Football-AEK-Today the funeral of Mimi Papaioannou The body of Mimi Papaioannou, the legendary ace of AEK Athens, who passed away on Wednesday (15/3), has been placed on a popular pilgrimage since this morning. The service will take place at 14:00 at the Holy Church of Agia Triada, directly opposite the main entrance of the new AEK Athens stadium in Nea Filadelfia. Afterwards, Mimis Papaioannou will be transferred to his «last residence» at the Municipal Cemetery of Markopoulo Messogaia, where he will be buried, at the expense of AEK FC.
The top Greek footballer of the 20th century, as named by the International Football Statistics Service (IFFHS) in 2000, was born on 23 August 1942 in Nea Nikomideia, Imathia. It was there that he first played football, before Veroia acquired him in 1959. For a record fee, for the time, of 175 thousand drachmas, AEK would manage to acquire him in 1962. He was to be one of the most important signings in AEK's history, which he served until 1979, winning 5 Championships and 3 Cups. Together with Kostas Nestoridis and the other great aces of the era, they led the «Union» to the title in 1963. After the 1963 title, he starred in the championships of 1968, 1971, 1978 and 1979, the Cups of 1964, 1966 and 1978, the participation in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 1968-69 and the semi-finals of UEFA in 1977. He even sealed the last qualification, that in the quarter-finals against Queens Park Rangers, scoring the third goal with an unstoppable header (with his renowned ability to stand in the air) that took the game to extra time and then to penalties, where AEK qualified. Mimis Papaioannou was the all-time leading scorer for AEK, with 289 goals in 566 appearances. His 236 in 481 appearances in the A’ National League. He was also top scorer in the league, in 1964 and 1966. In the Greek national team he played 61 times with 21 goals».
GEORGE MANDAEUS
