The 2024–25 season was the 101st season in the existence of AEK Athens F.C. and the 64th competitive season and tenth consecutive in the top flight of Greek football. They competed in the Super League, the Greek Cup and the Conference League. The season began on 24 July 2024 and finished on 11 May 2025.
Kits
Overview Following the unexpected loss of the Championship of the previous season, the club, as well as its supporters were trying to recover from the shock. Furthermore, on 10 June, Dimitris Melissanidis announced his departure from the ownership of the club after 11 years, which handed it over to shipowner, Marios Iliopoulos. The new management left full control of the transfers to Matías Almeyda and proceeded with the signings of prominent footballers, such as Thomas Strakosha, Roberto Pereyra, Erik Lamela, Aboubakary Koïta and most notably Anthony Martial, while from the domestic market they acquired Alberto Brignoli, Moses Odubajo and Sotiris Tsiloulis. Among the departures were Georgios Athanasiadis, Djibril Sidibé, Tom van Weert, Ezequiel Ponce and most notably their captain for the past two seasons, Sergio Araujo. However, Iliopoulos after two months at the wheel, reorganized the football department of the club by hiring Javier Ribalta as its director.
AEK began their European journey in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League by facing Inter Club d'Escaldes. Despite a problematic 4–3 victory at home, they secured the qualification in the rematch with a 0–3 win. In the following round AEK came across Noah. After a shameful performance at Armavir City Stadium, which resulted in a 3–1 defeat, they were eventually eliminated by the Armenian club, following their 1–0 win at Agia Sophia Stadium. The early elimination of the club sparked doubts about Almeyda.
The differences between the philosophies of Almeyda and Ribalta became evident during the winter transfer window, when Konstantinos Galanopoulos, Nordin Amrabat, Steven Zuber and Levi García left the club, but no gaps within the roster were filled, as the club did not make any signings whatsoever.
In the Championship AEK displayed great performances at times, but two consecutive away defeats removed them from the top of the table. AEK were suffering from constant injuries of key players, as well as by the way the team was treated by Greek referees during their matches. The combination of these negatively affected the high-pressure game that Almeyda was applying throughout his previous seasons within the team. Furthermore, on 26 November, AEK faced Olympiacos at Karaiskakis Stadium and suffered an embarrassing 4–1 defeat that showed that the playing style of Almeyda was no longer unmatched. The defeat was met by further doubts for the manager, but the majority of the supporters continued to support the club and Almeyda, which was proved at the 4–0 home win over Aris in the following matchday. However, on 19 January 2025, after a 1–0 defeat to Panathinaikos, Almeyda spoke with uncertainty about his future at the club. This resulted in an arrangement of a meeting between Almeyda and Iliopoulos, where it was decided that the Argentine manager would continue at the club. Afterwards, AEK displaying consistent performances, achieved a five-match winning streak and emerged as the only title contenders, behind Olympiacos. One of these was a 1–2 win at Toumba Stadium, where Lamela scored both goals, while the first was voted as goal of the season in the Super League. Their hopes of claiming any title in the season collapsed, when AEK lost at home to Olympiacos in the penultimate matchday.
As in the previous season, AEK entered the Cup at the round of 16, facing Aris. This time however, they managed to overcome their opponent and with a 1–0 win in Athens and a 1–1 draw in Thessaloniki, they qualified to the next round. In the quarter-finals, they came against PAOK. After the end of the match at Nea Filadelfeia Stadium which ended 1–0 for the yellow-blacks, the officials of PAOK reported an attack on their bus by ultras in the parking of the stadium. However, as the security cameras showed, while the squad of PAOK were departing, three supporters of AEK were showing to the squad a yellow-black shirt of the 2018 Championship conquest. The officials of PAOK, starring their manager Răzvan Lucescu, got off the bus in a furious state and physically and verbally attacked the three supporters. The Romanian manager and four other members of the staff were punished with a 4-month ban from the stadiums, which was reduced on appeal to 45 days. In the rematch, PAOK managed to equalize the score of the first match, which sent the match to extra time, however, AEK eventually took the qualification at the 107th minute, with a goal by Odubajo. In the semi-finals, AEK faced Olympiacos. The first match at Piraeus was a complete disaster, as AEK appeared completely unprepared, both competitively and mentally and made lots of mistakes, which Olympiacos took advantage of and scored six goals from as many shots on target. The rematch at Nea Filadelfeia was merely procedural and AEK won by 2–0. The harsh elimination caused a rift among the supporters of AEK referring the presence of Almeyda at the team's bench.
