Greek football’s greatest teams
In light of PAOK’s outstanding undefeated season in the 2018/19 Super League, AGONAsport’s Nick Tsambouniaris examines the greatest club sides in the history of Greek football.
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PAOK became just the second team ever to go undefeated en route to winning the league title in Greek football, with the first being Panathinaikos in the 1963-64 season. It was PAOK’s first league triumph in 34 years and it came 54 years after that all-conquering Panathinaikos side made history. However, there are also several other sides which have dazzled fans over the years and deserve a special mention.
Olympiacos 1956-57
A period in time when the Reds created an era of dominance and won six-straight titles. Key players in this side were Andreas Mouratis, Savvas Theodoridis, Thanasis Bembtis Ilias Ifantis, and Giorgos Darivas. This side broke all sorts of records and won trophies (they also won four doubles). They also faced Pele’s Santos side in a historic friendly. The first genuinely ‘big’ team in Greece.
Panathinaikos 1963-64
Up until last season, this was the only team that managed to win the league title and go undefeated in the process. Stjepan Bobek’s side played an amazing brand of football and were the first to utilise the 4-3-3 formation in Greece, at a time when everyone else was using the 4-4-2. In 30 matches, this team won 24 and drew six. This season is also remembered for the final round match up where the Greens emerged 1-0 winners away at Olympiacos in an Eternal Derby to remember. Key players included Takis Loukanidis, Aristidis Kamaras, and Mimis Domazos.
AEK 1977-78
Before the great AEK teams under Dusan Bajevic, it was President Loukas Barlos that made the headlines. For a period of three years, the Enosi were unstoppable and quality players such as the aforementioned Bajevic, Thomas Mavros, and Mimis Papaioannou featured. They also made it all the way to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1977 and are rated as one of the best ever teams in Greek football.
Panathinaikos 1985-86
Another golden era for the Greens. This time Dimitris Saravakos, Juan Ramon Rocha, and Velimir Zajec were at the forefront. Even though a five-point gap ahead of second spot in that particular season is not classed as ‘massive,’ it was a fantastic achievement given wins were only worth two points instead of three. One of the most memorable matches of the season was hammering Olympiacos 4-0 at OAKA. It was the second Championship in the Giorgos Vardinogiannis era which brought much success.
Larissa 1987-88
The ultimate surprise package of Greek football, Greece’s very own Leicester City. They became the first-ever team outside of Athens and Thessaloniki to win the Championship and broke the ‘establishment.’ Larissa teams of the era were strong, in fact, this title was building after they hammered 1985 Champions PAOK 4-1 in the Greek Cup final that year.
Led by the experienced Pole Jacek Gmoch as coach, the team from Thessaly proved too strong for closest title rivals AEK, PAOK, and OFI. The most heartwarming factor in this success was the fact that the core group of players such as Georgios Mitsibonas and Vassilis Karapialis came from the local area. Along with the Ethniki winning Euro 2004, it remains one of the great underdog stories. Ironically, this season remains the only one in the history of Greek football where neither Panathinaikos or Olympiacos featured in the top four.
AEK 1993-94
With Bajevic at the helm, this AEK side was unstoppable. This triumph capped off a magnificent three-year dominance (they won the league three years in a row) and played a style that was pleasant on the eye. They ended the season on 79 points (25 wins, four draws, and five losses) and a goal difference of +35. Up until Manolo Jimenez’s AEK team that won the League in 2017/-18, this was the last Enosi side to taste success.
Panathinaikos 1995-96
This amazing team was built by Ivica Osim and taken to a new level by Juan Ramon Rocha. Not only did they win the league in style, but they also went on a majestic run in Europe and almost equaled Panathinaikos’ previous success in the European Cup by making the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. In fact, they defeated Ajax 1-0 away in the first leg to take a lead back to Athens. This side was not as spectacular as the prior season but got the results when it mattered most. The Greens kept a star-studded AEK team away from lifting the Championship. Key players included quality foreigners such as Juan Jose Borelli, Krzysztof Warzycha, and Jozef Wandzik.
AEK 1995-96
By far the best team that never won the league title, the Enosi can consider themselves very unlucky in that particular season. Superstars such as Daniel Batista, Vassilis Tsiartas, Christos Kostis, Temur Ketsbaia, and Toni Savevsk fell narrowly short behind the aforementioned Panathinaikos side. They finished a mere two points behind the Greens, despite scoring 15 more goals.
Olympiacos 1998-99
Bajevic left AEK in 1996 for Piraeus and tasted success in the 1998-99 season by winning the league in an emphatic manner. He ended a ‘dark age’ for the club and kick-started a dynasty. Key players included Dimitris Eleftheropoulos, Grigoris Georgatos, Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Ilias Poursanidis, Alexis Alexandris, Ilija Ivic, and Predrag Djordjevic. The Reds won the double when they defeated Panathinaikos 2-0 at the OAKA in the Greek Cup final, and almost made it to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, losing out to Juventus in dramatic fashion in the final eight.
Olympiacos 2011-12
Vangelis Marinakis built this team in Ernesto Valverde’s second stint at the club. The Reds enjoyed success in Europe by beating heavyweights Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, and Arsenal all in the same season. In spite of this, they finished on nine points in their UEFA Champions League and in third spot. They ended the season on 23 wins, four draws and three losses, with a goal difference of +51, and won the double just like Panathinaikos did the season before by edging Atromitos 2-1 in extra time of the Greek Cup final.
