Asteras Tripolis F.C.

Asteras Tripolis

Full name	Αθλητικός Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Αστέρας Τρίπολης (Athletic Gymnastic Club Asteras Tripolis)
Nickname(s)	The Yellow-Blues Arkádes (Arcadians)
Founded	26 March 1931; 93 years ago (1931-03-26)
Ground	Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium
Capacity	7,442
Owner(s)	Dimitrios Bakos Giannis Kaimenakis
President	Georgios Borovilos
Head coach	Milan Rastavac
League	Super League Greece
2022–23	Super League Greece, 10th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Asteras Tripolis Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Αστέρας Τρίπολης), commonly referred to as Asteras Tripolis (meaning "Star of Tripoli"), is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Tripoli in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Founded on 26 March 1931, their badge has Theodoros Kolokotronis on his horse and they have yellow and blue worn as home kit. Its home ground is the Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium, a 7,442-capacity stadium in Tripoli.

In domestic football, Asteras Tripolis has been in Super League, the Greek top professional league, since the 2007–08 season. They were runners-up of the Greek Cup in 2013 and have reached the semi-finals of the competition overall four times.

Asteras Tripolis has also competed two seasons in the UEFA Europa League group stage and overall five seasons in the competition. The club is in 10th place between the 19 teams with contribution of points in European football for Greece.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

Asteras Tripolis was founded in 1931, in the area near Tripoli's railway station and was formally recognised forthwith. However, the club stayed inactive and during 1932 all football clubs in Tripoli were temporarily dissolved. At the same time, Minas Tsavdaris founded a football club and named it "Keramikos" after his home area.^[1] Despite his efforts, Keramikos was never formally recognised, and in 1938 Tsavdaris decided to transfer all of the club's players to Asteras Tripolis, which was still legally recognised.^[1] This signified the revival of the club and Asteras Tripolis managed to compete in the inaugural season (1939–40) of the regional Arcadian League. However, the subsequent German occupation of Greece ended all league competitions abruptly and the club was dissolved once again.

Post-World War II[edit]

After World War II, Asteras Tripolis was reformed under the name "Neos Asteras" and was accordingly recognised by Tripoli's courts on 23 June 1947.^[1] Asteras Tripolis won five consecutive titles in the Arcadian League (1957–62). The team won consecutive promotions and managed to play for two seasons in Second National Division (1961–63), thus becoming the first team from Tripoli to ever participate in such a high division.^[1] In the summer of 1963, Asteras Tripolis merged with Aris–Atromitos and the new team was named "Athlitikos Omilos Tripolis" (Athletic Club of Tripoli, AOT). AOT's function was based in Asteras Tripolis' statute and the new club continued its activities until 1968, when it was dissolved once again and was subsequently merged with Arkadikos to form Panarkadikos.

Recent history and era of success (2003–present)[edit]

Asteras Tripolis was reformed again in 1978.^[1] The club participated in the regional Arcadian League until 2003. At 2001 the club entered a new era and led an outstanding streak of performances under the leadership of Dimitris Bakos and Giannis Kaimenakis. They remained unbeaten at home for over 5 years (from 2001 to November 2006) and they managed to move up four divisions, earning the promotion for the Super League Greece as Second Division champions on 12 May 2007.

Asteras Tripolis made a spectacular start in their first season in Super League, under the technical leadership of Paulo Campos. Their first ever win was against Panathinaikos (1–0^[2] in Tripoli) and their first away win against OFI in Crete (3–0).^[3] The season was marked by some outstanding performances with the most memorable being the 1–0 home victory against champions Olympiacos. They also managed to win 2–1 against AEK Athens and 2–0 against PAOK at home. Asteras Tripolis became the first and only newly promoted Super League team that managed to beat Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, PAOK (home and away) and AEK Athens in its first ever appearance in the top division. It is remarkable that the team of that season made Asteras Tripolis popular in Greek fans as "Greek Boca" because of its Argentinian players (Lucio Filomeno, Horacio Cardozo, Mauro Milano, Israel Damonte etc.) and the mutual colours of the club with the famous Boca Juniors.

