Panathinaikos will soon say goodbye to one of the most incredible monuments in Greek football history with their new stadium.Rafael Benitez will oversee a new era for Trifylli, who currently still play their domestic football in the country’s oldest active stadium.The Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium will be demolished under plans for a new stadiumAFPThe Spaniard succeeded Rui Vitoria at Panathinaikos last month to become the highest-paid manager ever in Greece.The former Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea and Newcastle manager has already made the perfect start to life in front of his new home fans.Benitez has overseen two Panathinaikos wins from his first two outings at the club’s famous Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium.The 16,003-capacity venue, also known as Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, was opened all the way back in 1922.Panathinaikos famously eliminated Everton in the 1970-71 European Cup under Ferenc Puskas following a goalless draw at Leoforos en route to becoming the first, and to date only, Grecian club to reach the final of the competition.However, Benitez will be the club’s final manager at the historic venue should he see out the entirety of his two-and-a-half-year deal.Panathinaikos new stadiumPAO have put forward several plans since the turn of the millennium to build a new home ground due to complications with Leoforos.The latter does not meet modern UEFA standards, forcing Panathinaikos to play Europa League games at a rented stadium.The Greens have adopted Greece’s largest stadium, the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (OAKA), for various stints since 1984.The 75,000-capacity arena is their current home for Europa League matches this season, with Panathinaikos previously having to share the ground with AEK Athens, Olympiacos, and the national team.Leoforos was the first Greek stadium with a stand, floodlights and a grass pitchGettySince then, their two Athens rivals have settled at the Karaiskakis Stadium and OPAP Arena, respectively.As a result, Panathinaikos announced plans to build a new 40,000-seat facility in the historic Votanikos neighbourhood, west of Athens.In exchange for a 99-year lease on the land, the municipality will take ownership of the Leoforos site, which will be demolished and transformed into a public park upon completion of PAO’s new stadium.In addition to housing a new football pitch, the multi-use sports complex will also cater for volleyball, handball and basketball teams, and even include a swimming pool.The Votanikos Stadium was originally set to be opened to mark 100 years of the club in 2008, before financial issues curtailed plans.In 2022, Panathinaikos revitalised its bid to move forward with the project, with funding from the Ministry of Environment and Energy helping cover the €125million (£110.5m) total cost of construction.A young Cristiano Ronaldo was part of the Manchester United side that won at Leoforos when UEFA allowed games to be played thereGettyPanathinaikos now play European matches at OAKA StadiumGettyWhen will it be complete?Construction officially began the following April, with completion scheduled between 2026 and the start of the 2027/28 season.Following the issuance of a building permit in August 2024, Mayor of Athens Haris Doukas called it a ‘historic day for Panathinaikos’.The City of Athens also stated it is ‘the largest and most complex local government project ever undertaken in our country’.Latest designs remain faithful to the original concept that was first developed in 2006 by Portuguese architect Manuel Salgado, best known for designing Porto’s Estádio do Dragão.Yet it will eventually be the end of Panathinaikos’ Apostolos Nikolaidis home, which ranked fifth in talkSPORT’s list of underrated stadiums.Panathinaikos are looking to keep up with their rivals by moving out of LeoforosGettyEternal Derby called off after fans riot“I’ve had a Panathinaikos experience,” European football expert Andy Brassell exclusively told talkSPORT.com. “Leoforos felt a little bit like St. Andrews at Birmingham City the first time I went there, in that it feels like it’s from a bygone era.“It’s not a luxurious facility by any stretch of the imagination, but the noise and colour is incredible. It’s quite old school.“I went there for the Eternal Derby with Olympiacos in 2015. It didn’t actually happen in the end. “Alfred Finnbogason got hit on the back of the calf with a flare during their pre-match walkabout, not even the warm-up. Clashes between riot police and Panathinaikos fans inside the stadium after the referee’s decision to postpone the matchGetty Images - Getty“At that point, they refused to play, so there was protracted wrangling between the Greek Super League, the FA and Olympiacos over what was going to happen.“25 minutes after it was meant to start, it still hadn’t started. There was an announcement made that it wasn’t going to happen.“The Panathinaikos ultras and the police got stuck into each other. It was quite scary because it was packed and tense. “But in terms of colour and in terms of just the raw emotion of it, it was really special, even though we never even saw a ball kicked there.“As I said, it’s quite old school. But yeah, it’s a monument to a bygone era of football.”