few days in mid-June 2004, gave way to the new owner and chairman Kostas Piladakis. A new era had begun. New Age (2004–13): Piladakis years And because a "good day seems from the morning", new management, technical leadership headed by Giorgos Donis, players like the effective striker Thomas Kyparissis and the presence of supporters that caused admiration through Greece, led AEL back again in the Super League, after nine years of absence. The 19 transfers that were made in the summer of 2004 radically changed the composition of the workforce and the equally young and ambitious coach had time to give the team the required homogeneity. The moderate so start treated by all with patience and maturity, and the proper corrections that were made in January, found AEL "galloping" from success to success. The conquest of the first place with 58 points was the natural consequence of this team effort and the fans celebrated the return in the Super League after 9 "stone" years, for almost 10 days! Starting from Sunday 15, of May 2005, in Kastoria, (1–1) in front of 4000 fans who accompanied the team's bus when returning, a car convoy of 5 km in length and a midnight party at Alcazar, to Wednesday 25, and the fiesta that was set up to the stadium for winning the title after beating Proodeftiki (3–1). Except Kyparissis, Papakostas, Ziagkas, Paleologos, Floros and Grigoriou, who continued from the previous season, players such as Christopoulos, Kipouros, the late Bahramis, Gikas, Stournaras, Föerster, Katsiaros, Digozis, Tsiatsios, Makris, Abouna, Nedeljković, Sisic, Passios, Chatziliontas, Galitsios and others, came to add their names to important pages in the team's history. Indeed, beside them, stood from summer until December 2004 the first Greek active scorer Alexis Alexandris and a well-known name in European football, the Romanian international midfielder Dennis Şerban, who played in many major teams, top of which was the Spanish Valencia. That same season, while in the 2nd Division, AEL reached to the "8" of the Greek Cup, having ruled in turn Acharnaikos, Apollon Athens, and Chalkidona of the First Division, before being excluded from the "European" Skoda Xanthi, which nevertheless beat 1–0 in the first match of Alcazar, turning the rematch in real derby. It was the forerunner of the great return. In the elite: Greek Cup winners and European competition In the first year after its return to the big category AEL did