Neal Collins weighs up the chances, country by country, of the players and their sides in Euro 2004.
Group A
PORTUGAL
Star man: Luis Figo
He has been Portugal’s man to watch at just about every major tournament of the past decade — but like his nation, he never seems to hit top form at the right time. Portugal reached the semifinals four years ago. This time, as hosts, they have to go all the way. And, at 31, Figo must go with them.
The Real Madrid midfielder, one of the few to make the switch from Barcelona’s Nou Camp to the Bernabeu — he signed for a then world-record £37-million in 2000 — made his name as a teenager in Portugal’s 1991 World Youth Championship-winning side. He made his debut for Sporting Lisbon at 16, went to Spain in 1995 and was voted World Footballer of the Year in 2000. Known as the ‘Lion Kingâ€, he just needs to add a little bite this time.
Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari
Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning coach came with a proven reputation — enhanced when he won his second game in charge of Portugal 2-1 against Brazil. Euro 2004 will be a big test for Big Phil.
Chances
Lost at home to Spain 3-0 in friendly build-up, so they will be hoping for a good start against Greece and Russia in a very tough qualifying group. They normally make it to the last eight.
Qualified: As hosts
SPAIN
Star man: Raul Golzalez
Still the golden boy of Spanish football, Raul Golzalez must see this as his golden opportunity. The Real Madrid striker is generally brilliant in qualifying but, like Spain, he tends to stumble in the knockout stages. He’ll be 27 during Euro 2004 and desperate to make up for the last-minute penalty miss against France, which put Spain out of Euro 2000.
The last World Cup was just as painful. Raul scored three early on, then suffered a groin strain as Spain went out on penalties to Korea in the quarterfinals. Born in Madrid, Raul actually started out with Real’s arch-rivals Atletico but moved to Real when Jesus Gil closed his club’s junior section. He replaced the legendary Emilio Butragueno aged just 17 and has never look back at the Bernabeu.
Coach: Inaki Saez
Succeeded José Antonio Camacho in charge in 2002 with an already cemented international pedigree, after coaching Spain at various levels, including youth, under-17 and under-21.
Chances
The Group of Death starts off tough against Russia and gets no easier. The crucial enounter should be the Iberian showdown against Portugal in Lisbon.
Qualified: Second in Group 6
GREECE
Star man: Stylianos Giannakopoulos
Yup, it’s a mouthful, but midfielder Giannakopoulos has a surname worth chanting after his glorious 18m winner that clinched qualification and a shock victory against Spain in Zaragoza.
Giannakopoulos made his debut against Cyprus in March 1997, but Greece missed out on Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup. He played in all eight qualifiers as the Greeks surged to an unexpected top spot over the Spaniards in Group Six. He started with Ethnikos Asteras FC and then moved to Paniliakos FC before being voted Greece’s Player of the Year while at Olympiakos in 2003. Giannakopoulos transferred to Bolton in May 2003. Since then, he has made 17 starts and scored just twice in the Premiership.
Coach: Otto Rehhagel
Remember Rehhagel as a tough German pro in the 1960s? Neither do we. He coached Werder Bremen to two Bundesliga titles, and took charge of Greece in 2001 and struggled — until this campaign.
Chances
The team need to start a bit stronger than they did in qualifying, when Greece were turned over by Spain and the Ukraine. Strong recovery suggests they have a chance of making it through the group stage, but it could be tough.
Qualified: Winners of Group Six.
RUSSIA
Star man: Alexei Smertin
Smertin is a late developer. He was 25 before he attracted the attention of Lokomotiv Moscow while playing at FC Uralan Elista in 1998. A year later he was named Russia’s player of the year.
FC Girondins de Bordeaux spotted him playing for Lokomotiv against Spartak Moscow when Bordeaux officials were keeping a check on the Russians ahead of a Uefa Champions League tie. It proved a worthwhile trip. Smertin may have arrived as a relative unknown in the West, but he spent three-and-a-half years at the Chaban-Delmas stadium, winning the French title in 2002.
After one outing for Bordeaux this season he was signed by Chelsea for £4-million and immediately loaned to Portsmouth, where he played an important part in helping the club avoid relegation.
Coach: Georgi Yartsev
Russia were struggling at third in Group 10 when Yartsev took over and guided them through the play-offs. As a player, he won five caps for the USSR. He coached Spartak and Rotor Volgograd.
Chances
After the scare of having Yegor Titov fail a dope test in the play-offs against Wales, four-time finalists Russia find themselves in a tough spot in this awesome foursome.
Qualified: Second in Group 10.
