Deification comes too easily in modern football, players are elevated from `good' to `great' to `legendary' on a weekly rota as an all-consuming mass media exhausts comparatives.
But Greece's Euro 2004 triumph renders such qualifications obsolete; this was the biggest shock in international football history from a team who conformed to nobody's idea of tournament winners.
It has not always been easy to feel affection for Otto Rehhagel's team during the last three weeks but it is impossible not to admire their confounding of the odds and undermining of the establishment.
In the age of the Champions League, G14 clubs and £5million-per-year players, it is often forgotten that footballers are mere mortals on the field as well as off it; Rehhagel has delivered a welcome blow to the sport's perceived glamour boys.
The German's meticulous organisation has proved too much for European football royalty; Luis Figo, Raul, Zinedine Zidane and Pavel Nedved have each been summarily overthrown.
Stelios Giannakopoulos, a squad player at Bolton, is the European champion most familiar to English audiences with the Greek skipper, Theo Zagorakis, not far behind after a spell as understudy to Robbie Savage at Leicester City.
Much has also been made of their best player this summer, Traianos Dellas, failing to make the grade at Sheffield United though he is actually not without pedigree, as testified by current employment with Roma.
It has been said that Rehhagel would not have enjoyed success with players from his homeland but, if true, this would be because of his current charges' superior discipline rather than ability.
Germany counterpart Rudi Voller, like 11 or 12 of his peers in Portugal, had access to better players than Rehhagel but simply did not do as good a job.
Greece were continually written off because they are a limited team with limited ambition; it was their seemingly infinite resolve which made them champions, exploiting opponents' failure to match this will.
Under Dellas' impeccable leadership, the Greeks hunted the ball in packs with devastating effect, seemingly invulnerable to lapses of concentration.
Dellas, Giorgos Seitaridis and Panagiotis Fissas will rightly take the plaudits for each producing three faultless consecutive defensive displays in the knockout stages but this team is perhaps personified by Georgios Karagounis.
The Inter Milan midfielder was Rehhagel's most creative midfielder in his four appearances; he missed the other two games, including the final, after collecting yellow cards every time he played.
Karagounis was able to distinguish himself with a quick brain but was as tireless and cynical in terms of midfield industry as any team-mate.
Of particularly great tribute to player and coach was his reaction upon receiving the yellow card against Czech Republic which ruled him out of the final; without a sign of self-indulgent histrionics Karagounis focused on helping his nation past the tournament's most likeable team.
For all their underdog status, Greece never had the credentials for that particular title and nor did they present them.
With every player on the field dedicated to destruction, there was little room for invention and rarely did Rehhagel offer the most rudimentary entertainment.
So poor have they been on occasions that Greece may well be the first European champions not to defend their title, qualification for the Alpine tournament in 2008 will certainly not be a formality with or without their 'King Otto'.
But, contrary to popular belief, sport is not part of the entertainment industry.
Great sport and great sportsmen can, for all the pundits' efforts, never be distilled into one convenient soundbite; it's a welcome change for a great team and a great coach to break from the tiresome status quo.
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