2004’s Heroes

The BBC has a decent “where are they now” article that looks at the Greek stars of the Euro 2004 team. For AEK fans, the article is a bit depressing. It reminds us that AEK supplied five star players to 2004 national team squad that conquered Europe. It then slowly peels the scab back and further reminds us that AEK’s financial troubles led the club to off-load all of these players. This contrasts starkly with the 2008 national team that features only two AEK players, Dellas, the commanding though aging and injury-prone center-back, and Lyberopoulos, the wily goal-scorer now used only as an impact sub by Otto.

Ah, well, brighter days ahead, right? The club is back on solid financial footing and emerging AEK talents are forcing their way into the national spotlight. Papastathopoulos came very close to making the Euro 2008 squad before becoming the last man dropped by Otto as he needed to reduce the squad from 24 to 23 men pursuant to tournament regulations. Furthermore, AEK’s Pavlis is leading the Under 19 squad on their own European ascent. Let’s hope to see more of these two youngsters in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.