New Delhi: Underdog stories are one of the most wholesome moments in sports and they truly get the heart beating of not only the die-hard fans of the game but also touch the hearts of millions of others. There is a sense of personal achievement whenever we see an underdog shining on the big stage and that resonates with every individual, fan of the game or not.
Some of the biggest David vs Goliath victories that we’ve seen in the beautiful game have been spread across years. In 2016, we witnessed the biggest underdog victory in football when Leicester City won the Premier League after almost being relegated in the previous season. In 2012 there were Montpellier, who shocked the world by winning the Ligue 1, giving birth to Olivier Giroud’s historic career, before LOSC Lille did the same in 2021.
These instances aren’t just limited to club football though. We all cheered for Morocco and Croatia at the 2022 and 2018 FIFA World Cups respectively. While these two sides fell just short of getting their hands on the trophy, in 1992 it was Denmark who won that year’s UEFA European Championships beating Germany, after not qualifying for it initially.
The only thing that is more astonishing than an underdog success story is when a team goes the entire season unbeaten. We just saw Xabi Alonso guide his Bayer Leverkusen side to the Bundesliga title, ending Bayern’s dominance in style as they finished the season undefeated. Steven Gerrard pulled the same thing off with Rangers in 2021.
We’ve seen all these instances separately but they’re all still far and few in between, but something weird happened in 2004. The footballing world was sent into a frenzy 20 years ago over the events that occurred in that year. Dive in to look at why 2004 is probably the weirdest year in football.
Unexpected UEFA Champions League Final
FC Porto’s Champions League win is one of the most unexpected victories of European club football. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious tournament in club football where the creme de la creme of European football compete to be crowned the best in Europe. Naturally, it is then expected that the two finalists of the tournament are two of the biggest European powerhouses in football. However, in 2004, instead of two powerhouses meeting in the final, it was a battle of the underdogs that became household names in themselves.
The 2004 UEFA Champions League final saw FC Porto take on AS Monaco, both managed by future superstar managers in Jose Mourinho and Didier Deschamps respectively. Porto cruised their way to a 3-0 win over the French side, which gave us the birth of ‘The Special One’ and the current Barcelona sporting director Deco. This was Porto’s first win since 1987 and Moncao were playing their first Champions League final. Neither team has reached the UEFA Champions League final since making this a truly one-of-a-kind moment.
Premier League’s Only Invincibles
Arsenal are the only English side to achieve this feat in a 38-game season. (Photo by Michael Mayhew/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
The Premier League, then known as the Barclays Premier League, is long considered to be the most competitive league in the world given the quality of players competing in the league and across numerous clubs. With that in mind, it’s almost impossible to think that any team could go an entire 38-game season undefeated, but that’s exactly what Arsene Wenger managed to do in 2004. Arsenal went on to become the only English side in history to be awarded the Golden Premier League trophy, given to them in recognition of this remarkable feat.
Wenger’s 2004 Arsenal side are the Premier League’s only invincibles, finishing the entire season without losing a single game on their way to the Premier League title. Powered by Thierry Henrey’s 30 league goals, the Gunners eased their way to a third Premier League title with 90 points, which remains their last league triumph to date. Apart from Henry’s heroics in front of goal, they were solid at the back led by Jens Lehmann’s league-high 15 clean sheets that season. Wenger would continue his side’s undefeated streak into the following season which was finally broken in October of that year.
Shock of the Summer
Greece shocked the world by beating Portugal in their backyard. (Photo by Ben Radford/Getty Images)
2004 was also one of those years when the club season was followed by a major International tournament as Portugal hosted the UEFA Euro 2004. As hosts, they were drawn into Group A alongside Greece Russia and Spain. Following a shocking loss in their opening game, Portugal corrected their course as they went undefeated after that to reach the final on home soil. A young and exciting Portugal squad, containing UEFA Champions League winners Deco and Carvalho, Real Madrid star Figo and a certain youngster by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo, it was written in the stars for Portugal to lift the European Championship on home soil.
However, their opponents on the night were someone who had already inflicted pain on them once, had already beaten them once, in their opening game, the David to their Goliath, Greece. They would go on to shock and silence the Portuguese crowd for the second time in that tournament, defeating Portugal once again, this time in the final to snatch their moment away and turn it into the biggest shock of the summer. Greece would win their first-ever UEFA Euro trophy, defeating the hosts and this would be their only success for the next 20 years.
A Historical Moment in German Football
Werder Bremen etched their name into the history of German football in 2004. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Bayern Munich are the undisputed kings of German football and have been for quite some time now. With 33 Bundesliga titles in the bag, they are the most dominant team in German football, but every now and then there comes a team that puts an end to their dominance for at least a season or two. As mentioned earlier, Leverkusen did that this year and Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund did it in 2011.
Something similar happened 20 years ago when Werder Bremen stepped up to snatch the Bundesliga title away from the Bavarian giants. Powered by a freak season from Brazillian striker Aílton, who scored 28 goals in the league that season, Bremen won the league title, finishing above Bayern Munich by six points. Scoring the most goals in the league and finishing with the fewest losses, they won the title in dominant fashion. Their fairytale season didn’t end there as they won the DFB Pokal as well, completing their first and only double in their history.
Surprising Spanish Champions
Valencia haven’t been able to reach the heights of 2004 since. (Photo by Adam Davy/EMPICS via Getty Images)
Spanish club football has generally been dominated by the two giants of world football, Barcelona and Real Madrid, with Atletico Madrid showing up every once in a while. 2004 was the year that saw someone other than these three win the league as it was Rafa Benitez’s Valencia that took the La Liga crown in a closely contested season, pipping Barcelona to the title by just five points. Benitez worked wonders with Valencia, leading them to a second La Liga title in three years while also guiding them to a UEFA Cup victory in the same year
Spanish striker Mista carried the team through both tournaments, scoring 24 goals all season while then-21-year-old Vincente scored 15 and assisted 8 throughout the season to help Benitez cement his name in Valencia’s legacy. After starting the season well, they fell off in the middle of the campaign but a late resurgence in April of 2004 saw them come back and lift the title in Benitez’s last season with the club. They finished the season with a memorable double and have never achieved the same success since then.
The footballing world was sent into a frenzy 20 years ago over the events that occurred in that year. Dive in to look at why 2004 is probably the weirdest year in football. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
