We look back at the surprising Greeks, the vanquished Portuguese and the lone Englishman that helped make up 2004's finest selection...
Petr Cech (Czech Republic)
Having secured a move to Chelsea before Euro 2004, a then-22-year-old Cech subsequently offered a glimpse of what he could offer with a stellar performance as the Czech Republic made it all the way to the last four.
Fast-forward 12 years, and four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two European winners' medals later, Cech is still on top of his game for club and country. He holds the Premier League record for the most clean sheets (178), is his country's most-capped player and has been named Czech Footballer of the Year a record eight times.
Not content being a benchwarmer, Cech moved to Arsenal in July 2015, playing a key role in the Gunners’ runners-up finish last season and winning the Golden Glove award for the fourth time.
The 34-year-old owns a football academy in the Czech Republic and is expected to make an announcement regarding his international career after Euro 2016. – VV
Dellas was aiming to enter Greek Parliament in 2012 but that didn't materialise.
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Known as the “Colossus of Rhodes”, Dellas secured cult status as manager of one of the clubs he represented as a player in AEK Athens. He guided them from the Greek third division into the top flight in just two seasons, having taken over from Ewald Lienen in 2013.
However, the former Greek centre-back suddenly resigned in October last year after a 4-0 defeat to Olympiakos, stunning management who'd been happy with the club’s promising run in the top division.
It didn't take long for Dellas to find another club as he joined Atromitos, also a Super League team, a month later. The 39-year-old subsequently led them to ninth in the recently concluded season, and his contract with the team has been extended for the 2016/17 season. – HS
Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal)
Carvalho arrived at Stamford Bridge alongside compatriot Jose Mourinho in 2004, after the duo had won the Champions League with Porto. They went on to steer Chelsea to their first Premier League title in 50 years, with the Blues conceding only 15 goals that season.
After spending six good years in London, winning three Premier League titles, Carvalho was reunited with Mourinho at Real Madrid, although some felt the move was a little too late. Perhaps they were right: by that stage he was 32 and injury-prone, which led to him being excluded from Mourinho's first team, falling behind Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Raul Albiol and Raphael Varane in the pecking order.
At the end of his contract with Real Madrid in 2013, Carvalho decided to join Ligue 1 side Monaco on a free transfer, then under Claudio Ranieri. He's still playing for them now.
At international level, Carvalho claimed he wasn’t being respected by the Portuguese coaching staff, and retired from international football in 2011. But three years later he returned to Fernando Santos's squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers, and at 38 is first choice once more. – AR
Giourkas Seitaridis (Greece)
Champions League winners Porto came calling following a successful Euro 2004 campaign, but the move didn't work out well for Seitaridis and his stay at the Estadio do Dragao ending after just one season.
He moved to Atletico Madrid the following year before returning to former club Panathinaikos in Greece, where he spent four seasons until his retirement in 2013. By that time he'd played in another European Championship and the 2010 World Cup.
Today, Seitaridis is a proud owner of Moma Rest & Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant located in the heart of Athens. He has also switched from bursting down the flanks as a full-back to a two-wheeled motorcycle he rides on dirt. – VV
Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy)
After getting sacked as manager of Swiss Challenge League (second tier) side Chiasso last year, Zambrotta has been involved in various activities from coaching youth at San Fermo’s football school to becoming a participant of the Italian version of Dancing With The Stars. The 39-year-old has tried his hand as a football pundit and also participated in other reality television game shows in Italy.
Former full-back Zambrotta was offered a coaching job with a team in the Indian Super League in 2013 before deciding to stay in Europe, but he is now reportedly open for negotiations if there is a concrete proposal.
Although he has been involved in various activities outside of football, Zambrotta – who has a UEFA Pro Coaching Licence – wants to get back to managing a team. – HS
Maniche (Portugal)
You can't think of Maniche and Euro 2004 without recalling that wonder goal he scored in the semi-final against Netherlands (see below).
Like Portuguese team-mate Carvalho, he was also in the 2004 Champions League-winning team with Porto, but wasn't as fortunate as the defender. It all went downhill after he left the club in 2005 to join Dynamo Moscow, only to find himself unsettled in Russia.
Jose Mourinho came to his rescue, taking him on a six-month loan at Chelsea in 2006, but it was another disaster for the midfielder who started only five times during his brief spell at Stamford Bridge.
In the four years after that he played for Atletico Madrid, Inter and Cologne before returning home to sign for Sporting. Following his retirement from professional football in 2012 he tried his hand at management with little success. These days, he is occasionally seen doing punditry work on television or written press back in his native Portugal. – AR
Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic)
The Czech star was at the tail end of his career at Euro 2004 and initially announced his retirement after several eye-catching performances in their run to the semi-final, only to be persuaded to reverse that decision in the 2006 World Cup qualification play-offs.
