thomas Mavros was declared the top scorer of the league with 31 goals and 40 in total, winning the European Silver Shoe.[29]

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1979–80 season, Part I

In 1979 football in Greece became professional with the chairman, Loukas Barlos becoming the first owner of AEK. Realizing that it was impossible to compete financially with his rich rivals and having an aversion to the professionalization of sports, Barlos was preparing the ground for his departure. His last great offer to AEK was the construction of the first two-story podium in a Greek stadium, the so-called "Skepasti" (The Covered).[30] Transferwise, AEK mostly promoted players from their academies, such as Stelios Manolas, Lysandros Georgamlis and Vangelis Vlachos, while also acquiring Franjo Vladić. On the other hand, Apostolos Toskas, Milton Viera, and most importantly Mimis Papaioannou, left the club. In the position of the coach Hermann Stessl was hired. AEK were eliminated in the first round of the European Cup Argeș Pitești and after the incidents that followed in the locker room and the referees' room, AEK were punished with a one-year ban from the European competitions by UEFA.[31] AEK did not start the championship well and were left behind in the standings, while in the cup they were eliminated by PAOK at the round of 16. In the first winter transfer period in Greek football, AEK were weakened as Mimis Domazos Takis Nikoloudis and Dionysis Tsamis departed. A series of bad results brought the dismissal of Stessl from the bench.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki: 1 (1981)

1979–80 season, Part II

Miltos Papapostolou

Miltos Papapostolou took over the bench. The team returned to the successful results and assisted by the 25 goals of Bajević, who emerged as the league's top scorer, finished tied with Panathinaikos in the third place, two points behind the equal in the first place Olympiacos and Aris. Thus, play-off matches were set for both the first place for the championship and the third place for a ticket to the UEFA Cup. The play-off match between AEK and Panathinaikos was a strange match, as the exclusion of the yellow-blacks from the European competitions meant that no matter what the result of the game was, Panathinaikos would play in the UEFA Cup, but if AEK won would serve their sentence immediately. Even though from Panathinaikos' side seemed that they were against the conduction of the match, Barlos, showing a high sense of honor and having in mind the incident of Olympiacos not showing up in the last season's match, demanded the match to be held and thus the match took place normally with AEK losing by 1–0, finishing 4th in the league.[32]

1980–81 season

AEK entered the decade, essentially closing one of their most successful historical periods, since this season was the last year of Loukas Barlos ownership. AEK acquired Michalis Tzirakis, Kostas Eleftherakis and Manolis Kottis among others, as well as Petros Karavitis from the winter. Babis Intzoglou, Aris Damianidis and Tasos Konstantinou from the winter, were the most important departures. The club did not compete in the UEFA competitions, thus they competed in the Balkans Cup instead, where in the group stage, all three teams were on tied and Velež Mostar with a better goal ratio were qualified to the final. In the league, AEK finished in the second place, while in the cup, they were eliminated in the semi-finals by PAOK.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1981–82 season, Part I

After the departure of Loukas Barlos the ownership of the club was taken over by Andreas Zafiropoulos, a sport's goods businessman. The new administration proceeded with the renewal of the roster with the addition of Takis Karagiozopoulos, Giannis Dintsikos, Dinos Ballis and Hristo Bonev. Dušan Bajević, Franjo Vladić and Kostas Eleftherakis left. Hans Tilkowski took over at the team's bench. AEK made one of the worst starts in their history and Tilkowski was fired midseason.

Honours Won: –

Runner-up: —

1981–82 season, Part II

Zlatko Čajkovski, returned at the bench after 4 years. AEK recovered competitively, but not to an extent of claiming the league. In the cup, AEK faced PAOK at the round of 16 and were eliminated for a second consecutive year. AEK eventually finished at 4th place in the league and managed to secure a spot in the European competitions, after two-year absence.

1982–83 season, Part I

In the summer of 1982, Zafiropoulos stepped out of the presidency, which was handed over to the shipowner Michalis Arkadis. Takis Nikoloudis returned to AEK and transfers of Christos Arvanitis and Angel Kolev took place. Hristo Bonev, Petros Karavitis and Giannis Mousouris and left the club, while the Nikos Christidis and Lakis Nikolaou retired. AEK competed in the UEFA Cup, where they played against Köln in the first round and were eliminated with two defeats. As season progressed, the relations of Čajkovski with some players and the management, caused controversy in the face of the Yugoslav and after some bad results, he was fired.

Honours Won: Greek Cup: 1 (1983)

Runner-up: —

Arvanitis

Karagiozopoulos

Manolas

Georgamlis

Paraprastanitis

Ballis

Vlachos
(c)

Ardizoglou

Kottis

Dintsikos

Mavros

Lineup against PAOK (1983-06-29)

1982–83 season, Part II

After a brief spell by Kostas Nestoridis at the bench of the club, Helmut Senekowitsch was hired. The team finished in the 3rd place. AEK completed the season with the conquest of the cup, by defeating PAOK by 2–0 at the Olympic Stadium in the final that was marked by crowd incidents.[33]

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1983–84 season, Part I

In the summer of 1983, AEK faced another administrative change in their presidency, as Michalis Arkadis left, not having the financial means to cope with their obligations and the Cypriot travel agency owner, Lefteris Panagidis stepped in and replaced him. Panagidis who was admirer of the English football, hired John Barnwell as the coach. Trevor Ross, Tommy Langley, Pavlos Papaioannou, and Babis Akrivopoulos were acquired. On the other hand, Michalis Tzirakis left the club. After a bad start and an elimination from the Cup Winners' Cup's the first round by Újpest, Barnwell was fired.

