15. Best Feet Forward

When the Danish men’s football team are called up to replace Yugoslavia in the 1992 European Championships, just 10 days before the start of the tournament, nobody fancied their chances, least of all the players themselves. In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed traces their fairy tale journey towards taking home the trophy and reveals what Denmark's story can teach us about the importance of prioritising team cohesion over individual stardom. For the Danish coach, Richard Møller Nielsen, it’s all about nurturing the ties between the players, putting the team ahead of the ego of any individual star. Møller Nielsen’s approach is unpopular with the press, the public and the players themselves. But as Matthew discovers, he’s hit upon a crucial element of social cohesion, one that has been powering our societies for centuries. While we often construct our sports teams, our businesses and our lives assuming that we need to motivate individuals, are we overlooking the importance of human connection? And is this connection the secret to success? With journalist and football writer Lars Eriksen, former Danish international player and commentator Morten Brunn, Alexandra Michel, leadership development expert and Adjunct Professor at Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Greg Walton, Associate Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and Professor Josef W Meri, historian in interfaith relations at the College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Pippa Smith Series Editor and Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey Music, Sound Design and Mix: Nicholas Alexander Theme Music: Seventy Times Seven by Ioana Selaru A Novel production for BBC Radio 4