| Club: | AEK Athens |
| Season: | 2004–05 |
| Manager: | Fernando Santos |
| Mgrtitle: | Manager |
| Chairman: | Demis Nikolaidis |
| Chrtitle: | Chairman |
| League: | Alpha Ethniki |
| League Result: | 3rd |
| Cup1: | Greek Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Semi-finals |
| Cup2: | UEFA Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Group stage |
| League Topscorer: | Alessandro Soares (11) |
| Season Topscorer: | Alessandro Soares (15) |
| Highest Attendance: | 63,129 vs Olympiacos (7 November 2004) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 763 vs Agios Dimitrios (22 December 2004) |
| Average Attendance: | 21,925 |
| Largest Win: | |
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| Prevseason: | 2003–04 |
| Nextseason: | 2005–06 |
The 2004–05 season was the 81st season in the existence of AEK Athens F.C. and the 46th consecutive season in the top flight of Greek football. They competed in the Alpha Ethniki, the Greek Cup and the UEFA Cup. The season began on 11 September 2004 and finished on 25 May 2005.
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The season found AEK faced with annihilation, since their debts were unmanageable and unmanageable for anyone. The former star of the team, Demis Nikolaidis and a group of partners and friends of the club, put on the carpet the plan of being included in the article 44 of the bankruptcy law and on 7 July he took over the administration. The article 44 was an inspiration of the economist Giorgos Kintis, who elaborated the plan and as soon as the first financiers and the leader Nikolaidis were found, hope began to fade. AEK went to court, but its first application in May was rejected. In the meantime, Nikolaidis, having the full support of the club's supportes, came to an agreement with the majority of the footballers for part of the dues and planned as best he could the continuation of the team's competition. Nikolaidis proceeded with some partial agreements, managed and set up a budget and mainly persuaded the team's former coach Fernando Santos to return to Greece, with a clause that if the team went bankrupt, he would be free. The roster that the Portuguese had in his hands to work with was lacking, since the big stars had left with the only remaining ones beeing Kostas Katsouranis and Nikos Liberopoulos as well as the veterans, Nikos Kostenoglou and Nikolaos Georgeas, while at the end of the transfer period, with personal actions of Santos, they acquired Bruno Alves and Paulo Assunção on loan from Porto. Meanwhile, the article 44 legal battle continued and the season of uncertainty began with the world turning its attention to the very existence of AEK, which depended on the court's final verdict. The fans of AEK showed their opposition to the annihilation of the team in every way either with a banner in Rizoupoli or with the historic rally of October 2004 in the centor of Athens, where more than 10 thousand people demonstrated in favor of saving the team. On 18 November the club was vindicated and the team looked to the future with optimism.
Freed from the stress of existence itself and in an unprecedented climate of rallying and unity, AEK began an incredible run in the league with back-to-back victories and April found them equal contenders for the championship. AEK became the favorite, since in front of them is the easy game against Ionikos at the Olympic Stadium, but the team from Nikaia with a goal at the end, cut the hopes for the championship in history and as if that was not enough, the 0–0 draw in the game against Panathinaikos at Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, in a match where AEK had many complaints from the referee, limited them in the third place.
The participation in the groups of the UEFA Cup was of vital importance for AEK, who were in dire need of the income from the European participation, which was barely secured from UEFA. The Slovenians from Gorica seemed like an easy opponent, but for AEK, which were in the uncertainty of bankruptcy, they turned out to be difficult. The game at Sports Park went wrong from the beginning, as AEK conceded a goal, but luckily, they equalized by the end of the half-time. The score did not change despite the pressure from the Slovenians, AEK stood up and became the favorite. The tense rematch was played in an intense atmosphere in Georgios Kamaras Stadium, after AEK fans turned it into a sustained protest against the negative decision of the article 44. The team in the first half tried, but in the second half they were in serious danger even with exclusion from the Slovenians, but with a goal at the end of the game, AEK advanced to the group stage. There, in a relatively difficult draw, they found themselves in the same group as Sevilla, Lille, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Alemannia Aachen, where they had a very bad campaign with 4 defeats in equal matches, thus staying out of the continuation of the tournament.
