The miracle man

With a ticket to the finals of Euro 2004 safely tucked away, the Greek national team now owe a huge debt of gratitude to their German coach Otto Rehhagel who has put them back on the road to success.

In August, 2001, when he took over the reins of the Greek setup following the departure of Vassilis Daniil, the picture was far from rosy as Greece failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup and then crashed to a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Finland during only Rehhagel's second game in charge.

The German veteran however soon righted the wayward Greek ship and following a year of transition, guided his adopted country safely through 2003 going unbeaten in 10 matches to secure qualification for Euro 2004 in Portugal despite the presence of favourites Spain in Group 6.

Following a lengthy playing career during which Rehhagel wore the colours of Hertha Berlin and Kaiserslautern in the newly formed West German championship, he turned his aspirations to coaching while still only 36-years-old.

His transition from player to coach initially met with inconsistence and he spent short spells at Offenbach, Dortmund, Bielefeld and Dusseldorf before finally settling down with Werder Bremen for what was eventually a 14-year relationship.

He guided Bremen to a number of honours including the 1992 Cup Winnners' Cup, two German titles and three West German Cups attracting a number of admirers including Franz Beckenbauer who hired Rehhagel to lead Bayern Munich in 1995.

The revenge of "King Otto"

His rein however at the Bavarian club was short-lived and he was promptly sacked after just ten months returning to Kaiserslautern who had just been relegated to division two.

It was here that Rehhagel again weaved his magic guiding the "Red Devils" to the Bundesliga title two years later the same season that marked their return to the top flight a feat never before witnessed in Germany.

The title was sweet revenge for Rehhagel whose attitude was to put the team first sometimes to the detriment of the star players and his successful tactics were now evident for all to see.

For "King Otto", some key sporting values had disappeared from the game. In February, 2000, he condemned the role "always most important" played by money in the Bundesliga.

"Morals have completely gone out the window," he blasted. "Players' agents think only of money. If the young generation think only of money and forget about human values, the foundations of the sport will crumble," he added.

In October of the same year, Rehhagel resigned his post at Kaiserslautern following some mediocre results and following a brief spell of unemployment, took over the Greek national side embarking on a new adventure.