Honours Won: –

Runner-up: —

1983–84 season, Part II

The British coach was succeeded by the return of Helmut Senekowitsch. Takis Nikoloudis and Angel Kolev left, while Trevor Ross and Tommy Langley, were released. Senekowitsch did not manage to change the bad performances of the team and was also fired after 2+1⁄2 months. Kostas Nestoridis completed the tragic season for AEK, who eventually finished 7th at the league, while at the cup were eliminated at the round of 16 by AEL.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1984–85 season, Part I

In the summer of 1984, Zafiropoulos returned to the presidency of the club. Petros Ravousis and Lakis Stergioudas, left the club. AEK were strengthened with the Håkan Sandberg, František Štambachr, Nikos Pias, Theologis Papadopoulos and Makis Chatzis. The coach was Václav Halama. AEK did not start well, while in the cup, they experienced one of the most shameful eliminations in their history at the hands of Lamia. Before the middle of the season, Zafiropoulos proceeded in replacing Halama.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1984–85 season, Part II

Antonis Georgiadis came in as a replacement for the Czech. In December, František Štambachr and Vangelis Paraprastanitis left the club, while Márton Esterházy arrived. Esterházy, alongside Mavros and Sandberg composed a magic attacking triplet. Eventually AEK finished at third place in the league, tied with Panathinaikos and 3 points from the top. Thomas Mavros finished once more as the league's top scorer, with 27 goals.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1985–86 season

Arvanitis

Georgamlis (c)

Manolas

Chatzis

Armodoros

Karagiozopoulos

Pias

Dintsikos

Papaioannou

Esterházy

Sandberg

Lineup against Real Madrid (1985-09-18)

Antonis Georgiadis left for Olympiacos and Jacek Gmoch was hired. Christos Ardizoglou left the club. In December, both Vangelis Vlachos and Lysandros Georgamlis left for Panathinaikos as they didn't agree with Zafiropoulos about their contract renewall, while Christos Arvanitis and Babis Akrivopoulos returned to Olympiacos and Veria, respectively. Summer arrivals included Polyvios Chatzopoulos, Ilias Armodoros and Georgios Christodoulou, while in the winter transfer period AEK were strengthened with the addition of Jim Patikas. AEK had to move to the Olympic Stadium due to construction works at the AEK Stadium. AEK achieved an average league ticket record in their history with 31,254 tickets per game. In the UEFA Cup, AEK were eliminated in the first round by the mighty Real Madrid, despite making a historic win 1–0 in Athens. In the league AEK started well, but their performances in the away matches resulted in many losses during the season. They finished at the third place, tied with Iraklis, 7 points from the first place. On 19 April, the general manager of AEK, Giannis Chrysovitsianos, was arrested for attempted bribery to some players of Panserraikos and the league standings were not secured, until the case was finalized. Eventually, that happened in mid-June, with AEK being punished with the deduction of 3 points, but from the next season's championship. Thus, the HFF decided to set a third place play-off match between AEK and Iraklis. Meanwhile, Gmoch left, with Nikos Christidis was on the bench for the game. Iraklis, not accepting the decision, showed up in order to make a parody of the match and by the 53rd minute were left with 6 players and thus the game was awarded with 2–0 to AEK, who secured a place in the next season's UEFA Cup.[34]

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1986–87 season, Part I

The crowd reactions towards Zafiropoulos became more intense, while financial problems began to appear in the club. Nevertheless, AEK proceeded with the transfers of Dimitris Pittas, Giorgos Peppes and Lampros Georgiadis, while in the winter they were also strengthened with Rajko Janjanin. At the same time, Márton Esterházy and Dinos Ballis departed. Zafiropoulos hired Ab Fafié for the position of the coach. In the UEFA Cup, AEK faced Internazionale and were eliminated with two defeats. The elimination from the cup at the hands of Panionios, combined with the bad results in the home matches, resulted in Fafié getting sacked in December.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1986–87 season, Part II

In a strange decision, Zafiropoulos hired Nikos Alefantos. AEK continued their instability in their performances and the fans were running out of patience. On 11 April, in the home game against Apollon Kalamarias, they found the opportunity to burst out against the coach and the president, when Alefantos provocatively subbed off Thomas Mavros, who had returned after a monthly injury, dissaproving the substitution. In the press conference of the match, Alefantos spoke out against Mavros, considering him "finished" as a footballer.[35] Those incidents combined with the tolerance of the administration, led in the departure of Mavros, after 11 years in the club. Shortly after, the bad results brought Alefantos to the exit door as well and AEK completed the season with Nikos Christidis as an interim coach. AEK did compete in the last 3 games of the league, due to a strike declared by the Footballers' Union[36] and were punished with a deduction of 6 points, which eventually did not affect the final standings, as they finished in the 7th place.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki (1988)