The course of the team in the Cup was similar, where after eliminating PANO Malia and Agios Dimitrios, they found in front of them the double winner of the previous season, Panathinaikos. The first leg ended in a draw at the Olympic Stadium, after Liberopoulos equalized the goal of Konstantinou. Panathinaikos confirmed the title of favourite, until the return leg, on a big night for AEK, who opened the scoring through Katsouranis early on, but were equalized after heavy pressure from Panathinaikos. Somewhere there the team of Santos woke up and immediately took the lead again, until in the 77th minute Vladimir Ivić in his most important goal with AEK, sealed an emphatic qualification calling the fans of the host to be quiet. The quarter-finals seemed like an easy mission for AEK and indeed Panionios turned out to be an easy opponent, since after the indifferent 0–0 at Nea Smyrni, prevailed easyly by 2–0. AEK were in the semi-finals and they were going for the double. Their opponent were Olympiacos who had re-hired Dušan Bajević, whom they dominated at the Olympic Stadium, despite the final loss with 0–1. The rematch at Karaiskakis Stadium seemed difficult, but AEK scored and the match went to extra time. The referee and his assistants were doing everything they could to push Olympiacos to qualify and thus with the expulsion of Júlio César the game turned into a monologue for Olympiacos who was redeemed by an own from Moras and while the attacks of AEK were cut as allegedly offside, Okkas sealed his team's qualification 2 minutes before the end of extra time. AEK were eliminated in the semi-finals that were admittedly better than their opponent.[1]
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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 25 May 2005, 23:59 UTC+3.
| No. | Player | Nat. | Position(s) | Date of birth (Age) | Signed | Previous club | Transfer fee | Contract until | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||
| 1 | Chrysostomos Michailidis | GK | June 30, 2005 | 1997 | Eordaikos | Free | 2005 | ||
| 12 | Giannis Arabatzis | GK | June 30, 2005 | 2002 | Makrochori | Free | 2011 | ||
| 22 | Dionysis Chiotis (Vice-captain 2) | GK | June 30, 2005 | 1994 | AEK Athens U20 | — | 2007 | ||
| Defenders | |||||||||
| 3 | Nikola Malbaša | LB / LM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 |  Terek Grozny | Free | 2007 | ||
| 4 | Bruno Alves | CB / DM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | Porto | Free | 2005 | ||
| 5 | Nikos Kostenoglou (Vice-captain) | CB / RB | June 30, 2005 | 1994 | Skoda Xanthi | €400,000 | 2005 | ||
| 14 | Stavros Tziortziopoulos | LB / CB / LM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | Panionios | Free | 2007 | ||
| 15 | Dimitris Koutsikos | RB / DM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | AEK Athens U20 | — | 2006 | ||
| 16 | Nikolaos Georgeas | RB / LB / DM | June 30, 2005 | 2001 | Kalamata | €1,500,000 | 2008 | ||
| 18 | Vangelis Moras | CB / DM / RB | June 30, 2005 | 2003 | Proodeftiki | €260,000 | 2007 | ||
| 24 | Christos Kontis | RB / CB / LB | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | Panionios | Free | 2007 | ||
| 25 | Kofi Amponsah |  | CB / LB | June 30, 2005 | 2003 | PAOK | Free | 2006 | |
| 27 | Panagiotis Stergiatos | CB | June 30, 2005 | 2003 | AEK Athens U20 | — | 2008 | ||
| 39 | Grigoris Toskas | CB | June 30, 2005 | 2000 | AEK Athens U20 | — | 2005 | ||
| Midfielders | |||||||||
| 8 | Ivan Rusev | AM / RM / LM / CM | June 30, 2005 | 2001 | Spartak Varna | Free | 2005 | ||
| 9 | Milen Petkov | DM / CM / AM / RM / LM | June 30, 2005 | 2000 | CSKA Sofia | €800,000 | 2005 | ||
| 17 | Vladan Ivić | AM / CM / RM / LM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Free | 2007 | ||
| 21 | Kostas Katsouranis (Captain) | CM / DM / RM / LM / AM / CB / RB / LB | June 30, 2005 | 2002 | Panachaiki | Free | 2007 | ||
| 26 | Ilias Kyriakidis | DM / CM / AM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | Ionikos | €200,000 | 2009 | ||
| 28 | Christos Bourbos | RM / RB / RW / DM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | PAS Giannina | Free | 2008 | ||
| 77 | Paulo Assunção |  | DM / CM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | Porto | Free | 2005 | |
| Forwards | |||||||||
| 7 | Alessandro Soares | | RW / SS / ST / LW | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | OFI | €60,000 | 2005 | |
| 10 | Sotiris Konstantinidis | RW / LW / RM / LM / AM | June 30, 2005 | 1999 | Iraklis | Free | 2005 | ||
| 11 | Leonidas Kampantais | ST / SS / RW | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | Aris | Free | 2007 | ||