Group B
FRANCE
Star man: Zinedine Zidane
There isn’t much you can say about the Algerian-born superstar that doesn’t sound pathetically sycophantic. The man has raised football to an art form. Over the past six years Zizou has become a fixture at the top of the world game, a regular winner of the Fifa World Player of the Year award and a star of the superb Real Madrid side.
Zidane moved to Real from Juventus for a world-record £45-million in 2001 and scored twice in France’s 1998 World Cup final win over Brazil. He started off with Cannes and Bordeaux in France, making his international debut against the Czech Republic in August 1994.
At 31 he still looks as exciting as he did back then — easy on the ball, elegant in possession, rarely rushed. He is always a man worth watching — and Euro 2004 will be no exception.
Coach: Jacques Santini
No goals, no points at the last World Cup, so in came Santini, a former midfield maestro for St Etienne in the 1970s and the man who took Lyon to the French title in 2002. Shrewd operator.
Chances
Perfect in qualifying and going strong on most fronts, France are the side everyone rates at Euro 2004. And guess who England have first up? France conceded just two goals in eight Group One qualifiers, scored nearly four a game on average and are generally quite frightening.
Qualified: Top of Group One.
ENGLAND
Star man: Steven Gerrard
Liverpool haven’t had the best of seasons, finishing fourth in the Premiership and taking flak at all levels — apart from Gerrard, that is. This was the winter the local lad became world class. Apparently free of the injuries that have dogged his career — and which put him out of the 2002 World Cup — Gerrard has dominated the Premiership this term and is generally accepted as being the best Englishman in the top flight.
Frank Lampard runs him close since his move to Chelsea, Paul Scholes used to compete at the same level for United, but Gerrard is currently without parallel as a centre midfielder with a huge engine, fierce tackle and an eye for goals, too. Euro 2004 could be the perfect stage for Liverpool’s greatest talent.
Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson
It hasn’t been plain sailing for the Swede recently. Panned for his social excursions and caught on camera visiting the home of the Chelsea owner, he desperately needs success here.
Chances
Desperately tough start for Eriksson’s men and with all those doubts over the sharpness of Michael Owen and the confidence of David Beckham, it’s the opening game that could make or break England’s chances. Switzerland and Croatia should fall into place.
Qualified: Top of Group Seven.
SWITZERLAND
Star man: Hakan Yukin
Striking midfielder Hakan Yukin, whose brother Murat will line up at centre-half, is the man the Swiss are looking to as their potential Euro 2004 hero this summer.
The brothers from Basel have taken their club and country to new heights, and it was Hakan who came back from injury to fire Switzerland past the Republic of Ireland in the final qualifying tie. The injury to Hakan’s left ankle ligaments was the talk of Switzerland. But then injury has always dogged the 27-year-old, who had his four-year contract with Paris St Germain torn up in a dispute over a groin operation last year.
Hakan was the star of Basel’s 2003 Championship-winning outfit and scored on his debut for Switzerland in Oman in February 2000. If fit, the Swiss honestly believe they could roll over England.
Coach: Jakob Kuhn
The David Beckham of Swiss football in the 1960s, Jakob ‘Kobi†Kuhn made 500 appearances for FC Zurich, and then coached the Swiss youth and under-21s before taking over from Enzo Trossero in June 2001.
Chances
Switzerland lost just once — to Russia — in qualifying after a lean period stretching back to Euro 1996 in England. Four tournaments without qualification are over, but they’ll struggle to get past Croatia, let alone England and, finally, the holders.
Qualified: Top of Group 10.
CROATIA
Star man: Dado Prso
Croatia’s best player is on his way to Rangers in a free move from Monaco, where he made his name with a four-goal spree against Deportivo la Coruna in the Champions League in November. That same week he scored the goals that saw the Croats past Slovenia in the Euro 2004 play-offs.
Some player. Prso is 29 (he only made his international debut a year ago) and Bolton were desperate for him, but the Ibrox club have got him. Imagine how popular he’ll be north of the border if he scores the goals which put England to the sword!
Prso takes it seriously, too. ‘I have seen my country in wartime,†he said. ‘We went on playing football when bombs and shells were falling. That’s no life. I’m proud to play for my country in peacetime. Beating Slovenia was a wonderful present for our country.â€
Coach: Otto Baric
Baric won trophies in Austria, Germany, Croatia and Turkey before finally getting the nod to take over from Croat legend Miroslav Glazevic after the 2002 World Cup finals. Shrewd tactician, mean motivator.
Chances
Hopefully this is an escalating scale for the turbo Croats. Switzerland will be easy, France moderate and England impossible to beat!
Qualified: Second in Group Eight.
