Cristiano Ronaldo is heartbroken and Jose Mourinho's madness – The year that 'broke' football

Modern football has become quite predictable, hasn't it?

In the Premier League, it's the same old winners year after year, with the European game not much better.

At the start of each season, most could probably guess where the big trophies end up. The beauty of the oppressed is gone.

But this was not always the case. So let's go back to 2004…the year that broke football.

Ronaldo heartbroken by Greek tragedy

Perhaps the biggest footballing shock of 2004 occurred in Portugal, when the European Championship hosts were rocked by a stunning Greek tragedy.

The signs were there from the start when Greece beat Portugal in the opening match of the competition. A fresh-faced Cristiano Ronaldo found his way onto the scoresheet late on, but it proved irrelevant as Portugal slipped to a 2-1 defeat.

Their paths, quite surprisingly, would cross again in the Euro 2004 final, where Portugal were the hot favorites to claim their first ever major tournament triumph.

Angelos Charisteas and Greece had other ideas. A second-half header from the striker separated the two teams, sparking scenes of jubilation for Greece and tears for teenage sensation Ronaldo.

Mourinho madness sees Porto win Champions League

By the time the euro appeared this summer, 2004 had already established itself as the year of shocks.

Before Greece's Euro victory, it looked like the biggest footballing surprise was going to come in Europe's most prestigious club competition: the Champions League.

The Portuguese team, led by the future 'Special One', negotiated a tricky group containing Partizan Belgrade, Marseille and European record holders Real Madrid to advance to the round of 16.

But it would be Porto who would qualify as King of the Continent at the end of the campaign, with the Dragons dispatching Lyon, Deportivo de La Coruna and the mighty Manchester United en route to the final.

Led by a strong contingent of Portuguese talent, Pedro Mendes, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco dominated Monaco in the final, beating the French side 3-0 and propelling Mourinho's side into the stratosphere.

Arsenal make history with unbeaten season

Although Arsenal were by no means underdogs heading into the 2003/04 season, their 38-game unbeaten campaign in the Premier League took everyone by surprise.

It was something that couldn't and shouldn't be done, but Arsene Wenger and his merry men found a way, with the Gunners becoming the first team since Preston North End in 1889 to go a full season without losing a match.

The run itself spanned three seasons, lasted 49 games, and remains to this day as something that has not been repeated and likely never will be repeated.

Spanish giants killed as La Liga fiesta time approaches

Back on the continent and in Spain, they had a crazy year, as Barcelona and Real Madrid went the entire season without a trophy.

In the league, Valencia finished five points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table to win their second La Liga title in three seasons.

Valencia would win the UEFA Cup a few weeks later to complete a magnificent double, while Real Zaragoza beat Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.

Bayern dismissed as Bremen complete double

And a similar situation occurred in Germany as Werder Bremen continued the year of shocks with their own Bundesliga and DFB Pokal.

In the end, Werder finished six points ahead of record champions Bayern Munich, even beating the Bavarians in their penultimate match of the campaign to clinch the title.

Their journey to the Pokal was a little less chaotic, however, as they managed to avoid any big-name opponents before being pitted against second division side Alemannia Aachen in the final.

Aachen, who had beaten Bayern and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the previous rounds, failed to produce a final fairytale result, with Bremen edging out a classic 3-2 in Berlin.

What a weird and wonderful year of football.