| 20 | Ilias Solakis | ST | June 30, 2003 | 2002 |  APOEL | Free | 2007 | ||
| 27 | Christos Christoforidis |  | LW / ST / SS | June 30, 2005 | 2005 | Assyriska FF | Free | 2005 | |
| 30 | Simos Krassas | | RW / LW / RM / LM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | AEL Limassol | €120,000 | 2008 | |
| 33 | Nikos Liberopoulos | SS / ST / AM | June 30, 2005 | 2003 | Panathinaikos | Free | 2007 | ||
| 44 | Nikos Voulgaris | ST | June 30, 2005 | 2004 |  Torino Primavera | €100,000 | 2005 | ||
| 99 | Júlio César | | LW / SS / AM / RW / ST | June 30, 2005 | 2005 | Gil Vicente | €540,000 | 2008 | |
| — | Christos Kostis | SS / ST / AM / RW / LW | June 30, 2005 | 2000 |  Anderlecht | Free | 2005 | ||
| Left during Winter Transfer Window | |||||||||
| 2 | Stathis Kappos |  | RB | June 30, 2005 | 2001 | Kalamata | Free | 2005 | |
| 6 | Stelios Maistrellis | CB | June 30, 2005 | 2002 | Aiolikos | Free | 2006 | ||
| 19 | Manolis Tsangarogiannakis | AM | June 30, 2005 | 2004 | Gyziakos | Free | 2009 | ||
| 32 | Christos Tsevas | AM | June 30, 2005 | 2003 | AEK Athens U20 | — | 2008 | ||
| width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=180 style="background:#FFDE00 | From | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Type | width=100 style="background:#FFDE00 | Fee | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Date | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Contract Until | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Akratitos | End of loan | — | 30 June 2006 | ||||||||||
| 11 | Aris | Transfer | Free | 30 June 2007 | [2] | |||||||||
| 14 | Panionios | Transfer | Free | 30 June 2007 | ||||||||||
| 15 | AEK Athens U20 | Promotion | — | 30 June 2006 | ||||||||||
| 19 | Gyziakos | Transfer | Free | 30 June 2009 | [3] | |||||||||
| 20 | Niki Volos | End of loan | — | 30 June 2006 | ||||||||||
| 24 | Panionios | Transfer | Free | 30 June 2007 | ||||||||||
| 28 | PAS Giannina | Transfer | Free | 30 June 2008 | ||||||||||
| 30 | AEL Limassol | Transfer | €120,000 | 30 June 2008 | ||||||||||
| 44 | Torino Primavera | Transfer | €100,000 | 30 June 2005 |
| width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=180 style="background:#FFDE00 | From | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Type | width=100 style="background:#FFDE00 | Fee | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Date | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Contract Until | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Terek Grozny | Transfer | Free | 30 June 2007 | [4] | |||||||||
| 17 | Borussia M'gladbach | Transfer | Free | 31 December 2007 | [5] | |||||||||
| 26 | Ionikos | Transfer | €200,000 | 31 December 2009 | [6] | |||||||||
| 29 | Assyriska FF | Transfer | Free | 31 December 2005 | [7] | |||||||||
| 99 | Gil Vicente | Transfer | €540,000 | 31 December 2008 | [8] |
| width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=180 style="background:#FFDE00 | To | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Type | width=100 style="background:#FFDE00 | Fee | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Date | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Anorthosis Famagusta | End of contract | — | |||||||||
| 6 | Bologna | Contract termination | — | [9] | ||||||||
| 8 | Willem II | End of contract | — | |||||||||
| 9 | Olympiacos | Contract termination | — | [10] | ||||||||
| 10 | 1. FC Köln | Contract termination | — | [11] | ||||||||
| 12 | Aris | End of contract | — | [12] | ||||||||
| 17 | align=center colspan=2 | Retired | — | |||||||||
| 23 | Crystal Palace | Contract termination | — | [13] | ||||||||
| 25 | Red Star Belgrade | End of contract | — | |||||||||
| 30 | align=center colspan=2 | Retired | — | [14] | ||||||||
| 32 |  Bordeaux | Transfer | €500,000 | [15] | ||||||||
| 36 | Proodeftiki | Transfer | Free | |||||||||
| 88 | Kerkyra | Contract termination | — | [16] | ||||||||
| — | Olympiacos | Contract termination | — |
| width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=180 style="background:#FFDE00 | To | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Type | width=100 style="background:#FFDE00 | Fee | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Date | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Aris | Contract termination | — | [17] | ||||||||
| 6 | Levadiakos | Contract termination | — | |||||||||
| 19 | Egaleo | Contract termination | — | [18] | ||||||||
| 32 | Akratitos | Transfer | Free |
| width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=180 style="background:#FFDE00 | From | width=100 style="background:#FFDE00 | Fee | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Date | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Until | Option to buy | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Porto | Free | 30 June 2005 | ||||||||||
