Aris FC

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 - Iraklis meaning 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.

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 were relegated in 2005 to the B' Division for only the second time in their history.

In 2006, under coach Nikos Anastopoulos, Aris made a triumphant return to the First Division.

Titles:

Championships

• 1928
• 1932
• 1946

Greek Cup

• 1970

Star Players

Some of the best players to wear Aris jersey:

20s - 40s

Kleanthis Vikelidis Nikiforos Vikelidis Kostas Vikelidis Nikos Kitsos Iordanis Vogdanou Nikos Katrantzos Kostas Koumblis Alekos Oikonomou Charalambos Leontaridis Zaren Minasian Kostas Gikopoulos Yiannis Nakopoulos Nikos Angelakis Iakovos Yiakoumis Dimitris Oplopoios Vasilis Ioannidis Kriton Kaloyiannis

Argyris Argyriadis Panagiotis Katsaounis Th. Befas Dionysis Kaltekis Simos Kaftantzis Nikos Karagavriilidis Kostas Akritidis Daniil Danelian Laskaridis Angelos Vasiliadis Vasilis Grigoriadis Lefteris Chalivopoulos Vahak Abrahamian Kostas Velliadis

Michalis Koloniaris Yiannis Liakopoulos Nikos Tsonas Dimitris Stavrakbeis Alekos Siotis Demosthenes Hadjinikolaou Takis Nikolaidis Achilleas Magras Kostas Gotsis Leonidas Pozanis Tasos Vougiouklis Michalis Koidis

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50s - 60s

Dimitris Kazantzis Dimitris Evangelinos Kostas Delardas Giorgos Gantinas Alketas Panagoulias Yiannis Nalbandis Thanasis Karras Lakis Sofianos Christos Nanakos Ahparidis Kemalidis Perros Papoutsopoulos Grigoriadis Paschalidis Hadjikostas Sismanidis Mufit Kalliontzis Kaldirimtzis Giorgos Pantelakos

Dimitris Siourthas Stefanos Demiris Danabasis Athanasiadis Vangelis Petrakis Pantsidis Sophocles Semertzis Vasilis Psifidis Mimis Gribelakos Nikos Philippou Nikos Christidis Alekos Alexiadis Giorgos Konstantinidis Vangelis Syropoulos Theodoros Spanopoulos Angelos Spyridon Manolis Keramidas Kostas Papaioannou

Yilma Katama Takis Loukanidis Christos Nalbandis

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70s - 80s

Koumarias Yiannis Venos Kostas Drambis Spiros Kapernekas Balafas Stelios Papafloratos Isaakidis Giorgos Pantziaras

Yiannis Michalitsios Giorgos Foiros Theodoros Pallas Giorgos Semertzidis Theodoros Zelelidis Dinos Ballis Ole Skoboe Giorgos Zindros Walter Wagner

Dinos Kouis Kostas Charalambidis Kostas Hadjiantoniou Christos Savvidis Yiannis Tzifopoulos Kostas Oikonomidis Alekos Katsiaounis Leonidas Vosdou Babis Mystakidis

Andreas Anagnostou Vasilis Dimitriadis Antonis Yioukoudis Christos Karkamanis Kostas Mouratidis Kostas Tarasis Limniatis

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90s through today

Vangelis Koentas Christos Tsaousidis Kostas Konstantinidis Kostas Kolomitrousis Giorgos Koltsidas Giorgos Stratilatis Theodoros Dalkidis Ivan Silva Santos Savvas Kofidis Arthur Lekbelo Antonis Sapountzis Zoran Loncar Lubisa Milojevic Giorgos S. Georgiadis Stavros Lambriakos

Angelos Charisteas Theofanis Katergiannakis Apostolos Liolidis Nikos Kyzeridis Agapitos Ambelas Traianos Dellas Vasilis Kouvalis Dimitris Mavrogenidis Manolis Mitsopoulos Kostas Pozapalidis Fabricio Sylvani Anastasios Zachopoulos Kostas Loumboutis Michalis Panopoulos Sasha Simonovic

Giorgos Strantzalis Nikos Tsiantakis Theofanis Tountziaris Giorgos Koutsis Yiannis Mallous Maurice Nassief Dimitris Markos Andreas Skentzos Giorgos Barkoglou Joel Epalle Nagoli Kennedy Giorgos Theodoris Ilija Ivic Thomas Kyparissis Kostas Frantzeskos

Kostas Chalkias Pablo Coira Avraam Papadopoulos Efthymis Koulocheris Ronald Garcia Ruben Palazuelos Alex Perez Petros Passalis Kostas Nebegleras Javito Paulo Costa Koke

Coaches

• De Valer
• Gyula Antal
• Bela Palffy
• Svedislav Glisovic
• Severiano Coreira
• Milovan Ciric
• Wilf McGuinness
• Branko Stankovic
• Alketas Panagoulias
• Dobromir Zhechev
• Ruhl
• Apostol Cacevski
• Jose Pepe Sasia
• Frank Blanstone
• Michal Vican
• Dietmar Kramer
• Antonis Georgiadis
• Thijs Librechts
• Gerd Prokop
• Jacek Gmoch
• Ivan Vutsov
• Giorgos Foiros
• Yiannis Tzifopoulos
• Jozef Jarabinski
• Stavros Diamantopoulos
• Juan Ramon Rocha
• Giorgos Paraschos
• Ilija Petkovic
• Babis Tenes
• Richard Tardi
• Bernd Krauss
• Yiannis Michalitsios
• Ole Skoboe
• Giorgos Pantziaras
• Makis Katsavakis
• Nikos Anastopoulos
• Guillermo Hoyos
• Quique Hernandez

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.
• May 25, 1997 - Although he beat 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.