Why AEK Athens Is More Important Than Cristiano Ronaldo

By: Chris Paraskevas | June 15th, 2009

It would be interesting to actually find out from Daryl whether the above headline attracted more than the usual hard-core element of this blog following – for all of you who were trapped into coming to this site for the first time by the name of the Portuguese ‘Peacock’ as one British tabloid so aptly described him, I welcome you!

Yes, yes it is a tad pathetic that I unashamedly used the CR7/CR9/CReal/CRPcock brand to trick you into it but in the modern football world, where morals are about as present as Newcastle United in the English Premier League, I say why the hell not…

Oh and if you were looking for a justification for as to why AEK Athens is more important than Cristiano Ronaldo, then prepare to be bitterly disappointed (though I will take requests to dedicate a separate blog to it).

Now, for all of you who have stuck around beyond the last paragraph, a real treat: an update on AEK’s transfer dealings! *Cue unbridled cyber-joy*

In comes Nikos Karabelas for what appears to be a free transfer from Aris – descriptions of the player on a resident Greek Soccer forum suggest he is solid but unspectacular, in keeping with the recent traditions of the club and from vague memories of his performances last year it might be an adequate description – while Romanian prodigy (or so Wikipedia would have you believe) Ilie Iordache has arrived in Athens and is set to sign.

Rafik Djebbour is set to exit meanwhile, with the most likely destination former club Panionios with promising midfielder Grigorios Makos going the other way (though reports had previously linked him with 1860 Munich).

And prepare for the greatest of indignities when Kostas Katsouranis finally is confirmed as a Panathinaikos player; the former AEK darling shouldn’t expect a particularly rosy reception when he faces his former club wearing green…

(Photo is of Iordache…)