Coach Paulo Campos left Asteras Tripolis on 24 February 2008^[4] with assistant manager Panagiotis Tzanavaras taking over for the rest of the 2007–08 season. Asteras Tripolis finally ended 7th, missing the European spot in the last games. In the summer of 2008, Asteras Tripolis announced Carlos Carvalhal as their new manager.^[5] He was sacked in mid-season due to poor results which led the team near the relegation zone.^[6] He was succeeded by former AEK Athens caretaker manager, Nikos Kostenoglou.^[7] Despite the unfortunate results in Super League, the team managed to remain focused on the goal of the Greek Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the first time in its history, where finally eliminated by Olympiacos. In 2009, Asteras Tripolis signed the Argentine former Internazionale assistant Mario Gómez as their new coach.

Fülöp

Kourbelis

Sankaré

Tsabouris

Pipinis

Usero

Kontoes

Rayos (c)

Navarro

De Blasis

Perrone

2013 Greek Cup Final starting lineup vs. Olympiacos (4-5-1)

After a season with moderate results that led Asteras Tripolis to 12th place finish in Super League, the next season was coming to get worse the status of the club. In the 2010–11 season, after some wrong player choices and a disappointing 2nd round, Asteras Tripolis dealt relegation hammer blow. However, on 19 May 2011, the Disciplinary Committee of the competition found Iraklis guilty of forgery during the winter transfer window. Therefore the club was automatically put at the end of the league table and demoted to the Football League. This development resulted in Asteras Tripolis remaining in Super League.

In the 2011–12 season, Asteras Tripolis reached the 6th place and failed to qualify for the Play-offs. However, AEK Athens was not licensed to play in the 2012–13 Europa League and therefore replaced by the 6th placed team in the league table, Asteras Tripolis. That was the first participation of the club in UEFA competitions. The season completed with another participation of the club in Greek Cup semi-finals, in which the team eliminated after an exciting 2nd leg match against Atromitos in Tripoli.

The 2012–13 season was one of the most memorable in Asteras Tripolis' history. The club competed in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round and won its first qualification to a next round in European level, eliminating the Azerbaijani, Inter Baku.^[8] In Super League, the club took a step ahead, finishing third(and fourth in the play-offs) and secured a place for the 2013–14 Europa League.^[9] However, the highlight of the season was the outstanding road of the team, under the technical leadership of Sakis Tsiolis, to the first Greek Cup final in club's history. The "Arcadians" lost 1–3 against Olympiacos after extra time and as 13,000 supporters of the yellow-blues were at the Olympic Stadium of Athens.^[10]

In the 2014–15 season, Asteras Tripolis took another step ahead in European level, reaching the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage for the first time in club's history, after a streak of qualifications against RoPS, Mainz 05 and Maccabi Tel Aviv. In the Group C, Asteras Tripolis won six points and finished third against Tottenham Hotspur, Beşiktaş and Partizan. In Super league, Asteras Tripolis finished in 3rd place, its highest place in the league table until these days. Also, the main striker of the squad, Jerónimo Barrales, emerged top goalscorer in 2014-15 Super League Greece.

In the next season, 2015–16, Asteras Tripolis secured his direct participation in the Europa League group stage as finished third in the 2014-15 Super League. In the Group K, the club won four points and finished third again, with rivals Schalke 04, Sparta Prague and APOEL. Although during the 2016-17 Super League season, Asteras Tripolis finished 12th, in the next season, the club finished fifth, securing a place in the second qualifying round of 2018–19 Europa League.