In the play-offs, Olympiacos had gained a 7-point lead over second-placed AEK and the big interest was the final standings and the tickets for European competitions. Even though AEK started with a significant 4-point lead over Panathinaikos and a 7-point lead over PAOK respectively, the situation created by the negative results against Olympiacos, resulted in the team being in a mental and competitive collapse. Thus, AEK finished at the fourth place, losing all six matches of the round, achieving a negative record. After the end of the season, Almeyda met for the last time with Iliopoulos and the following day his contract was terminated. Despite the negative situation, the Argentine manager he had a warm farewell from the ultras at the airport.
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's arrival or exit is announced. Updated 11 May 2025, 23:59 UTC+3.
No.PlayerNat.Position(s)Date of birth (Age)SignedPrevious clubTransfer feeContract until Goalkeepers 1 Thomas Strakosha GK 2024 Brentford Free 2029 91 Alberto Brignoli GK 2024 Panathinaikos Free 2027 — Cican Stanković GK 2021 Red Bull Salzburg €1,150,000 2025 Defenders 2 Harold Moukoudi CB 2022 Saint-Étienne Free 2028 3 Stavros Pilios LB / LM 2023 PAS Giannina Free 2027 12 Lazaros Rota RB / RM 2021 Fortuna Sittard Free 2026 18 Alexander Callens CB / LB 2024 Girona €300,000 2026 21 Domagoj Vida (Captain) CB / RB 2022 Beşiktaş Free 2026 24 Gerasimos Mitoglou CB 2021 Volos €300,000 2026 28 Ehsan Hajsafi LB / LM / LW / AM / CM / DM 2021 Sepahan Free 2025 29 Moses Odubajo RB / RM / LB / LM 2024 Aris €1,000,000 2026 Midfielders 4 Damian Szymański (Vice-captain) DM / CM / AM / CB 2020 Akhmat Grozny €1,300,000 2027 6 Jens Jønsson DM / CM / CB 2022 Cádiz Free 2026 8 Mijat Gaćinović AM / CM / LM / LW / RM / RW 2022 Hoffenheim €1,000,000 2026 13 Orbelín Pineda AM / CM / LM / LW / RM / RW / SS / DM / RB 2023 Celta de Vigo €6,500,000 2027 19 Niclas Eliasson RM / LM / RW / LW 2022 Nîmes €2,000,000 2028 20 Petros Mantalos (Vice-captain 3) AM / LM / CM / LW / SS / RM / RW 2014 Xanthi €500,000 2026 22 Paolo Fernandes AM / RM / LM / RW / LW 2023 Volos €700,000 2027 23 Robert Ljubičić CM / RM / LM / AM / DM / LB 2024 Dinamo Zagreb €4,000,000 2029 37 Roberto Pereyra CM / AM / LM / RM / SS 2024 Udinese Free 2026 Forwards 9 Erik Lamela RW / LW / SS / RM / LM / AM 2024 Sevilla Free 2027 11 Aboubakary Koïta LW / LM / SS / ST / RW / RM 2024 Sint-Truidense €4,000,000 2029 14 Frantzdy Pierrot ST 2024 Maccabi Haifa €2,500,000 2027 16 Sotiris Tsiloulis RW / LW / RM / LM / AM / ST / SS / CM 2024 Lamia Free 2026 26 Anthony Martial ST / RW / LW 2024 Manchester United Free 2027 Left during Winter Transfer Window 69 Dimitris Goumas GK 2024 SpVgg Greuther Fürth II Free 2027 25 Konstantinos Galanopoulos (Vice-captain 2) CM / DM 2015 AEK Athens U20 — 2025 5 Nordin Amrabat RW / LW / RM / LM / AM / SS / ST 2021 Al Nassr Free 2025 7 Levi García ST / RW / RM / SS / LW / LM 2020 Beitar Jerusalem €2,600,000 2028 10 Steven Zuber LW / LM / SS / ST / AM / RW / RM 2022 