While debutants like Calafiori will lend Italy a hand in an attempt to retain the title, veterans like Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping for a last hurrah.
As so often seen in previous editions of the tournament, a few names were left out on the way to Germany.
As we delve deep into the discussion, let’s keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list.
Left Out – Mats Hummels (Germany/Dortmund, Group A)
Despite an outstanding season with Dortmund, where he helped steer the Black & Yellows to their first UEFA Champions League final since 2013, Hummels was surprisingly left out of Germany’s squad.
The 35-year-old played every single minute of regular time for Dortmund from the UCL Group stage all the way to the final, helping the Black and Yellows keep six clean sheets in the tournament.
Three-time UCL Player of the Match, Hummels made 52 tackles over the course of the Bundesliga season, winning 65% of them (34).
With 11 shots blocked and 33 key interceptions made in 25 league appearances, eyebrows were raised after Hummels was snubbed in Julian Naglesmann’s 27-man preliminary squad.
Alongside fellow club teammates Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt, Hummels will play no part as host nation Germany goes toe-to-toe against Scotland, Hungary, and Switzerland in the group stage.
Player to Watch – Florian Wirtz (Germany/Leverkusen, Group A)
Florian Wirzt promises to be the star of the show for Germany, who are tipped as favorites to win Euro 2024.
The 21-year-old was rightly named Bundesliga Player of the Season after helping Bayer Leverkusen to their maiden domestic title following a season-long unbeaten run.
With 11 goals, Wirtz was also the joint-second-best assist maker after creating 11 assists for his teammates in the just-concluded season.
Although less than half of his shots were on target for Dortmund, 47% (33/70), he is expected to be a prominent goal threat at the Euros.
Among Germany’s star-studded squad, which includes Madrid’s Toni Kroos and Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Wirtz could be the one to steal the show for Die Mannschaft.
Left Out – Ciro Immobile (Italy/Lazio, Group B)
Despite being rightly left out of Luciano Spalletti’s squad following an underwhelming season at Lazio, it will be strange to see the Azzurri without Ciro Immobile.
The Italian veteran led Italy’s attacking lineup at Wembley in the Euro 2020 final against England.
With only two goals in the previous edition of the competition, a season-low leaves him with only seven goals in 31 appearances for Lazio, unimpressive numbers by his standards.
Immobile joins the likes of Juve’s Manuel Locatelli and Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie on the sidelines as Italy prepares to defend her title against Spain, Croatia, and Albania in Group B.
Player to Watch – Riccardo Calafiori (Italy/Bologna, Group B)
While Immobile would be busy licking his wounds, Riccardo Calafiori will be hoping for the European debut of a lifetime.
The 22-year-old defender was a prominent figure for Bologna in the just-concluded season, helping the Rossoblù to a UCL qualification for the first time in 60 years.
The highly-rated center-back also has an eye for making assists, providing five of them in his 30 league appearances while helping Bologna become the third-best defensive side in the Italian top flight.
He will be looking to bring his 68% current success rate following 47 league tackles (32 won) to Italy’s enviable defensive line-up, despite being expected to play a role off the bench.
Left Out – Gavi (Spain/Barcelona, Group B)
Rather unlucky than being snubbed, a cruciate ligament injury picked up in November 2023 ensured Gavi wouldn’t be ready on time for the upcoming Euro 2024.
One of Spain’s promising players, Gavi, who made his international debut at the tender age of 17, has made 27 appearances for his country, scoring five times.
His performance in the Nations League’s semi-final victory over Italy in 2021 is just a glimpse of what Spain would be missing at the Euros.
Widely compared to Barcelona’s Xavi and Andrés Iniesta due to his qualities as a footballer, Luis de la Fuente will miss the 19-year-old’s creativity in the midfield.
Gavi joins Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez and PSG’s Marco Asensio as spectators, while Spain heads to Germany for a showdown against Group B rivals Croatia, defending champions Italy, and Albania.
Player to Watch – Lamine Yamal (Spain/Barcelona, Group B)
Despite an attacking line-up consisting of Álvaro Morata, Dani Olmo, and Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal is expected to be the star of the Spanish show.
With his next birthday just one day shy of the tournament’s final, the 16-year-old is one of the most highly-rated teenage sensations of this time.
A breakout season at Barcelona saw the 5 ft. 10 in. left-footed player, widely deployed on the right, become a prominent figure for the Catalans in attack.
Yamal scored five goals while creating eight assists, helping Barcelona to a second-place finish in La Liga.
While he makes his European Championship debut for La Roja, his excellent dribbling, strong passing, and chance-creating abilities could leave defenses in disarray.
Not one to shy out of a 1v1, his 17 successful take-ons form part of his impressive 108 shot-creating actions in the league for Barca.
Lamine is currently at the top of the table for the prestigious Golden Boy Award (2024).
Left Out – Marcus Rashford (England/Manchester United, Group C)
Are you surprised by Rashford’s omission? Well, if not, you are not alone!
Not many will complain over seeing Gareth Southgate leave out the Manchester United forward after an underwhelming season for the Red Devils.
The 26-year-old, who failed to score a single goal in the previous edition of the tournament, only scored seven goals in 33 league appearances.
Easily described as a shadow of himself, Rashford was snubbed alongside Reece James and Raheem Sterling.
The trio will play no part when England goes toe-to-toe with Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia in the group stage.
Player to Watch – Jude Bellingham (England/Real Madrid, Group C)
While Lamine Yamal could be Spain’s most promising forward at the Euros, no list can be complete without a mention of Jude Bellingham.