1987–88 season

In the summer of 1987, AEK returned to the Nea Filadelfeia Stadium without Thomas Mavros, as well as Håkan Sandberg. On the other hand, the club proceeded in some great additions, such as Giorgos Savvidis, Henrik Nielsen, Vasilios Vasilakos, Georgios Koutoulas and Christos Vasilopoulos. Todor Veselinović was hired for the position of the coach. AEK were in the title race, with their only contenders being AEL. After the victory of AEL over Panathinaikos, their footballer, Georgi Tsingov, was tested positive in a dopping test and the case was transferred to the courts becoming known as the "Tsingov case". In the cup, AEK reached the round of 16, facing Olympiacos. In the first match at Karaiskakis Stadium ended 1–1, while on the eve of the rematch, a scandal broke out, as the former player of AEK, Dinos Ballis visited the hotel where the team were located with a bouquet for Theologis Papadopoulos and created suspicions that he was trying to bribe him. In the match, Olympiacos won by 1–3, eliminating them from the cup and the story continued in courts. The Koskotas brothers of Olympiacos were accused of trying to bribe Papadopoulos and Vasilakos through Ballis, resulting in the punishment of only the latter for attempted bribery.[37] In the "Tsingov case", the court's decision was as the regulation predicted and AEL were punished with zeroing for the match, a 2-point deduction and punishment of the player, which brought AEK to the first place of the table. AEL appealed with their fans rallied, pressuring the government by blocking the highway, resulting in the alteration of the regulation "overnight", which meant the return of the points to AEL and their eventual conquest of the championship.[38] In the last game of the season at Nea Filadelfeia, the tension between the ultras of the club and Andreas Zafiropoulos peaked, when the riot police invaded the ultra's stand which resulted in heated encounters. Those incidents led in Zafiropoulos stepping out of the presidency of the club permanently.[39] Henrik Nielsen with 21 goals finished the season as the league's top scorer.

Honours Won: Alpha Ethniki: 4 (1989, 1992, 1993, 1994), Greek Super Cup: 1 (1989), Greek League Cup: 1 (1990), Greek Cup: 1 (1996)

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki: 2 (1990, 1996), Greek Super Cup: 3 (1992, 1993, 1994), Greek Cup: 2 (1994, 1995)

1988–89 season

Ikonomopoulos

Peppes

Manolas

Vasilopoulos

Chatzis

Papaioannou

Stamatis

Savevski

Savvidis (c)

Christodoulou

Okoński

Lineup against Olympiacos (1989-05-07)

In the summer of 1988, Andreas Zafiropoulos handed over the presidency of AEK to the nightclub owner, Stratos Gidopoulos. Dušan Bajević returned after years, as their new coach. Gidopoulos, supported the Yugoslav to build a well-worked team with the transfers of Mirosław Okoński, Antonis Minou and Frank Klopas. After the last season's "Ballis-Papadopoulos" case, Theologis Papadopoulos and Vasilios Vasilakos were released Rajko Janjanin retired, while Nikos Pias and Panagiotis Stylianopoulos left. Despite their good performances and having the best defense in the league, AEK seemed to be an outsider for winning the title, to their financially stronger rivals. The team competed in the UEFA Cup, where they played in the first round against Athletic Bilbao and even though they won by 1–0 at home, they were eliminated with a 2–0 defeat in the rematch. In the cup, AEK were eliminated in the second round by Levadiakos. Changes in the roster also applied in December, with the arrivals of Stavros Stamatis and Toni Savevski, while Polyvios Chatzopoulos and Henrik Nielsen departed. The most crucial match of the season was the away game against Olympiacos for the penultimate matchday, which was a decider for the title. On 7 May, at the Olympic Stadium, Olympiacos started by pressing hard, but the defense of AEK stood up well and at the 83rd minute, in a counterattack of AEK, Karagiozopoulos made the "1-2" with Okonski and scored the "golden" goal, which gave AEK the title victory with 0–1.[40]

1989–90 season

AEK playing against PAOK in Toumba Stadium (1989-09-17)

Ikonomopoulos

Peppes

Manolas

Chatzis

Koutoulas

Papaioannou

Savevski

Savvidis (c)

Patikas

Okoński

Batista

Lineup against Dynamo Dresden (1989-09-27)

Having won the last year's championship and with the addition of Daniel Batista in their roster, AEK started the season with great optimism. Dimitris Pittas left the club and Giannis Dintsikos had to abandon football due to health issues. AEK started well, by winning the Super Cup against Panathinaikos on penalties, while in the European Cup played against Dynamo Dresden where, despite the defeat in Germany by 1–0, with an excellent performance in the rematch, they prevailed with 5–3 and advanced to the second round. There, they faced Marseille and the first match in France, AEK lost 2–0, while in the rematch that ended 1–1 the French reported an attack on their bus, with UEFA eventually punishing AEK with one-year ban from all European competitions.[41] In the cup, they got knocked-out for the second consecutive season of shock-elimination in the round of 32, by Ionikos. The team played good football throughout the season and had the best defense in the league for a second consecutive year, but in the end they finished in the second place. AEK completed their competitive obligations with the conquest of the League Cup against Olympiacos on 2 June, in an event that took place only this season.[42]

1990–91 season

AEK faced administrative problems and most of the season was part of the transitional period, as the ownership of Zafiropoulos was coming to its end. AEK maintained their core roster with their main addition being that of Vaios Karagiannis. The team did not compete in any European competition, due to the last season's ban. In a season that was quickly forgotten, AEK finished 3rd, with the only positive element being the time credit that was given to Bajević, to re-build the team for the oncoming seasons. The problems that the club was facing during the season resulted in a temporary administration led by Kostas Generakis, who was chosen by the Court of First Instance.