After helping his nation get past Norway, Nedved made his only World Cup appearance in Germany and retired again following a group stage exit. He gave up altogether at the end of the 2008/09 season, after more than 300 appearance at Juventus between 2001 and 2009, returning to the club as a board member in 2010.
The left-winger rejected the opportunity to manage Juve ahead of the 2011/12 season, paving the way for Antonio Conte.
In a recent interview, Nedved said he is unsure when he will turn to coaching but conceded he had unfinished business – including attempting to win the Champions League. The closest he came was a penalty shootout defeat to Milan in the 2002/03 final.
Nedved was appointed Juventus vice-president last October and was leading the club's attempt to re-sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who the Czech has built a friendship with since they played together in Turin in the mid-2000s. – VV
Theo Zagorakis (Greece)
Zagorakis was recently appointed by FIFA as an independent member of its finance committee.
Unlike most footballers who take up their coaching badges after retirement, Zagorakis chose to pursue a career in politics – he's been a Member of the European Parliament since 2014. He is also a member of the European Union’s culture and education committee, plus its internal market and consumer protection.
Named player of the tournament in Euro 2004, former midfielder Zagorakis ended his playing career with Greek Super League side PAOK before becoming the club president in 2007. The 45-year-old struggled with finances and couldn't handle the club’s debts, however, and he subsequently stepped down in 2012.
Zagorakis was recently named by UEFA as among the 50 best players in European Championship history. – HS
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
A teenaged CR7 was in tears when Portugal lost to Greece in the Euro 2004 Final. It was the same year the world knew he was going to be something bigger.
Aged 18 he signed for Manchester United– the season before Euro 2004 – and the rest is history.
The Portugal team has inevitably become largely about Ronaldo, even more so when he was made captain in 2007. He has done little to separate himself from that stigma, having previously stated that “if we had two or three Cristiano Ronaldos in the team I would feel more comfortable. But we don’t.”
But he has backed up his bravado. Not only is he Portugal's all-time top scorer, Ronaldo is also the leading marksman in European Championship history, including qualifiers.
Since joining Real Madrid in 2009 he has been almost unstoppable, becoming the first player in history to score more than 50 goals at club level in six consecutive seasons. Now at the age of 31, he's showing no signs of slowing down just yet. – AR
Milan Baros (Czech Republic)
Now 34, Baros has one more year remaining on his contract at Mlada Boleslav in the Czech First League.
The Euro 2004 Golden Boot winner with five goals, Baros went on to be part of Liverpool’s famous Istanbul comeback against Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final. But his patchy form led to him being sold to Aston Villa that summer.
He later played for Lyon, Portsmouth and Galatasaray before twice rejoining Banik Ostrava, the club he originally left for Anfield, either side of a stint with Antalyaspor in Turkey.
In April 2009, Baros and five other players were banned indefinitely by the Czech FA from playing for the national team after going out on an all-night drinking session after a World Cup qualifying defeat to Slovakia. He returned to the line-up four months later and retired after Euro 2012 with a more-than-respectable return of 41 goals in 93 appearances. – VV
Wayne Rooney (England)
Rooney has been playing as a striker for England since he made his international debut way back in 2003, and became the Three Lions' all-time top goalscorer in Euro 2016 qualifying.
The 30-year-old has struggled to find the net for Manchester United this season, but has found success in a deeper role for the club.
The striker is still well-respected by Roy Hodgson and will almost definitely start in his favoured role up front, but he has struggled to make an impact in major competitions over the years. His best displays came at Euro 2004 when, then only 18, he scored four goals for an England team that bowed out in the quarter-finals.
On August 3 this year, Rooney will be given a full Old Trafford testimonial against his former club Everton. – HS
Otto Rehaggel (Greece, manager)
The architect of Greece’s stunning Euro 2004 triumph, Rehaggel finally left his post in 2010 after his team bowed out in the group stage.
Also known as ‘Rehakles’, a playful reference to the Greek spelling of Hercules, he managed Greece for nine years and was the longest-serving manager at the 2010 World Cup.
He declined an offer to become German national team coach after the historic 2004 victory, but failed to take the Greeks to the World Cup two years later, believing they would bounce back.
That they did, with Rehhagel leading them to South Africa. But after their disappointing results and following his resignation, he took a break for two years before coming back to coach Hertha Berlin, a club he represented during his playing days. – AR
Words by Vijhay Vick, Hardeep S. and Aysha Ridzuan
Joe was the Deputy Editor at FourFourTwo until 2022, having risen through the FFT academy and been on the brand since 2013 in various capacities.
By weekend and frustrating midweek night he is a Leicester City fan, and in 2020 co-wrote the autobiography of former Foxes winger Matt Piper – subsequently listed for both the Telegraph and William Hill Sports Book of the Year awards.
