Aris FC

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Aris FC - the crest
Alekos Alexiadis takes a shot in a game against Olympiakos FC.

The club was founded in Thessaloniki, March 25, 1914 and were named after the mythological God of War as its founders reasoned that "only a god could defeat a demi-god (Iraklis - the other city team at that time - means Hercules )".

The emblem of the team is the god of war resting, always on guard to fight if necessary. The colors of the team are yellow and black, reminiscent of Byzantium, where Thessaloniki has always been the second most important city of the Empire after Constantinople itself.

Distinctions came early as Aris won the Salonica championship in 1928 and proceeded to defeat the champions of Athens (Atromitos) and the champions of Piraeus (Ethnikos) to win the first ever Greek football championship.

Since then Aris have had their ups and downs and have been relegated twice to the B' Division: in 1997 and in 2005.

In 2006, under coach Nikos Anastopoulos, Aris made a triumphant return to the First Division and achieved entry into the UEFA Cup competition the following year.

Titles:

Championships

Greek Cup

Star Players

Some of the best players to wear Aris jersey:

20s - 40s


50s - 60s



70s - 80s


90s - 2000s

2010s - present

Coaches

Milestones

  • March 25, 1914 - The clubs is founded
  • March 19, 1923 - In the first official game of his football history Aris beats Iraklis 2-0.
  • April 23, 1923 - Aris beats YMCA of Thessaloniki 5-0 and is declared Champion in the 1st Championship of Thessaloniki.
  • June 24, 1928 - Aris defeat Ethnikos Piraeus 3-1 to clinch the first football championship in Greek history.
  • October 4, 1931 - Aris hand Panathinaikos their worst defeat ever in the Greek Cup 7-2.
  • September 22, 1968 - Aris defeat Hibernian 6-0 in Malta and pass into the second round of the Cup of Fairs (present-day UEFA Cup) - the first team from northern Greece to achieve qualification in a European competition.
  • June 28, 1970 - Aris win the Greek Football Cup by defeating PAOK in the final 1-0
  • September 19, 1979 - Aris defeat Benfica 3-1 for the UEFA Cup. The Portuguese side will fail to make up the difference in the 2nd leg.
  • November 7, 1979 - Aris triumph 3-0 against Perugia - on Italian soil - for the UEFA Cup.
  • May 25, 1997 - Despite defeating Apollon Athens in Athens (1-2) in the last game of the season, Aris is relegated to the B' Division
  • May 14, 2006: A 3-1 win over Kerkyra FC in the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium gave Aris the third place in the rankings (54 points) and a triumphant return to the First Division.
  • October 4, 2007: Despite losing 2-1, Aris eliminate heavily-favoured Real Zaragoza from the UEFA Cup (first leg 1-0).
  • December 1, 2010: Aris defeat Atletico Madrid 3-2 and become the first Greek club to win a European competition match on Spanish soil. Previously, Greek clubs had recorded 6 draws and 41 losses in 47 games.