Achieving the Impossible - the Remarkable Story of Greece's EURO 2004 Victory

by George Tsitsonis

Only the most optimistic of supporters of the Ethniki, as Greece's national football team is commonly known, would have dreamt of what occurred in Portugal at the 2004 European football championships. They came under the guidance of Otto Rehhagel, a disciplinarian German coach who was also an astute tactician, and went on to - literally - achieve the impossible by winning! It was one of the greatest shocks in the history of international football. This book is the story of how that happened. It is the first time the story has been told in long form in the English language and includes remarkable first-hand accounts from players, coaches and officials from the Ethniki. American journalist George Tsitsonis writes not only of how the impossible was achieved, but the pride and joy that such a 'miracle' brought to Greek people and the Greek diaspora around the world.

Genres: Football

242 pages, Paperback

Published June 12, 2020

Reviews

[Luke Stergiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fascinating read. It read like the sunderland til i die series on Netflix, even though you knew what was gonna happen there was still that nervousness and anticipation. Only reason im not giving it 5 stars is because there were some editing errors kept in the final version that were avoidable imo.

[Charlotte Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was joy to read. So detailed and vicarious, I felt as though I was there experiencing those moments myself. I’ve always loved an underdog story and George tells this one incredibly well. Setting the scene of where Greek football originated from, background of King Otto and the trails, tribulation and unadulterated joy of the Greek National team. I could not stop reading this

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Greece's remarkable win of Euro 2004, how they got there, how they did it and the main people involved in achieving this truly unexpected victory.

There is a bit of history about the Greek national team and its standing in world football and then it leads us to Otto Rehhagel, the veteran German manager that helped change the history of Greek football.

There is quite a bit of detail about the German's methods, about the games leading up to the tournament and about the players involved in the squad as well as of course the actual tournament itself (which took me back to the summer of 2004 and the celebrations in North London). A few of the main players were interviewed for this book as well as other officials and experts on European football.

One issue I had though was the editing. A glaring example is at the bottom of page 106, which says DABIZAS QUOTE, rather than the actual quote from the player.

[Brendan Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2004, Greece won the European Championships. Greece. The men’s football European Championship.

It bears repeating as even now, 16 years on, it still doesn’t sound quite right. Denmark winning in 1992 was odd enough, but they had players that either had, or would go on to, achieve fame within the sport. Greece were, well, Greece.

Achieving the Impossible is the first full length book in English about this remarkable modern football fairytale. The book traces the modern history of the Greek team and Greek football. Blessed with a relatively strong domestic league for its size, the national team was traditionally held back by the lack of players playing abroad and club rivalries being carried over to the national team. While the country had occasionally developed great players they would never have imagined scaling the top of the European game.

Tsitsonis, a Greek-American, tells the story in fascinating detail. The story inevitably centres heavily around the coach Otto Rehhagel whose appointment marked the real beginning of the story. A German former player, Rehhagel’s coaching career was nothing short of remarkable. As a coach, he made his name twice winning the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen and, astonishingly, winning it again with newly-promoted Kaiserslautern. After a few years out of the game, he ultimately landed the Greek job because his salary expectations were lower than the other candidates!

Rehhagel was secure enough in himself to drop Greece’s then best known player, identify the players he liked and then stick with them through injuries and loss of form. He built a team spirit and identity which was the bedrock of the eventual success.

As fans of any mid-level national team will know, simply qualifying for a major tournament is an ordeal. Tsitsonis wisely gives as much time in the book to the qualifying journey (which began with back to back defeats) as he does to the tournament itself. Qualifying was a rollercoaster beginning with two defeats and ending with a game versus England that most readers will remember for David Beckham’s heroics.

Those of us old enough to have watched probably remember, as I do, a tournament that was high on upsets but low on quality. For Greek fans however it was something very different – a roller-coaster ride of tension, drama and triumph and Tsitsonis captures those emotions excellently.

Achieving the Impossible is an entertaining and well-written account of one of sports great underdog stories. As we look forward to the long delayed Euro 2020 finally taking place in 2021, its a timely reminder of why there is nothing quite as wonderful as a summer of international football.

(You can check out all of my sports book reviews at https://allsportsbooks.reviews/

[Juan Pablo Gatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una obra sencillamente maravillosa. George muestra que no fue tanta casualidad que el equipo griego lograra la gloria en Portugal, ya que fue una generación maravillosa comandada por un sabio entrenador. Cada uno de los elegidos tiene su espacio en este trabajo, además de saber que pasaba antes y después de cada duelo. Indispensable.

[Turlough Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this well researched book but felt frustrated at the grammar and / or editing errors that could have been easily amended.
A must read for any Greek football fan and would recommend to European football fans who can remember the 2004 tournament.

[Victor Martins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books about soccer can be overwrought and hard to read. This one is fluid, well written, and a total nostalgia delight. The only stain on it are a couple of edition errors.