Crests and colours[edit]

Crests[edit]

• 
  Original
• 
  2000s
• 
  2006–2020
• 
  Current

The original crest of the club is the star symbol in the traditional colors of the team, yellow and blue. Over the following decades, different versions of the crest were introduced with minor changes. In 2006 first appeared the version that was coming to connect with the most recent glorious days of the club, until the summer of 2020. With the motto "The story has no end", the club presented the new crest on July 21, 2020. The star symbol is maintained in the highest position, as the symbol with which the club traveled through time, since 1931. Also, the new crest connects the club with the most special monument of its city, the statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis, the Greek general and pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence. The statue, located in Areos Square since September 1971, was made to present Theodoros Kolokotronis in battle and his bones are kept there. At the same time, with the phrase "ET IN ARCADIA EGO" written on it, the new crest seals the relationship of the club with the whole of Arcadia.

Colours and kit evolution[edit]

First

2006–08[11][12]

2007–08[13]

2008–09

2009–12

2012–13

2013–14[14]

2014–15

2015–16

2016–17

2017–18

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

2021–22

Alternative

2005–06[15]

2009–10

2010–12[16]

2012–13[17][18]

2013–14

2014–15[19]

2016–17

2017–18

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

2021–22

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors[edit]

Kit manufacturer	Period	Shirt sponsor
Umbro	2003–06	—
Lotto	2006–10	Opap
	2010–12	Lotto
Nike	2012–15
	2015–17	Stoiximan.gr
Macron	2017–18
	2018–19	Volton
	2019–20	Interwetten
	2020–	Volton

Stadium[edit]

Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium (formally Asteras Tripolis Stadium) is a privately owned football stadium in Tripoli, Greece. Its capacity is 7,600. The stadium was built in 1979. After the team's promotion in the Football League in 2005, the stadium was renovated and its capacity expanded, including the east stand, which also houses the club's offices, a gym and changing rooms, a lounge, etc. In 2007, with the rise of Asteras Tripolis in the Super League, the western theater was built, housing the journalists and VIP posts, and a small square on the south side was also added for use mainly by the fans of the hosted team. In 2008, the northern beam was constructed. In 2010, the southern beam was reconstructed and expanded. In 2015, on the occasion of the Asteras Tripolis team's participation in the Europa League (2015–16) groups, for the second time in its history and the second consecutive parallel but also the fourth consecutive year of the group's presence in general (the first two only in the qualifiers), several remarkable interventions were carried out on the stadium, mainly in its interior, such as changing rooms and the press room, etc.^[20]

On 27 November 2011, in the match between Asteras Tripolis and Olympiacos for the 11th season of the championship (2011–12), the spectators arrived at the stadium with 6,150 tickets.^[21]

The stadium was renamed on 22 November 2012 in honour of the hero of the Greek War of Independence, Theodoros Kolokotronis.^[22]

Also, the club has proposed a new stadium, the New Asteras Tripolis Stadium.^[23]

Domestic record[edit]

Divisional history[edit]

• 16 seasons in Super League.
• 3 seasons in Second Division.
• 1 season in Third Division.
• 5 seasons in Fourth Division.

Recent seasons[edit]

European record[edit]

UEFA club coefficient ranking[edit]

As of the end of the 2021–22 season

Rank	Team	Points
213	Connah's Quay Nomads	5.750
214	Aris Thessaloniki	5.640
215	OFI Crete	5.640
216	Atromitos	5.640
217	Asteras Tripolis	5.640
218	Panathinaikos	5.640
219	Panionios	5.640
220	1. FC Slovácko	5.560

Source: [1]

By season[edit]

Last update: As of the end of the 2021–22 season

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2012–13	UEFA Europa League	2Q	Inter Baku	1–1	1–1	2–2 (4–2 p)
		3Q	Marítimo	1–1	0–0	1–1 (a)
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	3Q	Rapid Wien	1–1	1–3	2–4
2014–15	UEFA Europa League	2Q	RoPS	4–2	1–1	5–3
		3Q	Mainz 05	3–1	0–1	3–2
		PO	Maccabi Tel Aviv	2–0	1–3	3–3 (a)
		Group C	Tottenham Hotspur	1–2	1–5	3rd place
			Beşiktaş	2–2	1–1
			Partizan	2–0	0–0
2015–16	UEFA Europa League	Group K	Schalke 04	0–4	0–4	3rd place
			APOEL	2–0	1–2
			Sparta Prague	1–1	0–1
2018–19	UEFA Europa League	2Q	Hibernian	1–1	2–3	3–4

