Greece coach Otto Rehhagel is World Cup rookie at 71

His Greek experience is one of those feel-good stories that are made into blockbuster movies.

Otto Rehhagel's term as coach of Greece has brought both him and the team more success than anyone could possibly have imagined, raising him to the status of national hero. 

Rehhagel guided Greece to one of the sport's biggest upsets when the rank outsiders won the 2004 European Championship, and he has now steered the national team to more major tournaments than all of his predecessors combined.

Yet, with his contract up after the tournament, it looks highly unlikely that the 71-year-old German will stay on after his World Cup debut.

In his nine years in charge he has nurtured a new generation of players who share his thirst for success instead of resting on their domestic laurels as previous generations had done.

Rehhagel had enjoyed considerable club success with Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and Kaiserslautern before taking over Greece in 2001.

Against all the odds they won Euro 2004 but then failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. 

A dismal defence of their Euro title in 2008 led to their exit in the group stage and critics dismissed Rehhagel's coaching style as outdated and called for him to resign.

The former tough-tackling Bundesliga defender defied his critics and stayed on to see Greece qualify for their second World Cup.                                          

"I am not thinking about my first time at the World Cup," Rehhagel said after his team qualified by beating Ukraine in the playoffs. "This is not an issue for me, not in my mind."                                           

However, after almost 40 years in the coaching business, Rehhagel could be excused for cracking a big smile on June 12 when he enters Nelson Mandela Bay stadium for Greece's first Group B match against South Korea.