Group C
SWEDEN
Star man: Henrik Larsson
Swedish fans were given a huge boost when the talismanic striker was named in the squad for Portugal. He quit international football following the 2002 World Cup finals but came out of retirement for the qualifying game against Hungary in April.
Larsson, who has 24 goals and 72 caps to his credit, will be joining a hugely talented Swedish squad, which includes Arsenal’s Freddie Ljungberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Ajax. His club career at Celtic has come to an end this season following a prolific spell in Scotland, where Larsson cemented himself as one of the club’s all-time greats and there will be no shortage of takers across Europe hoping to sign him — especially if he shines in Portugal.
Coach: Tommy Soderberg
Soderberg is the more visible half of a successful joint-coaching partnership with Lars Lagerbäck — the duo have guided Sweden to three successive major finals since taking over in 1997.
Chances
Have a tough group to negotiate and need a good result from the opening game against Bulgaria to put them in the right frame of mind for tackling the always strong Italians and Scandinavian neighbours Denmark.
Qualified: Top of Group Four.
BULGARIA
Star man: Stilian Petrov
Petrov was ever-present in Bulgaria’s qualifying campaign. Playing a pivotal role as captain, his hard-working attitude and forceful personality helped steer them into the finals.
The Celtic star scored the opening goal in the crucial 2-0 home win over Croatia and also struck in both games against Belgium.
He was Bulgarian football’s most expensive export in 1999 when Celtic signed him for £2-million from CSKA Sofia, but made little impact in his first season before his career took off under incoming manager Martin O’Neill. By 2001 he had been voted Scotland’s young player of the year and had established himself as a first-team regular, helping inspire a run to the Uefa Cup final last season and scoring in May’s Scottish Cup final win, which secured yet another double.
Coach: Plamen Markov
Took charge of the national team in December 2001 and has since silenced his many doubters by developing a young side who, having qualified in style, could prove a surprise hit in Portugal.
Chances
A very impressive qualifying performance in which Bulgaria lost only one game, defeating Croatia and Belgium in the process. Will not have the pressure or expectation of their rivals and face their biggest challenge against Italy in their final game.
Qualified: Top of Group Eight.
DENMARK
Star man: Jon Dahl Tomasson
A Geordie pal recalls Tomasson’s stint at Newcastle with no great nostalgia — but the Great Dane has gone on to better things at Milan and has been integral to Denmark’s qualification for Euro 2004.
Tomasson, now 27, started out with 37 goals in 78 games for Dutch club SC Heerenveen, then moved to St James’ Park for £2,2-million and managed just three in 17 starts. After 11 unhappy months, playing largely out wide, Tomasson went to Feyenoord for £2,5-million, stayed for four years and went to Milan on a free in 2002. He scored against England in November’s 3-2 friendly win at Old Trafford and hit five during the qualifying campaign, which saw Norway and Romania fall by the wayside.
Tomasson ended up the second top scorer at the last World Cup with three goals.
Coach: Morten Olsen
As a player, Olsen won 102 caps over 19 years and starred for Anderlecht in Belgium and Cologne in the Bundesliga. He coached Brondby, Cologne and Ajax before taking over after Euro 2000.
Chances
Theirs was a smooth qualification in the end despite surprise defeat at the hands of Bosnia. The first step at Euro 2004 will prove the toughest — vs Italy at the 30 000-capacity Afonso Henriques stadium in Guimaraes.
Qualified: Top of Group Two.
ITALY
Star man: Christian Vieri
The Inter striker missed Euro 2000 with injury but scored four of Italy’s five goals at the last World Cup, having notched five at France 1998.
What is less well known is that Bologna-born Vieri grew up in Australia and, at the age of 12, was a top cricket fast-bowling prospect. His brother, Massimiliano, plays football for Australia and the distinctive twang can still be heard in his voice.
Like fellow Aussies Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka, Vieri is a bit of a nomad. He has played for nine clubs and commanded world-record transfer fees on his moves among Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Inter.
His father, Roberto, played for Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Juventus, Roma and Bologna. Christian has incredible athletic ability — he can sprint 30m in 3,9 seconds.
Coach: Giovanni Trappatoni
This is the man who’s been there, done that. He has won silverware with Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, Bayern, Cagliari and Fiorentina. They didn’t do much at the last World Cup, but Italy will be serious contenders.
Chances
They qualified strongly enough despite that shock defeat by Wales in Cardiff and, at 11, they’re the top-ranked side in the group, with Denmark at 14, Sweden at 21 and Bulgaria 38th on the latest Fifa world rankings.
Qualified: Top of Group Nine.
