The Euro 2020 will start soon this weekend. A total of 24 teams will compete for the Euro 2020 title. In this edition, Euro 2020 does not use the home tournament format but is held in 11 cities located in 11 countries. This special format was put in place to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Europe’s biggest international tournament.
In recent weeks, all participating countries have announced the list of players to be called up. Some countries such as France or Germany made a surprise by recalling players who had not worn the national team uniform for a long time. Not only that, many coaches dare to call young players aged 21 and under who have no experience playing in international tournaments.
The following is a list of young U21 players who have the potential to surprise at Euro 2020:
Pedri, 18 y.o. / Spain
Pedri Gonzalez Lopez is a Barcelona player who is still 18 years old. Pedri returned to Barcelona early last season after completing a one-year loan from UD Las Palmas. When he returned, Pedri was doubtful of being able to penetrate Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona main squad. The reason is Pedri has to compete with more senior names such as Frenkie de Jong, Riqui Puig, to Miralem Pjanic. However, Pedri slowly managed to prove his quality until he finally became one of Ronald Koeman’s mainstay players last season.
Four goals and six assists from a total of 52 appearances in all competitions is proof of Pedri’s success in breaking into the Barcelona main squad. His consistent appearance at Barcelona made Pedri noticed by the coach of the Spanish national team, Luis Enrique. The attacking midfielder who is often called the successor to Andres Iniesta then got his first chance to defend the senior Spanish national team in March 2021. Now, Pedri is the youngest player in the Spanish national team squad that will appear at Euro 2020.
Jude Bellingham, 17 y.o. / England
The name Jude Bellingham began to be discussed often when he decided to move from Birmingham to Borussia Dortmund earlier this season. Jude Bellingham garnered attention for daring to leave his hometown in England when he was 16 years old. Relationship of Jude Bellingham and Borussia Dortmund so far can be said to be going smoothly. Jude Bellingham managed to appear regularly with a record 46 appearances in all competitions last season.
The 186 cm central midfielder also managed to score four goals and four assists. One of Jude Bellingham’s goals last season was scored in the second Champions League semi-final against Man City. Jude Bellingham’s talent was then smelled by the England coach, Gareth Southgate, until finally being called up in November 2020. Just like Pedri, Jude Bellingham is the youngest player in the England squad to play at Euro 2020.
Giacomo Raspadori, 21 y.o. / Italy
The Italian national team coach, Roberto Mancini, made a surprise when he called Giacomo Raspadori into the squad for Euro 2020. The announcement came as a surprise because Giacomo Raspadori, who is now 21 years old, has never played for the senior Italian national team. Not only that, at the end of May, Giacomo Raspadori was also still participating in the 2021 U21 Euro with the Italy U21 national team. On Monday (31/5/2021), the Italian U21 national team was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Euro U21 after losing 3-5 to Portugal.
Two days after the Italian U21 national team was eliminated, Roberto Mancini immediately summoned Giacomo Raspadori to the senior national team. Mancini’s decision to summon Giacomo Raspadori made Matteo Pessina (Atalanta) and Matteo Politano (Napoli) have to give in or be dropped. Raspadori’s actions this season cannot simply be ignored by Roberto Mancini. The 172 cm young man has 6 goals and three assists from a total of 27 appearances in the Italian League this season
Ryan Gravenberch, 19 y.o. / Netherlands
Ryan Gravenberch’s talent has been talked about a lot since 2018. Ajax Amsterdam main team when he was 16 years old. That fact makes Ryan Gravenberch now the youngest debutant in the history of Ajax Amsterdam. After getting the opportunity to debut, Ryan Gravenberch has started regularly appearing in the Ajax Amsterdam main squad since the 2019-2020 season until now.
The attacking midfielder who also has Surinamese blood was then called up to the senior Dutch national team in March 2021. Ryan Gravenberch’s best position is just behind the striker. Looking at the current Dutch squad list, Ryan Gravenberch seems to be getting many opportunities to play at Euro 2020.
Adam Hlozek, 18 y.o. / Czech Republic
Adam Hlozek is an 18-year-old striker belonging to the Czech Republic’s top caste team, Sparta Prague. Last season, Adam Hlozek managed to win the title of top scorer of the Czech Republic League 2020-2021 thanks to a score of 15 goals from 19 matches. That statistic is what makes Adam Hlozek now starting to be glimpsed by several other European teams such as West Ham United to Liverpool. After shining with Sparta Prague, Adam Hlozek is now expected by the Czech Republic public to lead their team to a long way at Euro 2020.
In summary, it would be exciting watch the born of new stars in Euro 2020. We will definitely excited to see who will be the winner of this year’s European cup.
ASL
