King Otto Rules Greece Once Again

He has already been offered Greek citizenship and the unconditional adoration of a nation of 10 million, and some say a statue in the center of Athens can't be far behind.

The international press has run out of superlatives to describe the improbable run of Otto Rehhagel, 65, and his Greeks to the final of the European Soccer Championships. Prior to this year, the Greek team had never won a match at a major tournament, qualifying for only two tournaments in the past 25 years.

Under Rehhagel, Greece beat hosts Portugal in the opening game of the tournament, defending champions France in the quarterfinals and favorites the Czech Republic in the semifinals to advance to the final against Portugal on Sunday.

"The dream continues," Rehhagel told his players in the locker room after Greece won 1-0 in extra time in Porto.

An expert with problem cases

Observers say there is no question who is responsible for that dream. When Rehhagel took over the Greek team in 2001, he inherited a squad of singular talents playing largely in the corruption-rife Greek domestic league, where media and club officials tend to decide on starting lineups and final scores.

Greece's soccer federation was a mess of conflicting interests, egos, and power-hungry officials and no one gave Rehhagel a chance of making an impact.

But the coach had dealt with problem cases before. In 1998, he took an average 1. FC Kaiserslautern side that had just qualified for the Bundesliga the season before, and led them to the league title. In all, he won three titles in the Bundesliga, two of them with Werder Bremen, his longest coaching stint.

Criticism, then praise

He had a rough start in Greece. He was unwilling to learn the language, relying on his assistant coach and interpreter Ioannis Topalidis to get the message across. Greek soccer officials also accused him of spending too little time in Greece, something they saw as a lack of commitment to the team.

Slowly, he began to change their minds. He took complete control of the national team, sweeping away the player agents, federation officials and coaches that contributed to the chaos and lack of discipline in the squad.

He completely revamped the team's on-field strategy, placing heavy emphasis on the defensive schemes that would frustrate and beat top opponents like Spain and the Ukraine in the qualifying for the Portugal tournament. As the Greeks began to win, the players' faith in their brusque and authoritative coach increased.

Old-fashioned, and effective

In Portugal, the team has become the tournament's unlikely success story. The man-to-man defending and aggressive tackling runs contrary to the fast-paced, combination passing game that most teams have favored. Rehhagel's team has been criticized as old fashioned and boring, playing a style of soccer designed to wear down opponents, not dazzle them. Rehhagel brushes aside such criticism.

"He who wins, is modern," he said.

The Greeks couldn't agree more. The country has been propelled into soccer heaven with their team's run to the final. Greece is celebrating the second King Otto to come out of Germany -- the first having ruled the newly created Greece for 30 years until 1862.

"Everyone believes in him"

Rehhagel only has a contract until 2006, but intends to make good on it, despite calls from many in Germany to fill the vacant spot at the head of the German national team.

"All of my thoughts right now are with my players," Rehhagel told a reporter following the semifinal victory.

And he has their complete loyalty.

"Otto can have anything he wants from me, he has convinced me and every player," said Tipoladis, his assistant coach. "The way he deals with people is singular. Everyone believes in what he says. Everyone believes in him."