The 2006–07 season was the 83rd season in the existence of AEK Athens F.C. and the 48th consecutive season in the top flight of Greek football. They competed in the Super League, the Greek Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The season began on 9 August 2006 and finished on 13 May 2007.
Kits
Overview The third season in a row for the presidency of Demis Nikolaidis, who decided at the end of the previous season that it was time to part ways with the team with Fernando Santos, despite the good presence of the Portuguese technician on the team's bench. The reason was that the president of AEK was looking for a coach who played more offensive style and gave a lot of weight to young players and the team's academies. Nikolaidis ended up with the acclaimed Spanish coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, who, among other things, has served in the academies and in the first team of the great Barcelona. One of the team's key leaders, Kostas Katsouranis, left AEK, following Santos to Benfica. On the other hand, Akis Zikos returned after a four-year absence in Monaco.
AEK started the season relatively "numb", but then recovered and especially from the 7th matchday onwards when they makes 7 consecutive victories. Another streak of 6 wins later in the 2nd round, but those were not enough to achieve more than the eventual second place finish. They finished 8 points above Panathinaikos, but another 9 below the champion Olympiacos. For yet another season, however, there were complaints from many teams in the league about the treatment of the red and whites by the referees.
In the Greek Cup, AEK was a surprise victim, eliminated in the first round by the team of Chaidari in a single match, after the 0–0 in regular time, a score that did not change even in extra time, despite the expulsion of 2 players of Chaidari, while in the penalty shootout Chaidari won by 5–4.
AEK's chance for their fourth participation in the groups of the Champions League passed through the matches with the Scottish Hearts, an opponent that was not easy, but certainly not intimidating either. First match at Murrayfield Stadium, Serra Ferrer showed a super attacking AEK, who missed many chances in the first half. In the replay, Serra Ferrer's team slowed down and Hearts made it 1–0. Finally, the Greek team found the way to the net at the end of the game and in the overtime they made their big comeback. The final score was 1–2 and qualification was very close for the yellow-blacks. In the second leg in Athens in front of over 45,000 people, AEK's superiority was clear again from the start of the match had the full control, missed some chances, but failed to score. With 3 goals towards the end of the game, AEK finally got a very nice qualification with two wins. AEK competed again in Champions League groups after 3 years and were drawn in the 8th group with the eventual winner of the institution, Milan, Lille and Anderlecht. There, AEK with a total of 2 wins, including a home win against the great Milan, 2 draws and 2 losses they finished 3rd and were out of the competition, continuing in the UEFA Cup.
AEK were drawn with Paris Saint-Germain for the round of 32 and their task was certainly not easy at all. First match on February 14 at Olympic Stadium in front of around 30,000 spectators, Ferrer in a rather incomprehensible decision, decided to rest some players. However, Paul Le Guen was doing something similar by leaving some of his key players on the bench. At the end of the first half, Paris opened the score, while in the replay, AEK again conceded a goal at the end of the game. The qualification was already essentially over for AEK, while it was noteworthy that during the match Demis Nikolaidis was strongly disapproved of by a large part of the world for the relaxed attitude shown by AEK in the match. The rematch at the Parc des Princes was more formal than essential and Le Guen decided to start with a line-up with several reserves, while Ferrer on the other hand made a mix-up in the line-up. The French once again scored at the end of each half and won with the same score and the European campaign of the yellow-blacks ended there.
The greatest wins of the season were a 5–0 against AEL, a 4–0 against Panionios and a 1–2 victory over Panathinaikos, away from home. The top scorer of the team and of the league was Nikos Liberopoulos with 18 goals.
Management team
Players
Squad information
NOTE: The players are the ones that have been announced by the AEK Athens' press release. No edits should be made unless a player arrival or exit is announced. Updated 13 May 2007, 23:59 UTC+3.