Notes

• 1R: First round
• 2Q: Second qualifying round
• 3Q: Third qualifying round
• PO: Play-off round

Notable wins[edit]

Honours[edit]

National[edit]

• Greek Cup
  • Runners-up: 2012–13
• Beta Ethniki (Second Division)
  • Winners: 2006–07
• Gamma Ethniki (Third Division)
  • Winners: 2005–06
• Delta Ethniki (Fourth Division)
  • Winners: 2004–05

Regional[edit]

• Arcadian Championship
  • Winners (8): 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1987–88, 1989–90, 2002–03
• Arcadian Cup
  • Winners (4): 1988–89, 1989–90, 2003–04, 2004–05
• Arcadian Double
  • Winners (1): 1989–90

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

As of 27 January 2024^[24]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  GRE Nikos Papadopoulos (vice-captain) 2 DF  ESP Rubén García 3 DF  GRE Diamantis Chouchoumis 4 MF  NIR Sean Goss 5 MF  BLR Yevgeny Yablonsky 6 MF  ESP José Luis Valiente (third-captain) 7 MF  ARG Julián Bartolo 8 MF  ARG Juan Munafo (captain) 9 FW  ARG Juan Miritello (on loan from Defensa y Justicia) 10 MF  ARG Julián Palacios (on loan from San Lorenzo) 11 FW  ESP Xesc Regis 12 DF  ESP David Carmona 14 FW  GRE Vasilios Mantzis 18 DF  ESP Pichu Atienza 19 DF  ESP Pepe Castaño

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 MF  GRE Nikos Kaltsas 21 MF  GRE Vasilios Sourlis 22 DF  GRE Lefteris Lyratzis (on loan from PAOK) 29 DF  ARG Federico Álvarez 30 DF  CRO Dino Grozdanić 33 GK  GRE Fotis Sgouris 39 DF  GRE Ilias Christopoulos 40 MF  ESP Sito 45 DF  GRE Giannis Christopoulos 69 DF  NGA Oluwatobiloba Alagbe 70 GK  GRE Nikos Grammatikakis 77 MF  GRE Nikos Zouglis 87 DF  BIH Ervin Zukanović 97 FW  GRE Georgios Kosteas 99 GK  GRE Antonis Tsiftsis

Reserves and Academy[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 51 DF  GRE Athanasios Christopoulos 66 MF  GRE Thomas Papadimitriou 74 DF  GRE Dimitrios Laskaris 78 FW  GRE Marios Dervishi 79 DF  GRE Vasilios Kaperdas

No. Pos. Nation Player 80 MF  GRE Angelos Papadopoulos 90 MF  GRE Alexandros Kedikoglou 91 GK  GRE Theofilos Kakadiaris 92 MF  GRE Denis Kala 95 MF  GRE Charalampos Kallanxhi

Out on loan[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  NGA Mubaraq Adeshina (at Diagoras until 30 June 2024) — MF  GRE Georgios Prountzos (at Panachaiki until 30 June 2024)

Notable former players[edit]

The list includes footballers who have played at least 40 official matches for Asteras Tripolis. The total appearances and goals comprise those in Super League, Greek Cup, Football League Greece, Gamma Ethniki and UEFA Europa League.

