After not being able to establish himself at Marseille, Rikka was released and joined Skoda Xanthi on 4 February 2006,[2] making 4 appearances until the end of the season.
Then, he joined on loan Niki Volos, a Beta Ethniki team, in order to gain more experiences.
Although his team finished last and relegated, his performances were good enough to make the Skoda Xanthi coach Emilio Ferrera trust him with a place in the following year's squad.
On 16 May 2008, Rikka signed a five-year contract for Greek Super League runners-up side AEK Athens[3] for €600,000,[4] but did not manage to impress AEK's trainers in his first season and managed only three appearances, due to a serious injury.
When Kostenoglou took charge in AEK, he considered his senior squad and he finally decided to keep Rikka.