AEK Athens Football Club was founded in April 1924 by a group of refugees from Constantinople. The football team is part of a wider sports club, which competes in volleyball, basketball and handball. Historically, AEK Athens have been one of the giants of the Greek game, winning almost 30 major trophies. Their biggest rivals are Panathinaikos and Olympiakos.
The 1930s marked the club's first era of major success. In 1931-32, they lifted the Greek Cup for the first time. Then, in 1938-39, under the management of Kostas Negrepontis, they won the Greek League and Greek Cup in the same season, completing a domestic double. This decade set the tone for the huge success which would follow in subsequent years.
In total, AEK Athens have been crowned as Greek champions on eleven occasions, which includes three back-to-back title wins in 1992, 1993 and 1994. To date, their 1994 win remains their most recent league success. Additionally, the club has lifted the Greek Cup fourteen times. The team achieved Super Cup wins in 1971, 1989 and 1996, while in 1990, they added the Greek League Cup to their haul of trophies. Over the decades, AEK Athens have represented Greece in several continental competitions and their best performance came in the 1977 UEFA Cup, where they reached the semi final stage.
Some of the greatest players to ever play for AEK Athens include names like Kostas Nestoridis, Mimis Papaioannou and Thomas Mavros. Stelios Manolas is widely considered the club's biggest legend, having spent the duration of his career with the team, captaining them for 19 years and winning four league championships.
The club currently plays its home games at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, which opened in 1982. The stadium underwent significant renovations ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games. At present, it is able to hold a total of 69,618 supporters.