Name Nat. Pos. Asteras Tripolis career Apps Goals Nikos Chatzopoulos Defender 2004–2009 – – Ilias Anastasakos Forward 2004–2006 61 29 Kostas Papadopoulos Midfielder 2004–2007 – – Kostas Kalogiannidis Defender 2004–2007 – – Michalis Klokidis Forward 2004–2007 – – Rogerio Martins Midfielder 2005–2012 102 13 Giannis Symeonidis Goalkeeper 2005–2007 – – Savvas Panteliadis Midfielder 2005–2008 – – Nikos Lazaridis Defender 2006–2010 127 3 Antonis Ladakis Midfielder 2006–2012 110 2 Petros Kanakoudis Defender 2006–2009 75 6 Patrick Zoundi Forward 2006–2008 45 7 Carlos Massara Defender 2006–2008 51 – Horacio Cardozo Midfielder 2007–2010 76 2 Lucio Filomeno Forward 2007–2009 60 20 Danijel Cesarec Forward 2007–2010 78 29 Giorgos Abaris Goalkeeper 2007–2010 55 – Sokratis Fytanidis Defender 2007–2011 90 1 Jaouad Zairi Forward 2007–2009 45 – Flavio Pinto Defender 2007–2009 41 – Adrian Bastia Midfielder 2008–2011 81 7 Bruno Urribarri Defender 2008–2011 66 – Marcelão Defender 2008–2010 54 8 Leonidas Argyropoulos Defender 2008–2012 54 1 Chigozie Udoji Forward 2009–2011 52 6 Sebastián Carrera Midfielder 2009–2011 50 4 Sebastián Bartolini Defender 2009–2014 88 6 Matías Degra Goalkeeper 2009–2011 40 – Christos Pipinis Defender 2010–2013 68 3 Savvas Tsabouris Defender 2010–2014 102 3 Anastasios Bakasetas Forward 2010–2012 42 4 Rubén Pulido Defender 2010–2012 45 4 Ximo Navarro Forward 2011–2014 95 15

Name Nat. Pos. Asteras Tripolis career Apps Goals Fernando Usero Midfielder 2011–2015 127 14 Rubén Rayos Forward 2011–2013 79 18 Georgios Bantis Goalkeeper 2011–2016 50 – Dimitris Kourbelis Midfielder 2011–2016 131 3 Emanuel Perrone Forward 2011–2013 54 17 Leandro Álvarez Defender 2011–2013 61 1 Lautaro Formica Defender 2011–2014 61 1 Khalifa Sankaré Defender 2012–2016 125 10 Pablo de Blasis Forward 2012–2014 90 20 Giannis Kontoes Defender 2013–2014 49 – Giorgos Zisopoulos Defender 2013–2016 120 3 Dorin Goian Defender 2013–2016 89 4 Braian Lluy Defender 2013–2016 107 2 Giorgos Kyriakopoulos Defender 2013–2019 74 6 Jerónimo Barrales Forward 2013–2015 2019–2023 195 59 Pablo Mazza Forward 2014–2017 113 23 Martín Rolle Midfielder 2014–2015 2018–2019 66 5 Nico Midfielder 2014–2016 64 9 Tomáš Košický Goalkeeper 2014–2017 40 – Thanasis Panteliadis Defender 2014–2016 59 – Tasos Tsokanis Defender 2014–2016 48 2 Kostas Theodoropoulos Goalkeeper 2014–2016 42 – Rachid Hamdani Defender 2015–2017 63 1 Kostas Giannoulis Defender 2015–2018 87 1 Elini Dimoutsos Defender 2015–2017 53 3 Matías Iglesias Midfielder 2015–2023 217 18 Facundo Bertoglio Midfielder 2015–2016 2022–2023 47 2 Giorgos Athanasiadis Goalkeeper 2016–2019 58 – Kostas Triantafyllopoulos Defender 2016–2019 75 1 Kosmas Tsilianidis Midfielder 2016–2019 86 8 Nikos Kaltsas Forward 2016–2019 87 14

