All-star squads of the world’s finest players will land in Germany this summer – but who are the very best to watch out for?
Euro 2024 is drawing some of the biggest names in world football to the party for a feast of football across Germany.
Fans may be disappointed Erling Haaland’s Norway failed to make the grade, while stars from the rest of the world, including Lionel Messi, Vinicius Jr and Mohamed Salah, are obviously ineligible.
However, nobody will bemoan their absences once Euro 2024 heats up given the strength of talent on show, from experienced heads to rising megastars.
RadioTimes.com brings you the round-up of the best players in action at the Euros this summer.
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Best players at Euro 2024
5. Rodri (Spain)
Spain may not boast a golden generation of stars, but Rodri would have slotted into their silverware-laden era without skipping a beat.
The Manchester City midfielder is an all-action Swiss army knife, as comfortable when asked to defend, win the ball and recycle immediately as he is purring forward with the ball at his feet to create and score goals.
Rodri is physically imposing and technically astute. He will be crucial to Spain’s ambitions in 2024, despite a general lack of excitement around them.
4. Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
City are not short of all-action powerhouse midfielders, that’s for sure. De Bruyne is typically – and justly – revered as a technical master. He is arguably the greatest crosser of a ball the Premier League has known, and can split defences with marksman accuracy.
In addition to his wizardry with the ball at his feet, De Bruyne is also a physical presence in midfield with a burst of acceleration enough to buy precious space to work his magic.
De Bruyne has created an assist in almost half (49) of his 100 caps for Belgium prior to the tournament, and scored in more than a quarter of them (27).
3. Jude Bellingham (England)
It feels as though Bellingham has enjoyed his career on fast-forward. The England international burst through at Birmingham, ruled the roost at Dortmund, exploded to stardom with Real Madrid and hoisted the Champions League trophy in June. He is 20.
Bellingham’s versatility means he is a superb ball-carrier, able to play scything passes or take a long shot on – usually with a positive outcome. Or he can dig deep, chase and track back to recover the ball if lost. He provides immense dynamism to the midfield.
On top of his physical and technical ability, Bellingham has always impressed with his demeanour, intelligence and determination to win. He brings a healthy dose of main character energy to England and will relish the opportunity to break the deadlock in any tight knockout games.
2. Harry Kane (England)
Rightly or wrongly, it feels as though people are only just realising the world-class nature of Kane after he left British soil for the Bundesliga. He had nothing to prove in our eyes, but he showcased his full potential anyway, with 44 goals and assists combined in 44 games across the German top flight and Champions league in 2023/24.
Kane is a complete forward, capable of dropping deep to feed teammates bursting in from the wings or through the middle. His predatory movement and finishing is exemplary, the ultimate danger inside the box.
He is also an experienced head now, with 12 goals in his last three major international tournaments (18 games), plus three assists at the World Cup 2022. Kane is a Golden Boot contender once again, central to England’s hopes.
1. Kylian Mbappé (France)
Quite simply the greatest player in international football since 2018, at least – possibly ever. Some players are built for major tournaments, major moments, Mbappé is one of them.
The 25-year-old bombed at Euro 2020 as France made a shock early exit, but his World Cup displays either side will live long in the memory.
He netted four in his debut tournament to clinch the iconic trophy, before striking an astonishing eight goals in seven matches during the 2022 World Cup, including a defiant hat-trick in the final despite going on to lose the game.
That display proved beyond all reasonable doubt that Mbappe is a big-game player, more than worthy of his blossoming reputation despite spending his club career so far dominating Ligue 1 in third gear.
Mbappé is rapid. His acceleration off the spot is second-to-none, his dribbling ability and technique horrifies defenders and his powerful finishing makes him the most ruthless weapon at Euro 2024.
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