Group D
CZECH REPUBLIC
Star man: Pavel Nedved
Nedved first emerged as a full-back during Euro 1996 when the Czechs swept unexpectedly into the final at Wembley— now recognised as perhaps the finest midfielder in Europe.
Nedved is 31 and dominated the midfield for Lazio before moving to Juventus, where he won the European player of the year accolade ahead of Thierry Henry this season. BBC pundit John Motson said: ‘Nedved is simply the most complete player in the world.â€
And Nedved adds: ‘I want to leave behind a legacy other people will admire. We have a really strong group of players and most of them have been playing for the biggest clubs in Europe.â€
Don’t forget, they beat Holland in qualifying and France 2-0 in a friendly in February last year. These are not dud Czechs.
Coach: Karel Bruckner
Bruckner took over when Josef Chovanec failed to get the highly regarded Czechs to the 2002 World Cup finals. He got rid of several of the old guard who did so well at Euro 1996 and has impressed.
Chances
Going unbeaten in qualifying is not a bad record when you consider they had the Dutch to deal with. And the Czech Republic did it well, drawing away and winning 3-1 at home. They’ve got the Dutch again in Group D, not to mention Germany, in what promises to be a titanic final showdown.
Qualified: Top of Group Three.
LATVIA
Star man: Alex Kolinko
This name will ring a bell with Crystal Palace fans. The Latvia number one did a good job down Selhurst Park way, making 82 appearances before moving to Russian outfit Rostselmash Rostov.
Kolinko started off with Latvia’s biggest club, Skonto Riga, where he won four titles and was voted the nation’s Player of the Year in 1997 and 1999 before his move to Palace. His qualifying form for Latvia was quite extraordinary. He conceded just eight goals in the eight group matches and two play-off showdowns against Turkey, and he didn’t miss a minute of the action.
Why did he leave Palace? Probably because of that bust-up with Trevor Francis – Kolinko, on the subs’ bench, was caught laughing when his team conceded a goal!
Coach: Aleksandrs Starkovs
Starkovs was the great striker of his generation in Latvia, so this is like Alan Shearer taking over as England boss. In fact, he replaced an Englishman, Gary Johnson, as coach in May 2001.
Chances
Latvia saw off Poland and Hungary in qualifying, then got the better of Turkey in the play-offs. The Czechs had better be ready, while Germany and Holland would be lovely scalps!
Qualified: Second in Group Four.
GERMANY
Star man: Kevin Kuranyi
Kevin who? That’s what the Germans were asking, too, when this lad came through. Born in Rio de Janeiro to a German father and Panamanian mother, Kevin Kuranyi moved to his father’s land at the age of 14 and opted to turn out for Germany when he started banging in the goals for VFB Stuttgart. He made his debut against Lithuania in March last year and scored against Iceland in Hamburg to seal his place.
He still holds three passports — Panamanian, German and Brazilian — and scored 15 goals in 32 games in 2002/03. After a bit of a Bundesliga drought (800 minutes without a goal) earlier this year, he has been banging them like, well, a Brazilian.
Coach: Rudi Voller
Forget the perm, Voller was a great striker in his day, winning the 1990 World Cup and wowing fans at Werder Bremen and Roma. As a national coach the jury is still out, but they were unbeaten in qualifying.
Chances
The Germans, like the Czechs, were unbeaten in qualifying, but then they only had the Scots and Iceland to push them. Group D in Portugal promises to be tough with both Holland (fourth) and the Czech Republic (10th) high in the Fifa rankings. Germany are ninth.
Qualified: Top of Group Five.
HOLLAND
Star man: Andy van der Meyde
When Dutch coach Dick Advocaat first picked Andy Van der Meyde for a friendly against the United States in May 2002, he described him as ‘a great prospect for the futureâ€. The latest wizard on the wing to graduate from the Ajax academy, he scored that night in a 2-0 win and his form since has not escaped the attention of several English clubs.
Van der Meyde could do with a big championship. He’s been complaining about not getting enough game time at Inter Milan, the Italian club who swept him away from Amsterdam at the end of the 2002/03 season. With Birmingham waiting in the wings, he says: ‘If Inter guarantee me more minutes, I’ll stay. But if the situation doesn’t change, I’ll move on.â€
Coach: Dick Advocaat
The former Rangers boss is back in the big orange hot seat for the second time. In 1992, he famously dumped Ruud Gullit from the squad. This time it’s Ronald de Boer who has been axed.
Chances
Just look at the those two drubbings of Moldova and Wales. It’s enough to make the Germans quake when these two giants meet at the 52Â 000-capacity Dragao Stadium in Porto.
Qualified: Second in Group Three.