1991–92 season

The new management of the club put the clubs finances of in order and at the same time proceeded in great transfers with Refik Šabanadžović, Vasilis Dimitriadis and Alexis Alexandris coming in the club. However, Mirosław Okoński and Georgios Christodoulou were among the departures. On 7 September, "AEK Stadium" was renamed into "Nikos Goumas Stadium", after the former president of the club, who had a significant contribution to its construction.[43] Bajević created a very good team which stared at the league almost from the beginning. In the UEFA Cup, they easily eliminated Vllaznia Shkodër in the first round and passed obstacle of the Spartak Moscow in the second round, while in the third round they faced the Torino and after two difficult matches, were eliminated. In the cup, AEK reached the semi-finals, facing PAOK and despite their 2–0 win in Athens, they were eliminated at extra time with a 3–0 loss at Thessaloniki. In the end, they presented a solid substance in their game and won the title, with a difference of 3 points from the second. The top scorer of the league was Vasilis Dimitriadis with 28 goals. On 27 May Kostas Generakis resigned from the presidency and the businessmen, Dimitris Melissanidis and Giannis Karras expressed interest in the purchase of the shares of Zafiropoulos. On 17 June the purchase was completed with Melissanidis taking over as president and Karras as managing director.[44]

1992–93 season

Minou

Koutoulas

Stamatis

Vasilopoulos (c)

Karagiannis

Papaioannou

Šabanadžović

Savevski

Alexandris

Slišković

Dimitriadis

Lineup against PSV Eindhoven (1992-10-21)

In the summer of 1992, the new owners of the club, Melssanidis-Karras, started their tenure by helping the club recover financially and by supporting Bajević. However, their term began with difficulties since Daniel Batista had already signed for Olympiacos, while the Giorgos Savvidis, Makis Chatzis, Giorgos Peppes and Jim Patikas also departed. On the other hand, they made some useful transfers with Zoran Slišković, Giorgos Agorogiannis, Tasos Mitropoulos, Manolis Papadopoulos and Ilias Atmatsidis, while in December Vasilios Tsiartas and Charis Kopitsis also joined the team. Bajević again displayed a well-worked team that played impressive football and claimed the championship from the beginning. In the first round of the newlly-formed, UEFA Champions League, AEK faced APOEL and after the 1–1 at Nea Filadelfeia, they hardly managed to qualify on away goals after the 2–2 at Nicosia. AEK's next opponent was PSV Eindhoven and despite winning by 1–0 at home, they were eliminated by losing 3–0 in the rematch. AEK winning all ther home matches and being on the top of the standings for 32 out of the 34 matchdays of the championship, won the title for the second consecutive season with a 1-point difference from Panathinaikos. Vasilis Dimitriadis was the top scorer of AEK and of the league with 33 goals in 34 matches, winning the European Silver Shoe.[45]

1993–94 season

The administration of Karras-Melissanidis, in collaboration with the Bajević, decided to make a small renewal in the roster, despite winiing the championship of the previous season, with the older Antonis Minou, Christos Vasilopoulos, Takis Karagiozopoulos, Pavlos Papaioannou and Lampros Georgiadis leaving the club and the younger Michalis Kasapis, Vasilios Borbokis, Michalis Vlachos and Pantelis Konstantinidis coming in. Bajević presented for yet another year a very strong team that didn't have any problem in claiming another league title winning their main rivals, Panathinaikos, in both rounds. In the first round of the UEFA Champions League, AEK played against Monaco and were eliminated with a defeat at Stade Louis II and a draw at Nikos Goumas Stadium. In the cup, AEK reached the final of the against Panathinaikos in one of the best cup finals at the Olympic Stadium, the greens took the a 2-goal lead, but the yellow-blacks equalized, sending the match to extra time. There, they made it 2–3, but in the final minutes Panathinaikos equalized and the match went to penalty shooy-out, where the greens won with 4–2. Eventually, AEK won the championship easilier than the previous season and with three successive championship wins, established themselves as one of the most important in Greek football. The top scorer of the team was Alexis Alexandris, who alongside Krzysztof Warzycha were the top scorers of the league with 24 goals.

1994–95 season

Atmatsidis

Manolas (c)

Papadopoulos

Vlachos

Agorogiannis

Kasapis

Šabanadžović

Savevski

Tsiartas

Saravakos

Kostis

Lineup against Rangers (1994-08-24)

AEK, having won three consecutive championships, decided to make a transfer excess, in order to achieve a great course in the Champions League. Therefore, Christos Kostis, Dimitris Saravakos, Temur Ketsbaia and Nikos Kostenoglou, stood out among the arrivals. Furthermore, Dionysis Chiotis was promoted from the academies of the club. The last season's top scorer, Alexis Alexandris did not renew his contract and joined Olympiacos, while Tasos Mitropoulos, Frank Klopas and Zoran Slišković also departed from the club. The season did not start well for the team, as they were defeated in the Super Cup at the hands of Panathinakos.[46] AEK became the first Greek football club that participated in the newly formed group stage of the Champions League, after eliminating Rangers with wins at both legs. There, they were eliminated finishing third behind Ajax and Milan, who both made it to the final, but above Casino Salzburg.[47] Despite AEK having a good team, were not able to bear the weight of the consecutive games both in Greece and Europe and were left behind in the league race and eventually finished 5th. Since AEK were out of the league race early on, they placed great focus on the cup, where they reached the final facing Panathinaikos at the Olympic Stadium on April 19, for the second consecutive season. With Saravakos missing a penalty early on, the match ended 0–0 and was led in extra time, where at the 115th minute, the greens earned a questionable penalty which was scored by Warzycha and gave the trophy to Panathinaikos. The duo of Melissanidis-Karras sold their shares to the businessman, Michalis Trochanas.[48]

