The Miracle

Constantine Gonticas

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781785319495
• Edition: 0

The Miracle is the inside story of how Greece shocked the footballing world by winning the 2004 European Championship. This incredible underdog tale shows how these 150-1 outsiders went from a team given no chance to being crowned kings of Europe, defeating the host nation in the final. Vasilis Sambrakos retraces Greece's journey by meeting most of Otto Rehagel's squad 15 years after their momentous triumph. The book is both an enthralling football story of victory against the odds and an in-depth look at how a winning team is constructed from the bottom up. It examines the values and methods needed to create a sporting unit along with the roles of the team's key players. The Miracle brings you the untold story of one of the greatest sporting achievements in history.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword by Michael Calvin
• 1. Curtain Up
• 2. The 24th Man
• 3. Integrity and Credibility
• 4. Confidence and Trust
• 5. Crisis and Conviction
• 6. Band of Brothers
• 7. Lieutenant Topalidis
• 8. Turning the National Team into a Club
• 9. Qualification
• 10. King Otto
• 11. The Protector
• 12. The Myth of ‘Anti-football’
• 13. The Human Touch
• 14. All for One
• 15. Lift-off
• 16. Coping with Pressure
• 17. A New Pressure
• 18. Breakthrough
• 19. A Golden Silver Goal
• 20. For All Eternity
• 21. Look Back In Wonder
• 22. Team
• 23. Credit Where It Is Due
• 24. The King & I
• How to Manage a Team of B Players
• Tactical Notes and Comments
• Tactical Summary
• About the Author
• Photos