After a prominent debut season in Spain where he won the domestic title and a 15th UCL title with Real Madrid, the 20-year-old was rightly called up by Gareth Southgate.
The La Liga Player of the Season has since gone on to make 29 appearances for the Three Lions, scoring three times after an international debut against Austria in the build-up to EURO 2020.
After 19 league goals as the third-highest goal scorer, Bellingham will be looking to bring his knack for stoppage-time goals to the English squad.
His third goal for the Three Lions was a 95th-minute leveller in March’s 2-2 draw against Belgium.
He also scored both winners in El Classico for Madrid, bagging goals in the 92nd and 91st minutes, respectively, while achieving a similar feat against Union Berlin in the 94th minute on UCL Match Day 1.
Bellingham’s penchant for stoppage-time winners could be England’s get-out-of-jail card when difficult situations come calling.
He joins the Three Lions alongside other promising talents such as Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United) and Cole Palmer (Chelsea).
Left Out – Michael Olise (France/Crystal Palace, Group D)
The 22-year-old was surprisingly left out of Didier Deschamps’ 25-man squad list, despite a remarkable season with Crystal Palace.
Despite his season being dotted by a string of hamstring injuries, Olise managed to score 10 goals while creating six others for his teammates.
A player with an xG of 0.39 per 90, Olise was surprisingly left out along with Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa) and Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku.
Player to Watch – Kylian Mbappe (France/Real Madrid Group D)
Now described as Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, the 2022 FIFA World Cup top scorer (8) will be one to watch at the Euros once again.
His unquenchable thirst for goals, which leaves him as the third-highest goal scorer in the qualifying round (9), can only be rivaled by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.
After 78 caps for France, Mbappe is the third-highest goal scorer with 47 goals, ten goals behind Olivier Giroud (57), who has made almost twice as many appearances for Les Bleus (132).
His goal-scoring threat would come in handy for France as they look to put Austria, the Netherlands, and Poland away.
Left Out – Ian Maatsen (Netherlands/Dortmund (loan), Group E)*
Ian Maatsen was left out for the Netherlands despite a successful stint at Dortmund, where he played a pivotal role in the run to the Champions League final.
The Chelsea player, who has been on loan at four different sides for a major portion of his playing time since 2020, won 73% of his league tackles (22/30) playing for Dortmund in the just-concluded season.
The 22-year-old, who made the cut in UEFA’s Champions League Team of the Season, also put in 22 blocks in 16 matches for Dortmund over 1,264 minutes of playing time.
*Apparently, Ronald Koeman read our blog as he selected Ian Maatsen for his squad due to the injuries of Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners.
Player to Watch – Xavi Simons (The Netherlands/Leipzig (loan), Group E)
Xavi Simons will be one of the promising players to watch at Euro 2024.
The 21-year-old, who was once the youngest player to feature in the knockout stages of the World Cup for the Netherlands, finished the league season with 11 assists.
Those numbers left him rubbing shoulders with the likes of Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich) and Florian Wirtz in Germany’s topflight.
Despite 13 appearances for Oranje, he remains without a goal for the national team.
However, with his recent exploits in the final third, where he scored eight league goals, he shouldn’t have a problem earning his maiden goal for the Flying Dutchmen.
Left Out – Thibaut Courtois (Belgium/Real Madrid, Group E)
Left out after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, onlookers will not be surprised over Thibaut Courtois’ omission.
Courtois only recently returned to help Madrid to the La Decimoquinta.
The 31-year-old, who played only four games for Madrid all season, racked up 332 minutes and kept four clean sheets, making 15 saves along the way.
Player to Watch – Jérémy Doku (Belgium/Manchester City, Group E)
Since his senior international debut in September 2020 against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League, Jérémy Doku has scored only two goals in 20 appearances.
However, the 22-year-old has grown since his unexpected move to Manchester City.
His three goals and, most importantly, eight assists in 1,595 minutes of playing time helped City win their fourth successive Premier League title.
His pace-altering and explosive dribbling skills will no doubt be a useful tool for the Red Devils at the Euros, as they look to put Ukraine, Romania, and Slovakia aside.
Left Out – Matheus Nunes (Portugal/Manchester City, Group F)
Despite a £53 million move from Wolves to Manchester City, the Brazilian-born Portuguese midfielder was overlooked by new boss Roberto Martínez.
Two assists and no goals in 19 league appearances for the Sky Blues in the just-concluded season failed to earn him a call-up, having made his international debut in October 2021.
Nunes, along with Renato Sanches and Raphaël Guerreiro, will play no part as Portugal looks to pick up a second European title from a group consisting of Türkiye, Czechia, and Georgia.
Player to Watch – Ronaldo (Portugal/Al Nassr, Group F)
Not one to need any kind of introduction, Portugal’s iconic number 7 would need an entire article to talk about his football achievements.
Aged 39, Euro 2024 could be the last hurrah for the Seleção’s top scorer (126 goals) and most-capped player (206), who will be taking part in his sixth successive European championship.
A move to Saudi Arabia has done little to curb his goal-scoring prowess, leaving him as the league’s top scorer with 35 goals.
Ronaldo was second best on the goal charts in the qualifying round, bagging 10 goals, four behind the leading scorer, Lukaku (14).
Inseparable from any goal-related discussion, the Euro 2020 top scorer (5) is also the tournament’s leading goal scorer with 14 goals in 25 appearances.
Despite a flamboyant attacking lineup composed of Diogo Jota, João Félix, and Rafael Leão, Ronaldo is expected to remain Portugal’s main source of goals.
Follow the events as they unfold.
Having already said that this is not an exhaustive list, you are at liberty to come up with a few omissions of yours.
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