No.PlayerNat.Position(s)Date of birth (Age)SignedPrevious clubTransfer feeContract until Goalkeepers 22 Dionysis Chiotis (Vice-captain 2) GK 1995 AEK Athens U20 — 2007 28 Stefano Sorrentino GK 2005 Torino Free 2010 84 Giannis Arabatzis GK 2002 Enosi Apostolou Pavlou €22,000 2007 — Antonis Lykouris GK 2006 AEK Athens U20 — 2009 Defenders 4 Vangelis Moras CB / DM / RB 2003 Proodeftiki €260,000 2007 5 Bruno Cirillo CB / RB 2005 Lecce Free 2008 6 Georgios Alexopoulos CB / RB 2005 Egaleo Free 2008 13 Martin Pautasso RB / RM 2006 Independiente Free 2010 14 Stavros Tziortziopoulos LB / CB / LM 2004 Panionios Free 2007 15 Sokratis Papastathopoulos CB / RB / LB / DM 2005 Apollon Petalidiou Free 2008 31 Nikolaos Georgeas RB / LB / DM 2001 Kalamata €1,500,000 2008 55 Traianos Dellas (Captain) CB 2005 Roma Free 2007 81 Nikolaos Kourkoulas CB 2006 AEK Athens U20 — 2009 90 Savvas Gentsoglou CB / DM / CM 2006 AEK Athens U20 — 2009 Midfielders 1 Pantelis Kafes CM / DM / AM / RM / LM 2007 Olympiacos Free 2009 7 Ilias Kyriakidis DM / CM / AM 2004 Ionikos €200,000 2009 10 Panagiotis Kone AM / RM / LM / RW / LW / CM 2005 Lens U19 Free 2010 11 Gustavo Manduca RM / AM / RW / LM / LW / CM / SS / ST 2006 Benfica Free 2007 16 Akis Zikos DM / CM 2006 Monaco Free 2008 17 Vladan Ivić AM / CM / RM / LM 2004 Borussia Mönchengladbach Free 2007 19 Panagiotis Lagos LM / LW / LB / CM / DM 2006 Iraklis €900,000 2010 20 Vasilios Pliatsikas DM / CM / RB / CB 2005 Chaidari Free 2010 23 Vasilios Lakis RM / RW / AM / CM / RB 2005 Crystal Palace Free 2008 25 Emerson DM / CM 2006 Skoda Xanthi €150,000 2007 56 Përparim Hetemaj CM / DM / AM / RM / LM / RW / LW 2006 HJK Helsinki €450,000 2010 88 Dániel Tőzsér AM / CM / DM / LM 2006 Ferencváros €150,000 2010 92 Georgios Paligeorgos DM / CM 2006 AEK Athens U20 — 2011 Forwards 33 Nikos Liberopoulos (Vice-captain) SS / ST / AM 2003 Panathinaikos Free 2009 35 Pantelis Kapetanos ST / RW 2006 Iraklis €400,000 2011 79 Leonidas Kampantais ST / SS / RW 2004 Aris Free 2007 83 Michalis Pavlis SS / ST / RW / LW 2006 AEK Athens U20 — 2011 99 Júlio César LW / SS / AM / RW / ST 2005 Gil Vicente €540,000 2009 Left during Winter Transfer Window 24 Ifeanyi Udeze LB / CB 2006 PAOK Free 2009 — Panagiotis Stergiatos CB 2003 AEK Athens U20 — 2008 — Vasilios Vallianos LB 2006 AEK Athens U20 — 2011 8 Miltiadis Sapanis CM / LM / AM 2005 Panathinaikos Free 2008 — Nikolaos Kaltsas DM / CM / AM / RM 2006 AEK Athens U20 — 2011 9 Andrija Delibašić ST 2006 Mallorca Free 2007
Transfers
In
Summer
PlayerFromFeeDateContract UntilSource13 IndependienteFree transfer30 June 201015 Niki VolosLoan return30 June 201116 MonacoFree transfer30 June 200819 Iraklis€900,00030 June 201024 PAOKFree transfer30 June 200956 HJK Helsinki€450,00030 June 201079 PanioniosLoan return30 June 200781 AEK Athens U20Promotion30 June 201083 AEK Athens U20Promotion30 June 201185 Ethnikos AlexandroupoliFree transfer30 June 201188 Ferencváros€150,00030 June 201092 AEK Athens U20Promotion30 June 2011— AEK Athens U20Promotion30 June 2009— Doxa DramaLoan return30 June 2008— AEK Athens U20Promotion30 June 2011— AEK Athens U20Promotion30 June 2011— ThrasyvoulosLoan return30 June 2006— Apollon SmyrnisLoan return30 June 2010— Agia ParaskeviLoan return30 June 2009— PanioniosLoan return30 June 2008
Winter
PlayerFromFeeDateContract UntilSource1 OlympiacosFree transfer30 June 200990 AEK Athens U20Promotion30 June 2009— ThrasyvoulosLoan termination30 June 2011— Enosis Neon ParalimniFree transfer30 June 2010— ThrasyvoulosLoan termination30 June 2010
Out
Summer
PlayerToFeeDateSource3 TuS KoblenzContract termination7 Anorthosis FamagustaEnd of contract11 Chornomorets OdesaContract termination21 Benfica€2,300,00024 APOELContract termination27 HammarbyContract termination— Asteras TripolisEnd of contract— ThivaEnd of contract— Apollon KalamariasContract termination
Notes
a. plus 25% of resale fee and the incomes from their scheduled friendly game which came to be €294,390.
