Bitcoin sports betting website Sportsbet.io has now launched and to get into the spirit of things we’ll be looking at all things Euros.
We’ll have previews for each and every group, as well as the Golden Boot, outright tournament victors and reaction pieces this summer.
Sportsbet.io tipsters will also be making their selections ahead of the big kick off, but before then we take a look at the squads selected for the finals.
Missing out
While 552 players from across the 24 nations woke up this morning knowing they were going to France for the finals, there were plenty of others left disappointed to not have made the final cut.
Through a combination of injuries, poor form, and fallouts with bosses, there are some big names who won’t be playing at the Euros this summer.
Belgium captain Vincent Kompany has been ruled out with a knee injury picked up while playing for Manchester City.
French defender Raphael Varane will also miss the tournament after an injury in training ahead of the Champions League final last week, while Germany’s Marco Reus lost his race against fitness before the deadline.
Defending champions Spain have an abundance of attacking riches, which means Juan Mata, Fernando Torres, Diego Costa and Isco miss out.
Despite probably being able to walk into most of the other starting elevens, Vicente del Bosque has gone for the likes of Koke, Lucas Vazquez and Nolito instead.
Mario Balotelli scored three times as Italy reached the 2012 final, but a lack of form and questions over his temperament has seen the striker overlooked this summer.
Croatian defender Dejan Lovren also misses out after a disagreement with boss Ante Cacic and will watch the Euros from home.
Young stars
18-year-old striker Marcus Rashford hadn’t even played a first team game before February, but 9 goals in 19 games later (including one three minutes into his international debut against Australia) has seen him called into England’s squad.
Portuguese starlet Renato Sanches, who will join Bayern Munich after the tournament, is also included at the age of 18, having made his international debut in March.
England have the youngest squad at the tournament, with seven players under the age of 23, and an average age of just below 26. Germany’s 23-man-squad is in second, a few days older.
Old hands
The two oldest players in the tournament could make history on successive days. 40 year old Irish goalkeeper Shay Given could become the first ever 40+ year old to play in a European Championship finals — 20 years after his international debut.
If Given does play for Ireland he would break the record for the oldest Euros player — a statistic he could hold for less than a day, where Hungary stopper Gabor Kiraly (20 days Given’s senior) could claim the record.
