Panathinaikos Logo PNG
The players’ luck and good health are at the heart of the victories the Panathinaikos logo demonstrates. Athletes play for the soul, and the awards they receive are the result of training and a constantly maintained sports tone.
On February 3, 1908, Giorgos Kalafatis founded Podosfairikos Omilos Athinon in Athens after exposure to football at the 1906 Intercalated Games. The project grew out of a split with Panellinios G.S., which had discontinued its football team.
The team initially used red and white, switching to green and white in 1910. In 1918, a shamrock emblem was introduced. Regional titles followed in 1921 and 1922. On March 15, 1924, the club adopted the name Panathinaikos FC. It became a multi-sport organization, with its ground established on Alexandras Avenue.
The first national title came in 1930, with domestic cups in 1940 and 1948. During the 1950s and 1960s, Panathinaikos secured seven championships, including an unbeaten season in 1963–64. Rivalry with Olympiacos FC defined the domestic landscape.
In 1970, Ferenc Puskás became coach and led the club to the 1971 European Cup final, where it eliminated Everton F.C. and Red Star Belgrade. On June 2, 1971, Panathinaikos lost 0:2 to AFC Ajax at Wembley, then faced Club Nacional in the Intercontinental Cup.
Further European runs included a 1985 semi-final against Liverpool F.C. In 1996, the club defeated Ajax away but exited at the same stage. In 2002, it reached the Champions League quarter-finals, eliminating Arsenal FC before losing to FC Barcelona.
The last league title came in 2010. Financial strain affected the following decade. In 2024, Panathinaikos won the Greek Cup against Aris F.C., returning to European competition.
Meaning and History
The man who came up with the idea of making the shamrock the team’s symbol was himself a football player. Michalis Papazoglou joined Panathinaikos in the early 1910s when most players left the club due to a conflict between board members. If not for this event, the PAO might never have had its iconic emblem. Georgios Chatzopoulos, who later became the president of the sports organization, took part in its development.
What is Panathinaikos?
Panathinaikos is a football club from Athens, Greece, that has never left the Super League. They have achieved significant success, winning 20 Greek Championships, 19 Greek Cups, and 3 Greek Super Cups. The team is among the top 3 sports organizations in the country, showcasing the highest achievements in football.
1908 – 1909
The first Panathinaikos logo featured a soccer ball, which was later adopted as a symbol. He was inside a light circle placed in the center of the ring. The name Podosferikos Omilos Athinon was written around the edges in the Greek alphabet.
1910 – 1917
A new era in the club’s history began in 1910, when the founder, Giorgos Kalafatis, left, along with most of the players. Thanks to this, new players were added to the team, including Michalis Papazoglou, who later played a significant role in creating the iconic identity.
During the same period, green and white were recognized as part of the official palette. As a result, the club has a green-and-white circular logo depicting a running man in the shape of Panathinaikos, with a Greek inscription.
1918 – 1921
In 1918, the Greek athlete Michalis Papazoglou proposed adopting the trefoil as the team’s symbol, a sign of luck, unity, and harmony. Perhaps the footballer got this idea from Billy Sherring: when a marathon runner won a medal at the 1906 Olympic Games, he wore a green shamrock on his chest. On the Panathinaikos emblem, this element was inside a white circle, set within a ring bearing the club’s Greek name.
1922 – 1929
In 1922, the sports organization was renamed Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos. Immediately after the rebranding, the designers changed the logo. They removed the long lettering and the green line separating the circle and the ring. This made it possible to move the trefoil upward, leaving space below for the club’s year. The only hint of the name is the letters “Π,” “A,” and “O,” located on top of three leaves.
1930 – 1959
The white circle had a ring again – this time, a dark green one. All the inscriptions were transferred to it: the abbreviation “ΠAO” (above) and the number “1908” (below). The shamrock, letters, numbers, and the ring’s outline turned brown.
1960 – 1969
For the first time, the club broke tradition by using a triangular shield with two cut corners instead of a circle. The elements remained in their places; only the shamrock is now yellow rather than brown. The shield is diagonally divided into two halves: a light green top and a white bottom.
1970 – 1974
The year Panathinaikos was created has been removed. The emblem design has been radically changed: most of the shield is covered with vertical stripes painted in two shades of green.
1975 – 1984
The club returned the round logo with a shamrock in the center. In the green ring frame, there is the inscription “ΠΑΝΑΘΗΝΑΪΚΟΣ ΑΘΛΗΤΙΚΟΣ ΟΜΙΛΟΣ,” supplemented by the year of the team’s foundation.
1985 – 1994
After the redesign, the ring became very narrow, and the full name was reduced to three letters, “AO,” which are now located above the leaves. The number “1908” is written directly under the shamrock leg.
1995 – today
The final version of the Panathinaikos FC logo is as round as the previous ones. It contains a white ring that separates the inscriptions “ΠΑΝΑΘΗΝΑΪΚΟΣ” and “1908” from the graphics. Two small five-pointed stars are depicted between the word and the number. All elements are green.
Font and Colors
The shamrock, proposed by Michalis Papazoglou, turned out to be the very symbol that the team leadership was looking for. They needed something associated with the city of Athens and Greek culture, yet non-nationalistic and universal. The shamrock is perfect for this role because it means luck, nature, unity, and harmony.
The word “ΠΑΝΑΘΗΝΑΪΚΟΣ” is written in the Greek alphabet. The letters are angular: even “Ο” is not round, but octagonal. The same applies to the digits that make up “1908”. In terms of palette, the Panathinaikos emblem features the club’s main colors: white (#ffffff) and green (#00793f).