1995–96 season

Atmatsidis

Manolas (c)

Vlachos

Kostenoglou

Borbokis

Kasapis

Šabanadžović

Savevski

Ketsbaia

Tsiartas

Batista

Lineup against Apollon (1996-05-15)

Τhe new major shareholder and president of the team, Michalis Trochanas in collaboration with Bajević, maintained the roster and strengthened it with the return of Daniel Batista and the transfer of Christos Maladenis. Among the departures were those of Manolis Papadopoulos and Giorgos Agorogiannis in the summer and Stavros Stamatis in the winter. In the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, AEK after defeating Sion in the first round, they were eliminated by Borussia Mönchengladbach afterwards. AEK had a quality roster and played spectacular football, but finished second, behind Panathinaikos, which was much less impressive, but proved to be more substantial. During the season, the team lost much of their concentration, as Bajević was reported that would not renew his contract and had agreed to join Olympiacos on the following season. Vasilios Tsiartas emerged as the league's top scorer with 26 goals. In the cup AEK left no room for doubt, after qualifying as first in their group, eliminating both their rivals, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respcetivelly. In the final against Apollon Athens, AEK scored a record of 7 goals and won the trophy with 7–1, despite the dismissal of Batista in the second half.

Overview

Honours Won: Greek Super Cup (1996), Greek Cup (1997)

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki (1997)

1996–97 season

Atmatsidis

Manolas (c)

Kostenoglou

Borbokis

Kasapis

Machairidis

Ketsbaia

Savevski

Nikolaidis

Kostis

Batista

Lineup against Panathinaikos (1997-04-16)

Anton Doboș

In the summer of 1996, Bajević left AEK after 8 years, joining Olympiacos and Trochanas anointed his assistant and former player of the club, Petros Ravousis, as his successor. At the same time, Vasilios Tsiartas was sold to Sevilla, the contract of Refik Šabanadžović was expired and followed Bajević to Olympiacos, Dimitris Saravakos left and Spyros Ikonomopoulos retired after 19 years at the club. On the other hand, AEK acquired Demis Nikolaidis, Anton Doboș, Triantafyllos Macheridis and Marcelo Veridiano. On 17 August, AEK played for the Super Cup against Panathinaikos and won at 9–8 at the penalty shoot-out. The team played spectacular football had the best attack in the league again, but finished in second place behind the team of their former coach. In the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, AEK eliminated Chemlon Humenné in the first round, Olimpija Ljubljana in the second round and were eliminated in the third round by Paris Saint Germain. In the cup, AEK advanced to the final for the fourth season in a row against Panathinaikos at Karaiskakis Stadium. In a nervous game which ended goaless and went to penalties, AEK won with 5–3 and got the trophy.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1997–98 season

In the summer of 1997, Trochanas no longer being support financially the club, was looking for a buyer, placing in the presidency the lawer, Alexis Kougias. Dumitru Dumitriu was hired in the position of the coach. AEK lost 2 important players with Temur Ketsbaia and Vasilios Borbokis, leaving for England. On the other hand, Giannis Kalitzakis, Arnar Grétarsson and Chrysostomos Michailidis were transferred to the club. The team started the championship well and eventually Trochanas sold his shares to the financially powerful, English multinational ENIC.[49] The former player of AEK, Lakis Nikolaou took over as president, contract renewals were made and in January they were strengthened with the internationals Giorgos Donis and Kelvin Sebwe. Among the departures were that of Michalis Vlachos. In the cup, AEK passed through the first two rounds without a match and in the round of 32 were drawn against Skoda Xanthi from which were eliminated with 2 defeats. In the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup AEK came against Dinaburg, which eliminated with 2 victories. Their next opponent were Sturm Graz. The 2–0 win of the first leg in Athens was marked by the serious injury of Christos Kostis[50] and despite losing in the rematch by 1–0, they were qualified to the quarter-finals. There, AEK faced Lokomotiv Moscow and after the 0–0 in the first leg, AEK had a qualification score with 1–1 in the second leg missing a huge chance with Nikolaidis at the 90th minute, with the Russians scoring in the last minute of the match, leaving them out of the tournament. Despite being the winter champions, AEK were affected by injuries and eventually finished third. Towards the end of the season, Dumitriu was fired, having problems with the new administration and Antonis Minou taking his place as an interim to close the season. After the end of the season, Stelios Manolas retired after 19 years.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1998–99 season, Part I

Dragoslav Stepanović

The management of Nikolaou hired for the position of the coach Dragoslav Stepanović. In the transfers of the season, those of Vasilios Lakis, Akis Zikos and Dimitris Markos stood out. With the retirement of the club's long-time captain, Stelions Manolas, Georgios Koutoulas, Christos Kostis and Marcelo Veridiano also departed. In the UEFA Cup AEK were drawn against Ferencváros for the second qualifying round and after a 4–2 defeat at the Stadion Albert Flórián, the yellow-blacks got the qualification in the rematch at Nea Filadelfeia Stadium winning by 4–0. The first round of the UEFA Cup brought AEK facing Vitesse and at the GelreDome faced a 3–0 defeat. In the rematch in Athens all AEK could do was to avoid a second defeat with a 3–3 draw and were eliminated from the institution. Stepanović started well, but his presence at the bench was not convincing and he was sacked after the 7th matchday.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki (1999)

