4th of July 2004: Greece wins Euro (20th anniversary)

The 4th of July seems to be a day for celebrating great victories against overwhelming odds. It was on this day, the same day as Americans celebrate their independence day, that Greece pulled off one of the greatest underdog stories in sports history when they won Euro 2004. Today marks the 20th anniversary of that victory.

King Otto

The 2021 documentary King Otto tells the story of that team, their coach Otto Rehhagel and their road to winning the Euro 2004 in Lisbon, Portugal. The story becomes even more interesting when you find out that Lisbon used to be named Olissipo, the latinized form of Ulysses from Homer’s Odyssey (Odysseas in Greek).

If you want to watch the documentary, you can find the different services to watch King Otto streaming online here. One story that most people don’t know about Euro 2004 is that it can be considered the “Coming Home” of football, because the origins of football can be traced back to the ancient Greek sport of Episkyros. We have a blog post about the ancient Greek roots of football if you want to learn more about that.

Euro 2004

In the summer of 2004, Greece achieved the seemingly impossible: they won the UEFA European Championship, commonly known as Euro 2004. Their victory was nothing short of a football fairytale, defying all odds and expectations. Otto Rehhagel’s tactics at Euro 2004 had an impact on football.

• Otto Rehhagel’s defensive approach left a mark. Teams worldwide studied Greece’s disciplined play, emphasizing organization and teamwork.
• Coaches adopted similar strategies, appreciating that tactical discipline could overcome individual talent.

Below is an interview with Christopher Marks, the director of the documentary King Otto, which goes into detail about how the documentary was made and other behind-the-scenes stories.