Any country can win our favourite TV show. Even a country that languishes way down low when the scores come in can confound those critics and finish first. Just look at Portugal. That was a good win.
At the end of the last century, our friends in Greece were having an indifferent time. Nothing better than fifth, and that was exceptional. However, we ticked over to the 2000s and things started to happen. Two third places in four contests and then a win. One of those third places came from today’s birthday boy Αναστάσιος ‘Σάκης’ Ρουβάς/Anastasios ‘Sakis’ Rouvas. In that first year of proper semi-finals, he surprised us all with his finishing position. And he was so popular ERT got him to co-host the Athens contest, before coming back in 2009, this time managing a seventh after standing on a giant stapler. Is he Greece’s Mr Eurovision? Name someone else it could be.
Sakis is 52 today.
Χρόνια πολλά, Σάκης!