History of Paok

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PAOK, the Panthessalonikeios Athlitikos Omilos Konstantinoupoliton (Greek: Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινουπολιτών, the All-Thessaloniki Sports Club of Constantinopolitans), is a sports club in Thessaloniki, Greece. PAOK! cultivates many sports, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, water polo, swimming, wrestling and weightlifting. PAOK was founded at 1926 and its colors are black and white. Because of its distinctive crest, it is also known as the "Double-headed eagle of the North", in contrast with the other Greek club of Constantinopolitan origin, AEK Athens, the "Double-headed eagle of the South".PAOK's main foes are the teams of the Greek capital Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, and AEK and the other Thessaloniki teams Aris and Iraklis. Aris is the oldest and eternal rival of PAOK, both on the local and national level, while the derby against Olympiacos is the fiercest, representing more than any other the animosity between Athens and Thessaloniki. The rivalry started in the 1960s when Olympiacos tried to "steal" Giorgos Koudas, one of the best players of his time, from PAOK, through direct negotiations with the player.