Eintracht Frankfurt €1,600,000 2025 From AEK Athens B 81 Angelos Angelopoulos GK 2021 AEK Athens U19 — 2025 99 Georgios Theocharis GK 2020 AEK Athens U19 — 2025 34 Christos Kosidis CB / RB 2023 AEK Athens U19 — 2026 75 Christos Giannoulis LB 2024 AEK Athens U19 — 2029 33 Loukas Maroutsis DM / CM 2024 AEK Athens U19 — 2029 73 Christoforos Kolimatsis DM / CM 2024 AEK Athens U19 — 2029 80 Hamed Kader Fofana CM / DM 2024 Ivoire FC Free 2029 97 Judah García AM / RW / RM / LM / LW / CM 2021 NEROCA Free 2025 32 Elián Sosa RW / RM / LM / LW / AM 2024 Defensa y Justicia Free 2028 44 Donaldoni Zambou Nguemechieu LW / RW / ST 2024 Tilikratis — 2026 82 Spyros Skondras LW / LM 2022 Panetolikos Free 2025 98 Dimitrios Theodoridis ST 2024 AO Chaniotis Free 2025
Transfers
In
Summer
PlayerFromFeeDateContract UntilSource1 BrentfordFree transfer30 June 20299 SevillaFree transfer30 June 202711 Sint-Truidense€4,000,00030 June 202914 Maccabi Haifa€2,500,00030 June 202716 LamiaFree transfer30 June 202618 Girona€300,00030 June 202626 Manchester UnitedFree transfer30 June 202727 AEK Athens ΒPromotion30 June 202529 Aris€1,000,00030 June 202637 UdineseFree transfer30 June 202655 AEK Athens ΒPromotion30 June 202869 SpVgg Greuther Fürth IIFree transfer30 June 202791 PanathinaikosFree transfer30 June 2027— Zorya LuhanskLoan return30 June 2024
Out
Summer
PlayerToFeeDateSource9 AtromitosEnd of contract11 Cerro PorteñoEnd of contract14 Houston Dynamo€9,000,00018 GironaLoan return29 ToulouseEnd of contract30 AEK LarnacaContract termination53 AEK Athens Β70 MazatlánFree transfer— Retired
Winter
PlayerToFeeDateSource5 Hull CityContract termination7 Spartak Moscow€18,700,00010 ZürichContract termination25 APOELContract termination
Loan out
Summer
PlayerToFeeDateUntilOption to buySource27 LamiaFree30 June 202555 Anorthosis FamagustaFree30 June 202590 LevadiakosFree30 June 2025
Winter
PlayerToFeeDateUntilOption to buySource69 PK-35Free31 December 2025
Notes
a. Sint-Truidense keeps the 10% of the player's rights.
Contract renewals
PlayerDateFormer Exp. DateNew Exp. DateSource2 30 June 202630 June 20285 30 June 202430 June 202519 30 June 202730 June 202827 30 June 202530 June 2026
Overall transfer activity
Expenditure Summer: €7,800,000
Winter: €0
Total: €7,800,000
Income Summer: €9,000,000
Winter: €18,700,000
Total: €27,700,000
Net Totals Summer: €1,200,000
Winter: €18,700,000
Total: €19,900,000
Pre-season and friendlies
Competitions
Overall record
Super League Greece
Regular season
League table
Results summary
Results by Matchday
Matches
Championship play-offs
Table
Results summary
Results by Matchday
Matches
Greek Cup
AEK Athens entered the Greek Cup at the round of 16.
Round of 16
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
UEFA Conference League
Second qualifying round The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 19 June 2024
Third qualifying round
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
! colspan="13" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| From AEK Athens B
Goalscorers