With the Euros just around the corner and set to take place in the summer, there is a lot of talk about who the standout players of the tournament will be. When assessing whether anyone will be able to go down in history, though, it is wise to look at the greats from the past to see where the benchmark has been set. Here are a few players to watch out for in the tournament, along with the legends of yesteryear they aim to displace.
Players Looking to Make Their Mark This Summer
Many people are looking forward to watching the Euro Cup live using online streams that play all the games available. Viewing it this way means that there is little chance of missing any of the action. The alternative method would be to watch what the television networks in your location are showing, but then you’d be at the mercy of scheduling as to which games you’d be able to watch.
Whichever way people choose to watch the games, it goes without saying that all eyes will be on the star players from each country to see what they can do on the world stage. There is likely to be a lot of attention focused on players like Harry Kane for England, Kylian Mbappe for France, Bruno Fernandes for Portugal, and Romelu Lukaku for Belgium. All of these superstars are going into the tournament in red hot form for their respective clubs, but which one is going to set the world stage alight with their performances?
The Greats They Need to Live up to
There have been 15 European Championships to date since the competition began in 1960, and in that time there have been some memorable performances from some of the world’s best players.
One player that many will agree has left his mark on the tournament is Andres Iniesta. The Spanish midfielder won six Man of The Match awards during the 2008, 2012, and 2016 competitions. This is more than anyone else in the tournament’s history. He was an integral part of the Spain team that won back-to-back competitions in 2008 and 2012, and he was named Player of the Tournament in the latter.
It should go without saying that Cristiano Ronaldo has also left his mark on the tournament, and could still go on to be the best player in its history. Since 2008, the Portuguese has been named Man of the Match in five games, and he helped push his country on to victory in the last event. He earned the Silver Boot that year and was also named in the Team of the Tournament.
Some other players that are worthy of mention here include Zinedine Zidane, Andrea Pirlo, and Mesut Ozil. One thing that is noticeable is that a lot of the players considered to have been among the best in the tournament have played in recent years. This suggests the likes of Kane and Mbappe will be thinking they have a good chance to ignite the world stage this year.