As with every major international tournament, Euro 2024 will inevitably be decided by the individuals who step up and put in game-winning performances for the national teams when it really matters.
France and England are many people’s favourites, boasting some of the very best players in the world, but it would be foolish to overlook hosts Germany given the talent Julian Nagelsmann has at his disposal.
Then there’s the likes of the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal, who all have enough quality – particularly the 2016 winners spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo – to go all the way if they play themselves into a groove.
So who will stand head and shoulders above the rest? 90min’s ’24 for 24′ series predicts who will be the best performers at the tournament, and, having already ranked 24-20, it’s time to get stuck into numbers 19-11.
Country: Croatia
Luka Modric is one of the greatest footballers of all time and, despite being nearly 40, holds the key to any hopes Croatia have of winning Euro 2024.
Modric has performed miracles with Croatia in recent international tournaments, most notably reaching the 2018 World Cup final, and will be hoping that this is finally the year he can get his nation over the line.
Don’t bet against him doing it.
Country: Germany
2024 seems to be the year in which Kai Havertz finally put it all together.
Weighed down by his Champions League-winning goal and the carnage that is Chelsea, the German sought pastures new at London rivals Arsenal last summer, and after a slow start finally started to repay the faith shown in him by Mikel Arteta.
The German scooped up 14 goal contributions during the second half of 2023/24, and his movement and link-up play is vital to Germany’s hopes of silverware this summer.
Country: France
Put simply, Olivier Giroud is the catalyst of France‘s dynamic forward line.
While Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann will steal all the headlines this summer, remember that none of that would be possible with out the big man up top holding up the ball and allowing the superstars to go and win games.
Country: Portugal
In his last 12 games for Portugal, Bruno Fernandes has scored nine goals and assisted a further eight.
That’s pretty damn good if you ask us.
Manchester United’s captain will hope to continue that impressive form in Germany, and given he’s flanked by the likes of Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Leao to name just three, there’s every chance he will. Don’t sleep on Portugal, even if you have doubts over Roberto Martinez as boss.
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Country: Portugal
Speaking of Bernardo Silva, is there a player in world football who has been as consistently brilliant as he’s been since joining Manchester City?
Quite possibly not.
The 29-year-old, a long-term target of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, has won it all during his time as a Premier League player, and can draw upon that experience as Portugal look to win the Euros for a second time in eight years.
Country: Germany
One of the top three centre-backs at Euro 2024 (according to us), Champions League winner Antonio Rudiger is a genuinely wonderful defender on and off the ball.
His defensive nous, as well the aerial threat he poses from set pieces, is the sort of skillset that every manager dreams of having at the heart of their backline. Germany can count themselves very, very lucky.
Country: England
For England, a lot hinges of Declan Rice’s performances in the middle of the park this summer.
And considering his stunning performances for Arsenal throughout the 2023/24 season, it’s fair to say that they’re in good hands.
Be it playing as a defensive midfielder or marauding forward as a box-to-box number eight, Rice has all the tools required to cut it in the big games – question is, can England finally get it together and go all the way?
Country: Netherlands
Some people started to the doubt quality of Liverpool and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, after his level admittedly dipped from its sky-high starting point.
But Van Dijk got back in the groove last season, showing that his stand-offish defensive ability does have a place in an ever-changing game, and he’s once again a player most look up to as the gold standard.
The Netherlands backline is extremely talented – Jeremie Frimpong, Micky van de Ven and Jurrien Timber, we’re looking at you – but Van Dijk is the leader who will hold it all together.
Country: Germany
Florian Wirtz is already a superstar in Germany, having delivered Bayer Leverkusen a first-ever Bundesliga crown (an unbeaten one at that) during 2023/24.
Now, with Bayern Munich hoping to swoop in like they always do, Wirtz has the opportunity to prove himself as one of European football’s biggest superstars. If he brings the kind of form that saw him deliver 18 goals and 15 assists for Leverkusen to the table, hosts Germany will be bloody hard to stop on their own patch.
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