1998–99 season, Part II

Oleg Blokhin

Former player Takis Karagiozopoulos took over as caretaker coach for a while and then Oleg Blokhin was hired. At the same time the ex-president, Dimitris Melissanidis took over the management of the club. AEK built a decent team, while in January they were strengthened with the loans of Christopher Wreh and Alberto Méndez being the most important additions. In April, by the initiative of Melissanidis, a friendly match was organised against Partizan in Belgrade, during the height of the NATO bombing of Serbia.[51][52] The players of both teams entered the stadium together, holding a banner that read "NATO stop the war, stop the bombing", with the game ending 1–1 at the 68th minute, when thousands of Serbian fans invaded the pitch to embrace the footballers.[53][54] In the end of the season, AEK could not claim the championship from Olympiacos, but they managed to beat Panathinaikos the race to the second place that led to the next season's Champions League qualifiers. The league's top scorer was Demis Nikolaidis with 22 goals.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

1999–2000 season, Part I

Milen Petkov

Melissanidis who had taken over the management, addressed the Serbian market searching the next "Dušan Bajević". The coach Ljubiša Tumbaković arrived at AEK and brought with him Vladimir Matijašević, Gordan Petrić and Nenad Bjeković, while the club proceeded in the loan of Dragan Ćirić. Traianos Dellas and Sotiris Konstantinidis were also acquired and at the same time, Anton Doboș, Branco Milovanović, Triantafyllos Macheridis, Kevin Sebwe and most importantly, Daniel Batista left the club. At the beginning of September a big earthquake took place in Parnitha and damaged part of Nikos Goumas Stadium, which was deemed unsuitable and thus AEK were forced to play most of their home mathces at Nea Smyrni Stadium.[55] In the Champions League, AEK were drawn against AIK. The first leg at home ended in a 0–0 draw and in the rematch they were eliminated with 1–0, continuing in the UEFA Cup. In the UEFA Cup, AEK faced Torpedo Kutaisi and with wins by 0–1 and 6–1 were qualified for the second round. Their next opponent were MTK Budapest and despite the 2–1 defeat at the Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium, they managed to qualify with a 1–0 win at Nea Filadelfeia. In the third round, AEK came across Monaco and were eliminated with the 1–0 defeat at Stade Louis II, which was came after the 2–2 at Nikos Goumas Stadium. In the winter transfer period the team was strengthened with the transfer of Bulgarian international midfielder, Milen Petkov. Tumbaković brought irrational results and since he was left out of the European competitions, after a home defeat by Panionios he was removed from the bench of AEK.

Honours Won: Greek Cup (2000)

Runner-up: —

Atmatsidis (c)

Kalitzakis

Dellas

Kapsis

Kasapis

Zikos

Petkov

Ćirić

Lakis

Konstantinidis

Nikolaidis

Lineup against Ionikos (2000-05-10)

1999–2000 season, Part II

After a brief return of Takis Karagiozopoulos as an interim coach, Giannis Pathiakakis was hired. After the departure of Melissanidis, the multinational owners appointed the Dutch Cornelius Sierhuis as the new president, the first foreign to ever seat in that position. Pathiakakis raised the psychology of the team, however they finished in 3rd place, far from the first two places. In the cup, AEK reached the final AEK facing Ionikos, which easily won with 3–0 and got the trophy. However, the highlight of the match was the fair play move by Nikolaidis, who after scoring a goal with his hand, asked the referee to disallow it, which led the International Olympic Committee to award him for his sportsmanship.[56]

2000–01 season, Part I

Atmatsidis (c)

Ferrugem

Kapsis

Kostenoglou

Kasapis

Zikos

Lakis

Navas

Tsiartas

Ruiz

Nikolaidis

Lineup against Bayer Leverkusen (2000-11-23)

Vasilios Tsiartas

The season started with the multinational Netmed and ENIC at the wheel of the club. Fernando Navas, Emanuel Ruiz and Ferrugem, Theodoros Zagorakis arrived at the club with Vasilios Tsiartas and Christos Kostis returning from Sevilla and Anderlecht, respectively. The departures of Dimitris Markos, Giannis Kalitzakis, Vladimir Matijašević, Arnar Grétarsson and Nenad Bjeković stood out among others. AEK started the championship mediocre. In the first round of the UEFA Cup, AEK were drawn against Vasas and after a 2–2 at Ferenc Puskás Stadium, they were qualified at Nikos Goumas Stadium with a 2–0 win. Their next opponent were Herfølge and AEK secured the qualification from the first leg in Athens in a 5–0 win, while the second leg ended with 2–1 defeat. In the round of 32 AEK faced Bayer Leverkusen. In a historic night for the AEK at the BayArena, after an adventurous game they got an impressive 4–4 draw, while at Nea Filadelfeia they were qualified with 2–0. In the cup, AEK reached the round of 16 and were drawn against Olympiacos. In the first leg and while the score was 1–1, AEK ultras were ready to enter the pitch because of referee constantly favouring Olympiacos, when the chairman of AEK, Petros Stathis instructed the players to fake injuries so that the match would stop, resulting in Olympiacos being awarded the match. In the rematch Pathiakakis used a mix of substitutes and main players in the lineup in a 6–1 defeat. After the game Pathiakakis left the club.[57]

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

2000–01 season, Part II

After the departure of Pathiakakis, the captain of the team, Toni Savevski, retired as a footballer and became their new coach.[58] AEK were strengthened with the transfers of Nikolaos Georgeas, Bledar Kola, Ivan Rusev. In the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup, AEK came against the Barcelona and were eliminated with 0–1 and 5–0 defeats. In the championship AEK couldn't achieve more than finishing in the third place.

