Sunday, Jun. 13, 2004

Euro Mania!

By BILL SAPORITO

The sporting event of the summer is now under way. sorry, Athens, but for football-crazy Europeans, not even the beloved Olympics fire the passions in the way that Euro 2004 is doing right now, with bone-deep grudge matches such as England vs. France and the Netherlands vs. Germany — and that's just in the first few days. In England, newspapers have already reached epic levels of xenophobia, likening last Sunday's game with France to Agincourt and Waterloo combined, while the white and red flag of St. George flies everywhere — from houses and cars, on clothes and in ads for everything from cola to crisps to mobile phones. The French are characteristically cool about the big choc — after all, they're defending champions. But they're locked and loaded. In all, teams from 16 countries are being celebrated with more than 350 licensed products — anyone for a Croatia blow-up cushion? — and countless unofficial goods trying to grab a chunk of the billions of euros that fans are spending this month.

Two big things happened since the last European soccer championship four years ago: the world got a lot uglier and the game got a lot prettier. Football has never been more exciting than it is right now, and fans are looking to it not just for 90-minute diversions, but for a three-week-long escape. That's an awful lot to ask of a soccer tournament, but this year's version is poised to deliver. Portugal has prepped and primped for its debut, spending around €550 million in anticipation of some 1.5 million free-spending visitors. And the players are ready. At Euro 2000, we got a glimpse of where soccer was heading when France's Thierry Henry dazzled the Danes with a lightning run to goal. With Henry's amazing talent now even more developed, he has become the poster boy for a new kind of football: incredible skill at incredible speed, delivered nonstop for 90 lung-wringing minutes. "Thierry is playing the best football in the world today," says Aimé Jacquet, his former national team coach. Who would argue? But Euro 2004 has as many story lines as it does players.

In these pages, TIME looks at beloved stars hoping for a last international hurrah — and the young upstarts hoping to take their places. In Saturday's opening match, the Portuguese did little to cast off their reputation as talented but unable to win the big match, getting humbled by Greece 2-1. The Greeks, playing fearlessly, served notice that they belong here. Portugal may wrest the futility award from neighboring Spain, a comfortable 1-0 winner over Russia, or from that perennial paradox, the Netherlands, whose skill often surrenders to bickering — or penalty kicks. Pundits rate the Czechs, led by golden-haired Golden Ball winner Pavel Nedved, as the team capable of the biggest surprise. France offers élan and pace; England will be gritty; Italy will be pretty and dramatic; Germany won't. And finally, say hello to Latvia, a first-time entrant. Nice to have you here, fellows. Enjoy Portugal. We sure will.