Name Nat. Pos. Asteras Tripolis career Apps Goals Giannis Kotsiras Defender 2016–2021 135 3 Michalis Manias Forward 2017–2019 84 27 Martín Tonso Forward 2017–2019 40 8 Anastasios Douvikas Forward 2017–2020 52 4 Triantafyllos Pasalidis Defender 2017–2021 98 5 Christos Tasoulis Defender 2017–2023 76 3 Marc Fernández Forward 2018–2020 60 14 Ángel Martínez Defender 2018–2020 47 2 Dani Suárez Defender 2019–2021 55 5 Borja Fernández Midfielder 2019–2021 44 – Luis Fernández Forward 2019–2021 48 18 Adrián Riera Midfielder 2019–2023 114 12 Eneko Capilla Midfielder 2019–2023 45 2 Léo Tilica Midfielder 2020–2023 81 4

Source:^{[citation needed]}

¹ Football League Greece as level 2 on pyramid of Greek football league system.

² Gamma Ethniki as level 3 on pyramid of Greek football league system.

Affiliated clubs[edit]

• Villarreal^[25]
• Juventus^[26][27]

Personnel[edit]

Executive
Owners	Dimitrios Bakos Giannis Kaimenakis
President	Georgios Borovilos
A' Vice-President	Dimitrios Kenes
B' Vice-President	Dimitrios Borovilos
Coaching staff
Head coach	Milan Rastavac
Assistant head coaches	Goran Šaula Vladimir Ilić
Fitness coach	Pavlos Gotsis
Goalkeeper coach	Christos Tseliopoulos
Performance coach	Theodoros Tsilimigras
Rehabilitation coach	Georgios Prionas

Managerial history[edit]

• Giannis Petrakis (2004 – 6 January 2006)
• Lysandros Georgamlis (January 2006 – 6 May)
• Giannis Papakostas (June 2006 – 6 December)
• Paulo Campos (29 November 2006 – 2 February 2008)
• Panagiotis Tzanavaras (25 February 2008 – 13 May 2008)
• Carlos Carvalhal (14 May 2008 – 15 October 2008)
• Nikos Kostenoglou (20 November 2008 – 18 May 2009)
• Mario Gómez (1 July 2009 – 25 October 2009)
• Vangelis Vlachos (26 October 2009 – 17 January 2011)
• Pavlos Dermitzakis (21 January 2011 – 17 May 2011)
• Óscar Fernández (15 June 2011 – 19 September 2011)
• Horácio Gonçalves (19 September 2011 – 7 November 2011)
• Sakis Tsiolis (9 November 2011 – 30 September 2013)
• Staikos Vergetis (2 October 2013 – 29 January 2016)
• Dimitrios Terezopoulos (30 January 2016 – 28 February 2016)
• Makis Chavos (29 February 2016 – 26 September 2016)
• Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos (27 September 2016 – 18 February 2017)
• Apostolos Charalampidis (19 February 2016 – 8 March 2017)
• Staikos Vergetis (9 March 2017 – 10 September 2017)
• Savvas Pantelidis (10 September 2017 – 12 November 2018)
• Georgios Paraschos (12 November 2018 – 17 May 2019)
• Borja Jiménez (6 July 2019 – 4 December 2019)
• Milan Rastavac (5 December 2019 – 15 May 2022)
• Iraklis Metaxas (9 June 2022 – 23 December 2023)
• Akis Mantzios (4 January 2023 – 4 April 2023)
• Giannis Douvikas (10 April 2023 – 30 June 2023)
• Milan Rastavac (1 July 2023 – Present)

See also[edit]

• Tigers Ultras

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asteras Tripoli F.C..

Official websites

• Official website (in English and Greek)
• Asteras Tripolis at the Super League official website (in English and Greek)
• Asteras Tripolis at the UEFA official website
• Asteras Tripolis at the FIFA official website

News sites

• Asteras Tripolis on arcadiasports.gr (in Greek)
• Asteras Tripolis news Archived 19 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine from Nova Sports

Other

• Asteras Tripolis stadium at stadia.gr (in Greek)