Honours Won: Greek Cup (2002)

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki (2002)

2001–02 season

Fernando Santos

Chiotis

Gamarra

Kapsis

Georgeas

Kasapis

Zikos

Zagorakis (c)

Tsiartas

Lakis

Konstantinidis

Nikolaidis

Lineup against Olympiacos (2002-04-27)

The summer of 2001 found AEK once again with administrative and financial problems, as ENIC and Netmed were searching for a buyer for the club, with the controversial businessman Makis Psomiadis becoming their new boss.[59] Psomiadis initially put in the position of president his friend and businessman, Filon Antonopoulos and later his cousin, Charilaos[60] and hired Fernando Santos as the team's coach, while adding to the roster, Carlos Gamarra as a loan. Among the departures of the season were those of Traianos Dellas and Charis Kopitsis. The club performed well in all competitions were first during the winter break. In the winter transfer period, AEK were strengthen with Ilija Ivić, while Fernando Navas left. The 3 consecutive defeats in January allowed Olympiacos to cover the lost ground. The team continued well and competed for the title until the end. Eventually, on 20 April in the match that was deemed as "final" for the title at the Olympic Stadium, AEK lost 4–3 to Olympiacos and championship was lost in a draw with 58 points each. In the first round of the UEFA Cup, AEK faced Grevenmacher and were qualified in the second round with an impressive 6–0 win at home and a 0–1 win away from home. Afterwards, AEK came across Hibernian and after a win 2–0 at home, the Scottish equalized the score in the rematch and AEK were qualified in the extra time with a 3–2 defeat. In the third round, AEK found against them the Croatian Osijek, where they were qualified with a 1–2 and a 3–2 win. Afterwards, their opponent were Litex Lovech, where they were qualified with 3–2 win at home and a 1–1 in the rematch. In the round of 16 they were drawn against Internazionale and were eventually eliminated 3–1 loss at Giuseppe Meazza and 2–2 at Nikos Goumas Stadims. In the cup, AEK reached the final against Olympiacos and took their revenge for the loss of the championship, by winning with 2–1.[61]

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: —

Dušan Bajević

2002–03 season

Chiotis

Wright

Kapsis

Kostenoglou

Georgatos

Katsouranis

Zagorakis

Tsiartas

Lakis

Kasapis

Nikolaidis (c)

Lineup against Real Madrid (2002-10-22)

Despite his good performance in the last season, Fernando Santos resigned,[62] due to his bad relations with Psomiadis, who made a controversial decision and brought back Dušan Bajević to replace him.[63] The return of Bajević was not well received by the ultras who protested, as they considered his move to rivals Olympiacos in 1996 a high treason. Despite the departures of Ferrugem, Akis Zikos, Vaios Karagiannis, Bledar Kola and Carlos Gamarra, AEK made impressive transfers with Grigoris Georgatos, Kostas Katsouranis, Michel Kreek, Mauricio Wright and Walter Centeno, while Vasilios Borbokis returned to the club. For the qualifying round of the Champions League, AEK were drawn with APOEL and were qualified with 2–3 and 1–0 wins. AEK were placed in Group C with Real Madrid, Roma and Genk, achieving a record by drawing all six of the group stage matches,[64] eventually finishing 3rd and continued in the UEFA Cup. In January Ilias Atmatsidis was released, after 12 years at the club. Having lost his support within the club, Psomiadis left, with president of Amateur AEK, Giannis Granitsas taking charge. In the round of 32 of the UEFA Cup they faced the Maccabi Haifa and triumphed by achieving two of their biggest wins in European competitions with 4–0 and 1–4. In the round of 16, AEK faced Málaga, and after a 0–0 at La Rosaleda Stadium, they were eliminated with a home defeat with 0–1. AEK presented a spectacular team and in the championship despite staying behind in the title race, with an streak of 12 wins in the last 12 games, they re-entered the race finishing third, 2 points from the top. In the cup, AEK reached the semi-finals against PAOK and they were marginally eliminated. The season was also marked by the demolition of Nikos Goumas Stadium, home to AEK Athens for 73 years.[65]

2003–04 season Part I

Kostas Katsouranis

Chiotis

Amponsah

Kapsis

Borbokis

Georgeas

Katsouranis

Zagorakis

Tsiartas (c)

Okkas

Georgatos

Liberopoulos

Lineup against Grasshopper (2003-08-27)

