Football in 2004. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_in_association_football -- Arsenal went undefeated after the 2003-2004 season. This was the last title in 20 years. -- Manchester United has participated in the Europa League in 5 out of the last 10 seasons. -- Brazil won the 2002 and 1994 World Cup. They were finalist in 1998. So they were finalists for the last three WC in 2004. But since 2004, they have only reached the semifinal of the World Cup once iwhen Brazil was the host. They lost 7-1 to Germany. -- Ronaldo is still playing, but playing in Saudi Arabia probably won't be surprising given his age. However, being paid that amount of money is ridiculous. -- England reached the Final of the last two European Championship. They not winning a tournament are probably not surprising in 2004. Meanwhile, Spain which was then the biggest choker in international football has won a World Cup and three European Championships. -- Italy national team won an European Championship, and it was as big of an upset as Greece did it in 2004. -- The Barcelona kit has a commercial logo. -- Nico Williams played for Athletic Bilbao. They have altered their player policy.
Totally disagree. I don't think anyone saw Greece 2004 lifting the trophy. It's arguably a bigger shock than Denmark winning 1992 at short notice. I do think Italy failing to qualify for two consecutive World Cups could be rated as shocking as Greece 2004, but although victory at Euro 2020/2021 came in between those failures I don't feel it ranks anywhere near Greece's triumph. Jose Mourinho coaching at Fenerbahçe. Qatar hosting the World Cup.
Man City become the best team in the world and won 6 premier league, 1 UCL and a treble. That was unthinkable in 2004
"Italy national team won an European Championship, and it was as big of an upset as Greece did it in 2004." Well, if you look at the bookmaker odds (150 to 1; 200 to 1) and other evidence (including Sofascore, yes) then it simply wasn't. Greece 2004 beat the holders (France), favorites (Czech Republic) and hosts (Portugal) all within 90 minutes. Not even after penalties. You can make an argument it was like Denmark in 1992, Uruguay 2011 or the un-technical and poorly skilled amateurs of Germany in 1954 (wrecking the shins and ankles of a few opponents), the lopsided trajectory of Uruguay in 1950, but Greece in 2004 was something else. Greece in 2004 was less fancied than Sweden in 2004, to give an idea. Italy their odds looked better and then they won it all with a few shoot-outs. Italy in 2021 just had not odds like 150 to 1 for a win (and even wider odds for doing it all within 90 minutes).
Spain becoming the dominant international team after constant disappointment. They had consistently underachieved to a larger degree than any other national team in history up until 2008.
Maybe that in 2004 many poindexters thought Maradona was the last real top tier great. Just a little later Messi and Cristiano emerged, same for another much-hyped club team. The number of years between Milan and Pep's Barcelona is a little larger (20 years) as the number of years between Ajax and Sacchi's Milan (about 16 years). Also that in 2004 almost all classic legends were still alive (except Garrincha?) but by 2024 they are all deceased. The entire top 10 of the (self-congratulating) 'World Soccer' list was alive in 2004, but 20 years later only Platini and Van Basten remain. From George Best to Eusebio, they are all gone.
-- That Argentina wouldn't be the dominating force in world football in the years to come after the 2004 Summer Olympics. Their performances in Athens is one of the best I have ever seen in an international tournament (and yes, I know that it's mostly a youth cup but still). -- That no Italian player would surpass Gigi Riva's NT record of 35 goals in the coming 20 years. It is one of football's most insane facts. -- That the young and exciting Spanish players Joaquín and Vicente's place in the national team would be cut short within one and three years respectively. To a MUCH lesser extent, Andy van der Meyde for the Netherlands. -- That Cristiano Ronaldo would end up scoring that many goals and people would end up forgetting about his dribbling playstyle. -- That Leeds would take that many years to go up again. That Blackburn would be absent from the PL 12 years in a row. That Deportivo La Coruña would some day fall down to the third tier. That Hamburg, Schalke & Werder Bremen would also decline. -- That the top leagues in Europe don't have an abundance of really good Mexican players, similar to some South American countries. -- That Zlatan Ibrahimović would have such a long career at the top. I dunno, he did not strike me as someone with the kind of attitude that I associate with longevity. -- With Chelsea and Abramovich as a fresh precedent, I don't think Manchester City's rise (nor any other newly-rich club) would have surprised me. If anything, the botched projects of Malaga and Anzhi Makhachkala were more unexpected. -- Leicester winning the PL without the Chelsea-like spending since 2003. Upsetting in a cup is one thing (Greece 2004 was fresh in our minds). Upsetting in the course of 38 matches something else entirely. -- That Fenerbahçe would be absent from the Champions League 15 years in a row. -- That not a single English manager would be able to win the Premier League even once. -- That not a single African team would win a single World Cup medal. -- That Edwin van der Sar would have a career resurgence a year later, when he in his mid-30s was signed from Fulham to Man Utd, spending 6 years and winning everything. -- That the country as well as the same manager would end up with a humiliating WC semifinal 1-7 defeat as hosts in ten years.