Winter
PlayerToFeeDateSource8 APOELFree transfer9 MallorcaLoan termintion24 Bendel InsuranceContract termintion
Loan in
Summer
PlayerFromFeeDateUntilOption to buySource9 MallorcaFree30 June 200711 BenficaFree30 June 2007
Loan out
Summer
PlayerToFeeDateUntilOption to buySource18 ThrasyvoulosFree30 June 200727 KerkyraFree30 June 200785 Anagennisi KarditsaFree30 June 200787 ThrasyvoulosFree30 June 2007— ThivaFree30 June 2008— Niki VolosFree30 June 2007
Winter
PlayerToFeeDateUntilOption to buySource— Ethnikos PiraeusFree30 June 2007— Anagennisi KarditsaFree30 June 2007— Anagennisi KarditsaFree30 June 2007— Anagennisi KarditsaFree30 June 2007— Ethnikos PiraeusFree30 June 2007— Ethnikos PiraeusFree30 June 2007
Contract renewals
PlayerDateFormer Exp. DateNew Exp. DateSource33 30 June 200630 June 2009
Overall transfer activity
Expenditure Summer: €1,500,000
Winter: €0
Total: €1,500,000
Income Summer: €2,300,000
Winter: €0
Total: €2,300,000
Net Totals Summer: €800,000
Winter: €0
Total: €800,000
Pre-season and friendlies
Competitions
Overall record
Super League Greece
League table
Results summary
Results by Matchday
Matches
Greek Cup
UEFA Champions League
Third qualifying round The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 28 July 2006.
Group stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 24 August 2006.
Matches
UEFA Cup
Knockout stage
Round of 32
Statistics
Squad statistics
! colspan="13" style="background:#FFDE00; text-align:center" | Goalkeepers
! colspan="13" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Defenders
! colspan="13" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Midfielders
! colspan="13" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Forwards
! colspan="13" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Left during Winter Transfer Window
Goalscorers
The list is sorted by competition order when total goals are equal, then by position and then by squad number. RankPlayerSuper LeagueGreek CupChampions LeagueUEFA CupTotal13318 0 3 021299 9 0 4 013379 8 0 0 08411 5 0 0 05535 3 0 1 04623 2 0 1 0317 2 0 1 03888 2 0 0 02955 1 0 0 0113 1 0 0 0114 1 0 0 011 1 0 0 0119 1 0 0 0122 1 0 0 019 1 0 0 015 0 0 1 01Own goals 4 0 0 04Totals60 011 071
Hat-tricks Numbers in superscript represent the goals that the player scored. PlayerAgainst Result Date Competition Source Nikos Liberopoulos Panionios 4–0 (H) 17 December 2006 Super League Nikos Liberopoulos Egaleo 5–2 (H) 15 April 2007 Super League
Assists
The list is sorted by competition order when total assists are equal, then by position and then by squad number. RankPlayerSuper LeagueGreek CupChampions LeagueUEFA CupTotal19910 0 0 010233 6 0 2 08323 6 0 0 0688 6 0 0 06511 5 0 1 05679 4 0 0 0475 2 0 0 0235 2 0 0 02955 1 0 0 0117 1 0 0 0119 1 0 0 019 1 0 0 0131 0 0 1 0156 0 0 1 01Totals45 0 5 050
Clean sheets
The list is sorted by competition order when total clean sheets are equal and then by squad number. Clean sheets in games where both goalkeepers participated are awarded to the goalkeeper who started the game. Goalkeepers with no appearances are not included. RankPlayerSuper LeagueGreek CupChampions LeagueUEFA CupTotal12810 0 2 012222 2 1 1 04Totals12 1 3 016
Disciplinary record
! colspan="20" style="background:#FFDE00; text-align:center" | Goalkeepers