The summer of 2003 started with severe financial and administrative problems, after the mismanaging of Psomiadis.[66] Furthermore, the team's star, Demis Nikolaidis terminated his contract and signed for Atlético Madrid,[67] while Mauricio Wright and Walter Centeno also left. The transfers of Nikos Liberopoulos,[68] Ioannis Okkas and Vangelis Moras promised to revitalise the club's success amid the growing financial problems. Since the demolition of the Nikos Goumas Stadium, AEK were forced to play in various stadiums of Athens. While the roster was good, the atmosphere was bad as the players were unpaid and Bajević was permanently at odds with the ultras, which resulted in the team's bad performances. AEK took a financial breath by joining the group stage of the Champions League, as they eliminated Grasshopper, losing by 1–0 away and winning 3–1 at home. There, they were drawn with Monaco, Deportivo La Coruña and PSV Eindhoven and their European campaign came to an end, as the finished 4th with 2 draws and 4 defeats. In the winter transfer window, they were weakened through the releases of Grigoris Georgatos[69] and Christos Maladenis. Modest performances were not enough and unable to cope with the negativity from a large section of the fans, Bajević resigned in January, during the match against Iraklis.[70]

2003–04 season, Part II

With Bajević being a thing of the past, Ilie Dumitrescu was appointed as a caretaker manager.[71] Nevertheless, Dumitrescu did not manage to change the situation of the team, who eventually finished in the 4th in the league. In the cup, AEK reached the semi-finals, where they got eliminated by Panathinaikos.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Alpha Ethniki (2006), Greek Cup (2006)

2004–05 season

Chiotis

Alves

Katsouranis (c)

Bourbos

Kontis

Moras

Kyriakidis

Rusev

Júlio César

Soares

Liberopoulos

Lineup against Panathinaikos (2005-02-03)

On the brink of bankruptcy, AEK lost most of their important players, such as Vasilios Borbokis, Theodoros Zagorakis,[72] Michalis Kapsis, Michel Kreek, Vasilios Lakis, Vasilios Tsiartas and Ioannis Okkas, while Michalis Kasapis and Ilija Ivić retired. The former star of the team, Demis Nikolaidis persuaded a group of businessmen to buy shares and invest money to the club and became the new club president with the support of the fans who started mass protests. His primary task was to lead AEK out of their precarious financial situation. 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 instalments. Securing the club's participation in the first division, Nikolaidis began to rebuild the team and brought back Fernando Santos as head coach.[73] Santos also brought Paulo Assunção and Bruno Alves on loan from Porto, while players from the Greek market arrived such as Stavros Tziortziopoulos, Christos Kontis and Alessandro Soares. The fans, emboldened by the efforts of Nikolaidis, followed suit by buying season ticket in record numbers. With their European participation barely secured from UEFA, AEK faced Gorica for the first found of the UEFA Cup. They advanced to the group stage with difficulty as with a 1–1 draw at Sports Park and a 1–0 win at Georgios Kamaras Stadium. There, they were placed in the same group with Sevilla, Lille, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Alemannia Aachen and with 4 defeats in equal matches were eliminated from the tournament. In an unprecedented climate of rallying and unity, AEK began an incredible run in the league. Winter additions included Júlio César, Vladan Ivić and Ilias Kyriakidis. AEK came close to winning the championship, but a surprise loss to Ionikos and the defeat to Panathinaikos, resulted in finishing 3rd. The course of the team in the cup was similar, where they faced Olympiacos in the semi-finals and were eliminated.

2005–06 season

Bruno Cirillo

The next season the club was strengthened with the returns of Vasilios Lakis and Traianos Dellas, while also acquiring Georgios Alexopoulos, Stefano Sorrentino, Bruno Cirillo, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Panagiotis Kone and Vasilios Pliatsikas. During the winter transfer period, AEK signed Emerson and Pantelis Kapetanos. Chrysostomos Michailidis, Nikos Kostenoglou, Ivan Rusev, Milen Petkov, Sotiris Konstantinidis and Christos Kostis were among the departures. In the first round of UEFA Cup, AEK were drawn against Zenit Saint Petersburg. They managed to secure an away 0–0 draw, but lost by 0–1 at home and were eliminated. In the league they finished second, securing a place in the Champions League of the next season. In the cup, AEK reached the final, where they lost the trophy to Olympiacos with a 3–0 defeat.

Honours Won: —

Runner-up: Super League Greece (2007)

Lorenzo Serra Ferrer

2006–07 season

Sorrentino

Dellas (c)

Papastathopoulos

Cirillo

Tziortziopoulos

Zikos

Emerson

Tőzsér

Manduca

Júlio César

Liberopoulos

Lineup against Milan (2006-11-21)

Nikolaidis decided that in the removal of Fernando Santos and appointed Lorenzo Serra Ferrer as head coach,[74] in order to play more attacking style of football. Kostas Katsouranis,[75] Christos Kontis, Simos Krassas and Alessandro Soares departed. Summer transfers included Panagiotis Lagos,[76] Akis Zikos, who returned from Monaco,[77] Dániel Tőzsér and the loan of Gustavo Manduca.[78] Savvas Gentsoglou and Michalis Pavlis were promoted from the academies. AEK started the season as they easily overcame Hearts in the Champions League third qualifying round by beating them twice, thus qualifying to the group stage. In the group stage the club obtained 8 points, their top performance until then, beating Lille and Milan by 1–0 in their way to the third place. In the cup, they faced a shock-elimination at the first round by Chaidari in the penalty shootout. During the winter transfer period AEK signed Pantelis Kafes,[79] while Miltiadis Sapanis departed. In the round of 32 of the UEFA Cup, AEK played against Paris Saint-Germain and they were eliminated with 2 defeats. In the league, AEK played good football at periods and finished second securing a place in the Champions League of the next season.