International football tournaments offer opportunities for big names to cement their reputation after success at club level, and the upcoming European Championships is no exception.
The last edition of the tournament saw Italy pip England after a penalty shoot-out in the final, with Jorginho adding an international trophy to his Champions League success with Chelsea and ultimately taking third in the Ballon d’Or voting. Four years before that, Cristiano Ronaldo added an elusive international title with Portugal after countless successes at club level.
This time around, plenty of teams will consider themselves in with a shot of glory. That includes England, despite Friday’s defeat to Iceland seeing some temper their expectations.
How about the individual players, though? Here, Mirror Football takes a closer look at some of the stars we can expect to make their mark over the coming month.
1. Kylian Mbappe
Regarded by many as the world’s best player, Kylian Mbappe has once again had a stellar individual season in what has now been confirmed as his final campaign at Paris Saint-Germain before a summer move to Real Madrid. Mbappe’s major international achievements to date, however, have come predominantly in the World Cup.
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Winning the competition as 19-year-old in 2018, Mbappe scored an unforgettable hat-trick in their 2022 final defeat to Argentina and has recorded 12 goals in 14 World Cup games. But the French talisman has European Championship demons to banish, having missed the decisive penalty when Les Bleus crashed out to Switzerland in the quarter-finals in his only previous appearance at this tournament.
The Real Madrid-bound superstar’s appetite for the big stage remains undimmed and he is still only 25. Expect him to set the competition alight.
2. Harry Kane
Bayern Munich may have had an uncharacteristically trophy-free season but Harry Kane has enjoyed a record-breaking debut campaign in the Bundesliga, scoring 44 goals in all competitions. With four goals as England’s key man at Euro 2020, Kane will look to go one better this year and fire the Three Lions to a first European Championship title.
Kane will be eager to atone for his World Cup disappointment having fired a penalty over the bar in the 2022 quarter-final defeat to France. He has a point to prove this summer and will be eager to add a Euros golden boot to the World Cup equivalent he claimed in 2018. Now familiar with German surroundings after his exploits with Bayern, this is set to be another summer to remember for England’s talismanic frontman.
3. Jude Bellingham
Expectations were high after Jude Bellingham’s big-money move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid but it’s safe to say he has exceeded them – and then some. Undoubtedly one of the world ’s best midfielders, Bellingham claimed the 2024 Laureus World Sports Breakthrough of the Year award and has scored some iconic goals in his maiden season at the Bernabeu – last-minute winners in both Clasicos against Barcelona have shown an ability to rise to the big occasion.
Still only 20 years old, Bellingham has already featured at two major tournaments, representing England at Euro 2020 and then becoming his country’s second youngest scorer at a World Cup in Qatar. If Bellingham can translate his club form on to the international stage, England will go far.
4. Jamal Musiala
After finishing in the top 30 in 2023’s Ballon d’Or ranking, Musiala has enjoyed yet another fruitful season and rubber stamped himself as one of Europe’s best young talents. Musiala, who represented England at youth level, has scored 13 Bundesliga goals for Bayern Munich and has become a key player for club and country.
At Euro 2020, Musiala became the youngest German player to feature in a major tournament at the age of 18 years and 117 days. He also became the fifth youngest German to feature at a World cup for Germany in the 2022 Saudi Arabia’s edition.
A tournament on home soil is the perfect stage for this superstar to shine for a rejuvenated Julian Naglesmann-led Germany side. Nagelsmann’s team are unbeaten across four games in 2024, with Musiala registering assists in the March victories over France and The Netherlands.
5. Kevin De Bruyne
The Belgium playmaker has suffered an injury-hit season but remains an integral part of his country’s plans. The leading light in his country’s much-discussed ‘golden generation’, De Bruyne has so far been unable to add international honours to his countless club trophies and the Red Devils crashed out in the group stage in the 2022 World Cup.
Now 32, Euro 2024 may be the last chance for De Bruyne to win silverware for Belgium and he will not shirk the responsibility of being tasked with controlling the tempo. Arguably the most gifted passer of the ball in the competition, he can be relied upon for moments of genius when it matters most – and how Belgium would love some of those this summer.
6. Robert Lewandowski
Another player seeking to add international glory to storied club exploits, Robert Lewandowski has been a consistent goalscorer in his two seasons at Barcelona while not quite matching the heady goal-a-game heights he became accustomed to at Bayern Munich.
Lewandowski has so far not been beyond the last eight at a major international tournament but not for lack of trying – he has five goals to his name in 11 previous European Championship games, a tally he will need to add to this summer if he is to help Poland progress. Euro 2024 could mark Lewandowski’s final tournament in the white of his country and Poland’s all-time record goalscorer will be determined to bow out on a high.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo may be 39 now but he is enjoying his best goalscoring season since the 2015-16 season – albeit in the Saudi Pro League. In the Euro 2016 final, the legendary forward famously went off injured and assumed the role of proxy coach alongside Fernando Santos as Portugal were crowned champions.
This summer marks 20 years since his major tournament debut for Portugal at Euro 2004 and Ronaldo enters as the competition’s leading all-time scorer with 14. He has also scored in all nine major tournaments he has played in.
Portugal’s forward options are plentiful and the fact Ronaldo remains among them is testament to his enduring quality. His name will still strike fear into defenders across the competition.
8. Virgil Van Djik
An ACL injury caused many to doubt that Virgil Van Djik would ever return to the heights that saw him finish third in the 2019 Ballon d’Or behind Lionel Messi. Yet this season the centre-back has shown signs of being back at his imperious best.
Despite being 32, the 2022 World Cup was the Dutchman’s first major tournament and he captained his side to the quarter-finals, where they exited at the hands of Messi’s eventual champions Argentina. With France lying in wait in the group stages, the Netherlands defence can expect to be kept busy and Van Djik will have to be at the top of his game if the Oranje are to stay the course.
9. Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann has enjoyed a record breaking season, with his 174th goal for Atletico Madrid in January this year putting him top of the club’s all-time scoring charts, and has been a key part of the French national side for a decade with 44 goals in 127 games.
The Frenchman’s pinnacle was World Cup success in 2018, when he scored in the final against Croatia. Despite Les Bleus’ strength in depth, further international honours have so far proved elusive.
At 33 years old, this may be Griezmann’s final chance to light up the European international stage and add the missing European Championship medal to his collection. Now operating primarily as a No.10, his guile will be key to breaking down defences this summer.
10. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Despite struggling to replicate his debut season form, Georgian talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has managed to his double figures in a Napoli side who have also not hit the heights of their Scudetto-winning campaign of 2022-23. Euro 2024 will be Georgia’s inaugural appearance at an international tournament and Kvaratskhelia has been key to getting them there.
He has registered 15 goals in 28 games for his country and his four in qualifying included a vital double in a 2-2 draw against Scotland. With the prospect of no European football at club level next season, Kvaratskhelia has been linked with Liverpool and PSG and will put himself firmly in the shop window if he performs to his maximum in Germany.
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