The Latvian National Football Team
From being one of the best 16 teams in Europe to European minnows 16 years on. Pictured: Māris Verpakovskis scoring at Euro 2004. How did a team that qualified for EURO 2004 become the level of the likes of San Marino, Malta and Liechtenstein? Anyone who follows European international football will know the names of nations that spring to mind when looking who to avoid on your football coupon. San Marino, Andorra, Moldova to name a few of the regulars who are a likely pick on the handicap market but a new European minnow seems to have joined the usual suspects. Latvia, 16 years ago one of the best 16 teams in Europe now find themselves below Luxembourg, Kazakhstan and Kosovo in the current FIFA rankings in what has been a huge decline as the 21st century continues. While Greece got all the headlines after winning against all odds at EURO 2004, Latvia was another underdog story of the tournament. The Baltic nation had never qualified for a major tournament before but a play off game wi