At the start of Euro 2020, which due to the Covid-19 health emergency, was postponed to mid-2021, we were able to see amazing matches that had us waiting for great football. And these did not disappoint; games like France-Portugal, England-Germany, among others, were of great pleasure for the public.
The excitement of the return of a great tournament at the level of national football teams was so great that we could see how, little by little, the fans have returned to the stadium. Some even got vaccinated to be able to attend the matches of their countries.
And they have no reason to regret it, because, in addition to the matches between the big teams, the teams that do not have the best squads also played games of a high level, some of them eliminating world powers at a football level.
The interesting thing is that from these great matches, we have seen several players who; have excelled with their national team, have been promising, surprised the world, among others. Here is a list of players who, in our opinion, have left a lot to talk about, and we have to keep an eye on them for the future.
Manuel Locatelli (Italy)
The young 23-year-old player who plays for Serie A club Sassuolo has been the town’s talk before and during the Euros. Before the start of the competition, we noticed the Italian player caught the attention of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who today, in his second spell with the Spanish club, wants to sign the Italian midfielder. And this is where many wondered why he wanted him; after the matches played in the group stage, many understood the contribution that the Sassuolo player has to the national team, so much, that several big clubs like Juventus and PSG have entered the bidding for Locatelli.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
This is not just about the Euros; we know that Lukaku has been a reference player wherever he has gone. The 28-year-old striker has shown his worth, and after a not so good spell at United, he ended up joining Inter Milan, winning the title with the club, who had not won the title for the last ten years. The Belgian player is among those who can win the top scorer of the tournament, in which he has set his sights after finishing second in his domestic league.
Robin Gosens (Germany)
The 26-year-old player plays for Serie A side Atalanta. The German national team player has proven to be a great asset to the national team. Despite his hasty elimination against England, Gosens has several pretenders and plans to pursue many things over the next season and show his best level to reach the World Cup.
Patrik Schick (Czech Republic)
One of the most surprising players in this humble national team, the 25-year-old striker, has been one of the Czech Republic’s key players for their historic European Championship, where they qualified in the group stage as one of the best third-placed teams and eliminated a powerhouse and championship contender like the Netherlands. The “9” of Bayern Leverkusen, a team that plays in the Bundesliga, is positioned among the top scorers behind great players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, among others.
Goran Pandev (North Macedonia)
He is a great historical player who was part of the squad that won the Champions League in 2010 with Jose Mourinho’s Inter. The 37-year-old decided to prolong his retirement from football by promising to lead North Macedonia to an international tournament for the first time in history. And he kept his promise by being the player who scored the Euro qualification goal against Georgia. And after his first appearance, he also proved to be the first player to score a goal for his country at the Euros. After the elimination against the Netherlands, where they lost 3-0, the players of his national team made him a corridor wherein, a mixture of emotions, they said goodbye and ended the career of the former Genoa striker.
Raheem Sterling (England)
We couldn’t leave without mentioning Raheem, the 26-year-old Manchester City player. A few years ago, the winger, who came through the Liverpool youth ranks and was transferred to Manchester City a few years ago, is the most surprising player in the England squad, scoring several goals so far in the tournament. Sterling has proven his ability with the national team and is clamoring for a first-team place in Pep Guardiola’s City side.