| 7 | OFI | €60,000 | 30 June 2005 | [19] | |||||||||
| 77 | Porto | Free | 30 June 2005 |
| width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=180 style="background:#FFDE00 | To | width=100 style="background:#FFDE00 | Fee | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Date | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Until | Option to buy | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Agia Paraskevi | Free | 30 June 2006 | ||||||||||
| 35 | Levadiakos | Free | 30 June 2005 |
| width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=150 style="background:#FFDE00 | Date | Former Exp. Date | New Exp. Date | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 30 June 2004 | 30 June 2005 | [20] | |||||
| 10 | 30 June 2006 | 30 June 2005 | ||||||
| 21 | 30 June 2005 | 30 June 2007 | [21] | |||||
| 22 | 30 June 2005 | 30 June 2007 | [22] | |||||
| 33 | 30 June 2006 | 30 June 2007 | [23] |
Summer: €280,000
Winter: €740,000
Total: €1,020,000
Summer: €500,000
Winter: €0
Total: €500,000
Summer: €220,000
Winter: €740,000
Total: €520,000
See main article: 2004–05 Alpha Ethniki.
See main article: 2004–05 Greek Football Cup.
See main article: 2004–05 UEFA Cup.
! 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|-|}
| Rank | width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Alpha Ethniki | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Greek Cup | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | UEFA Cup | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 15 | |||||||
| 2 | 33 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 13 | |||||||
| 3 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |||||||
| 4 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||
| 99 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||
| 6 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |||||||
| 7 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| 8 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| 9 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Totals | 46 | 16 | 6 | 68 |
| Rank | width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Alpha Ethniki | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Greek Cup | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | UEFA Cup | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||||||
| 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |||||||
| 4 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| 77 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| 11 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Totals | 29 | 1 | 0 | 30 |
The list is sorted by competition order when total clean sheets are equal, then by shirt number and then alphabetically by surname. Clean sheets in games where both goalkeepers participated are awarded to the goalkeeper who started the game. Goalkeepers with no appearances are not included.
| Rank | width=200 style="background:#FFDE00 | Player | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Alpha Ethniki | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Greek Cup | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | UEFA Cup | width=120 style="background:#FFDE00 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||||||
| 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||||||
| Totals | 12 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
|-! colspan="17" style="background:#FFDE00; text-align:center" | Goalkeepers|-! colspan="17" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Defenders|-! colspan="17" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Midfielders|-! colspan="17" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Forwards|-! colspan="17" style="background:#FFDE00; color:black; text-align:center;"| Left during Winter Transfer window|}
| Formation | Matchday(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 4–4–2 | 1–30 | |
| 11 | 4–3–3 |
| Player | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Dionysis Chiotis | GK | ||
| 18 | Vangelis Moras | RCB | ||
| 4 | Bruno Alves | LCB | ||
| 5 | Nikos Kostenoglou | RB | ||
| 24 | Christos Kontis | LB | ||
| 77 | Paulo Assunção | DM | ||
| 21 | Kostas Katsouranis (C) | CM | ||
| 30 | | Simos Krassas | RM | |
| 99 | | Júlio César | LM | |
| 7 | | Alessandro Soares | SS | |
| 33 | Nikos Liberopoulos | CF |
UEFA team ranking
| UEFA country ranking
|
| Player | Award | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kostas Katsouranis | MF | Greek Player of the Season | [24] | |
| Fernando Santos | — | Manager of the Season |
