With just a few days to go until the start of the Euro 2020, oddschecker take a look at 5 players to keep an eye on throughout the competition.
Euro 2020: 5 players to watch at this summer’s tournament
Youri Tielemans – Belgium
One player to watch is Youri Tielemans for Belgium. The Leicester midfielder has had an excellent season and would be playing Champions League football next season had it not been for Leicester’s last-minute collapse during the run-in.
Nevertheless, he has been excellent and has recorded 6 goals and 4 assists as well as possessing an impressive pass success percentage of 81.7%. He’s also ranked 6th for the most touches and 5th for most passes in the Premier League.
Belgium are likely to be without Kevin De Bruyne for at least 1 or 2 games, so in that time Tielemans could well be the man expected to feed the forward line. In the past season he has matured tremendously, and surrounded by experience in this Belgium side we expect him to have a big tournament.
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Kylian Mbappé – France
The second-youngest goalscorer in a World Cup Final behind the great Pelé, Kylian Mbappe is already a World Cup winner at the young age of 22.
Much will be expected of the experienced youngster as his France side go into the tournament as clear favourites. France do have other notable names, however Mbappe will need to be on form if France want to go one better than their loss in the final 5 years ago.
Since the World Cup triumph in 2018, Mbappe has scored more goals than other player in the French top flight (78). This is a young man that has bags of experience already at such a young age and he has proven his talent at the top level.
His international performances have plateaued since his 4 goals at the World Cup in 2018, scoring just 6 in his last 16 competitive games since. The talent is there for all to see but can he turn up on the biggest stage once again? France will have plenty of offensive options but their attack will likely be lead by Mbappe and they will expect goals.
Manuel Locatelli – Italy
This Italian team seem to be going under the radar despite going on a 25 game unbeaten run heading into the tournament. Their chances could be dependent on Manuel Locatelli operating as their midfield maestro.
The Sassuolo midfielder possesses similar traits and an eye for a pass to that of a certain Azzuri legend named Andrea Pirlo. He leads the way in terms of passes within Serie A this season and his passing totals are only bettered by five other players across Europe’s top 5 leagues.
He is one of the best passers and one of the most active ball carriers in Serie A, it is expected he will have the same sort of influence on this Italian side. Locatelli played 1,606 passes in the opposition half in Serie A this season - 446 of those progressed the ball into the final third (a league high). If he can get on the ball and feed Italy’s attacking options then we could see them go deep into the latter stages of the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal
It’s safe to say that Ronaldo’s best days are almost certainly behind him, and he is now 36-years-old. One could argue that he is still as fit as a 30-year-old and that is testament to the true professional that he is.
With his career potentially now beginning to wind down, the great man would love nothing more than to defend the title his country won 5 years ago. It is almost a guarantee than Ronaldo will up his game for his one last big performance on the international stage.
You must think that Ronaldo is looking at this tournament as a chance to truly cement his legacy as the best ever. Lionel Messi has never won a national trophy of this magnitude, so what would fans and pundits say if Ronaldo could win a SECOND European Championship? Especially if he steered them to the trophy and was top goalscorer along the way.
Despite his age, he was the top goalscorer in Serie A this season, scoring more than notable names such as Romelu Lukaku, Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne.
Rúben Dias – Portugal
Defence wins titles. How many times have we heard that before? The age old saying rings true once more - we only have to look at Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League winning side.
They managed to keep a free-flowing Man City team at bay for 90mins, as Tuchel came in and tightened Chelsea up, winning a Champions League because of it. Defence will again be important at this summer’s tournament.
One man to watch from that City side is Ruben Dias. He has had a tremendous season in Manchester and was the stalwart in their impeccable defence. Portugal’s play in the previous tournament was a gritty, determined, all-hands-on-deck style of play.
If they can replicate that here Dias will certainly help to keep the ball out of the back of the net. Dias and his defence recorded a league-high 19 clean sheets this season. If Portugal want to win back-to-back titles then Dias will be the star man in keeping strikers such as the aforementioned Kylian Mbappe quiet.
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