Greece's original Sophia Smith recalls Athens 2004 memories

While the USA's Sophia Smith could be one of the stars of Paris 2024, 20 years ago a fellow American by the same name represent Greece at their home Athens Olympics...

Sophia Smith [third from the left] with some of her teammates at the 2004 Olympics

Greek football was riding the crest of a wave heading into a home Athens Olympics 20 years ago.

With the 2004 Games about to kick off across the capital city and beyond, the senior men’s team had just pulled off one of the greatest shocks seen still to this day a mere month earlier, beating Portugal in the final of the European Championships to bring home a first major trophy.

The memories and legacies still last to this day and are still spoken about as an event remembered across Europe, and it meant the football at the Athens Olympics was more anticipated than ever, despite the U23 nature of the men’s football tournament meaning none of the Euro 2004 stars would be on show.

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But qualifying as hosts also meant Greece’s senior women’s team qualified, a team which still to the present day has never featured in another major tournament and currently ranks only 60^th in the FIFA rankings.

The task was also a lot tougher, for a combination of factors. A lack of development in the women’s game meant Greece didn’t really even have a team to rely on just years ahead of the tournament, while they were placed in a brutal group alongside Lisa De Vanna’s Australia, a Brazil with Marta, Formiga and Cristiane and a USA with Brandi Chastain, Shannon Boxx, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly, Abby Wambach and many others.

Ironically, it was the USA Greece would seek for help in actually just being able to field a squad, with seven of the eventual selected 18 living and playing stateside at the time, including 25-year-old Sophia Smith of the Houston Stars.

“It’s really nice to have a chance to talk about it,” smiles Smith, who now lives in Zurich working for FIFA’s legal department.

“It’s all this new ‘adult lifestyle’ when you stop playing, but fortunately I’ve had a chance to stay close to the game through FIFA. It’s a long time ago, but fond memories and nice to relive the real football days because it really was diving into a new culture, even with my family ties. The way they interacted with one another, the amazing food, the culture, it was so special and so different. It was an amazing experience.”