Euro 2024 is just around the corner, and boy oh boy are we excited for the tournament to kick off.
A lot of our excitement revolves around the opportunity to watch the very best footballers in Europe vying for team glory and some 2024 Ballon d’Or votes too.
In our new series 24 for 24, 90min will rank the best star players, young players and teams at the tournament this summer.
So what better way to get things going than with the 24th, 23rd, 22nd, 21st and 20th best players on show at Euro 2024? Let the fun commence…
Country: Portugal
Manchester City centre-back Ruben Dias has been a serial winner at club level for the last few seasons, picking up nine medals in the last four years. He was even voted the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2021 – the first and only time a defender has won the award in the Premier League era.
The 27-year-old will be looking to add to that tally with an international triumph this summer in Germany and, if he finds his best form alongside veteran Pepe at the heart of Portugal’s defence, there’s every chance he’ll do so.
Country: Spain
Are we shocked that Dani Olmo is still at RB Leipzig? Yeah, quite shocked to be honest.
Euro 2024 could be the tournament in which he finally seals a move to one of Europe’s top clubs, however. The 26-year-old has always been a consistent performer for Spain at international tournaments and is again expected to be a key man for Luis de la Fuente’s side.
Next. Euro 2024 sweepstake. PLAY: Our Euro 2024 sweepstake (UK only). dark
Country: Germany
A few years ago, Joshua Kimmich was arguably a top five footballer in the world.
While he’s seen his stock dip dramatically in recent times – thanks in large part to his schism with former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel – there’s no doubting the fact that he remains a key player for Germany.
Whether Kimmich is playing as a right-back or as a central midfielder, he can be expected to put in some top drawer showings.
Country: England
The term ‘starboy’ is thrown around pretty easily these days, but in the case of Bukayo Saka it very much applies.
If Saka performs to the level he can for England, there’s every chance he’ll be in the conversation for Euro 2024 player of the tournament – that’s how good he is.
Still only 22, he has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League for the last few years and is expected to have a huge impact on the right side of Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions attack.
Country: Portugal
He may be ancient in football terms and may be nowhere near the player he once was, but Cristiano Ronaldo is still one of the best goal-getters around, particularly when the pressure is on at the highest level.
Coming off the back of a season in which he scored 50 goals in 51 appearances for Al Nassr, Ronaldo will have high hopes of getting his hands on the European Championship trophy for a second time – he famously played cheerleader from the sidelines when Eder (remember him?) fired Portugal to a shock win over France in the 2016 final.
Should Ronaldo be successful, it would be a fitting way for his incredible international career to end.
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90 Mins
