The Surprise Stars of Euro 2024
Settle in for a deep-dive on the footballing stars of Euro 2024!
Four weeks of pulsating international football came to an end in the most dramatic way as Spain beat England to win the UEFA European Championships in Germany.
Whilst many of the continent’s biggest names delivered, we’ll look at the promising players who showcased their talent at the tournament and what the future may hold for them.
So, forget about Germany’s tricky attackers or France’s disciplined defenders — we’re here to delve deeper into the 13 emerging talents of the tournament.
GOALKEEPER:
Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia)
Club: Valencia CF
Age: 23
Giorgi Mamardashvili during his man of the match display against Portugal at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Vitalii Vitleo
Georgia defied expectations at their first ever major tournament, and it was Mamardashvili’s goalkeeping heroics that took them to the round of 16. Off the back of an impressive season with Valencia, he made 29 saves in 4 games during Euro 2024. Nicknamed ‘The Wall’, he certainly lived up to that moniker as his side were constantly under pressure. Only eventual winners Spain would be the team to finally end the Georgia fairytale and with Chelsea interested, a big move could be on the cards for the 6ft 6in goalkeeping sensation.
DEFENDERS:
Marc Cucurella (Spain)
Club: Chelsea FC
Age: 25
Marc Cucurella holding the Euro 2024 trophy alongside his teammates — Shutterstock/Orange Pictures
Since moving to Chelsea from Brighton and Hove Albion for £60million in 2022, Cucurella has struggled to settle and his footballing levels have severely dropped. However he was excellent for Spain throughout the tournament, nullifying top class wingers Federico Chiesa, Bukayo Saka and Ousmane Dembélé. The cherry on top of the cake was his inch perfect cross in the closing minutes of the final which found Mikel Oyarzabal and capped off a career defining tournament for the tenacious left back.
Riccardo Calafiori (Italy)
Club: Bologna FC 1909
Age: 22
Riccardo Calafiori during Italy’s 2–1 win over Albania at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/ph.FAB
Italy’s shining jewel, in what was a miserable tournament for them, was the left sided centre back Calafiori. After a hugely impressive season under Thiago Motta at Bologna, he’d slowly earned his way into the Azzuri starting 11 and proved his worth with his confidence on the ball, which lead to Italy’s best moment of the championship: Calafiori driving through the heart of the pitch to set up Matteo Zaccagni’s late leveller against a heartbroken Croatia. Having been compared to legendary centre back Alessandro Nesta, Calafiori will have to do a lot more in his career to live up to the comparison however being linked with a £50million move to Arsenal is not a bad start for the silky defender.
Marc Guéhi (England)
Club: Crystal Palace FC
Age: 24
Marc Guéhi at his first major tournament with England at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Orange Pictures
The biggest question mark over England was how would new man Marc Guéhi perform in the absence of the ever-present Harry Maguire? Well it turns out pretty well. Guéhi was hailed as England’s most consistent performer of the tournament, with particularly impressive displays against Serbia and Denmark in the group stage. Coming through Chelsea’s renowned Cobham academy, he impressed out on loan at Swansea City, before securing a move to Crystal Palace. He has been a rock for The Eagles over the years and now is finally getting noticed on the big stage. A mature head at the back, the young centre back has just a year left on his contract so who knows what the bright future holds for Guéhi.
Jaka Bijol (Slovenia)
Club: Udinese Calcio
Age: 25
Jaka Bijol for Slovenia at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Vitalii Vitleo
Slovenia managed to get through to the knockout stages thanks to a 0–0 draw against England and then took Portugal to penalties after a goal-less 120 minutes of action. The man at the heart of the defence was Bijol. A seasoned defender for his country who made the most clearances (36) in the whole tournament. Despite being under sustained pressure in both matches against the European juggernauts, Bijol lead the defence bravely, aggressively attacking every ball that came into the box. A tournament to be proud of for the Udinese man.
MIDFIELDERS:
Michel Aebischer (Switzerland)
Club: Bologna FC 1909
Age: 27
Michel Aebischer at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Stefan Constantin
Another member of the impressive Bologna side, Aebischer played in a left wing back/left midfield hybrid role for Switzerland. His intelligence to drift inwards during his best display against Hungary, where he got an assist and a beautiful goal, was incredibly impressive. What’s even more impressive was his ability to hug the touchline in the round of 16 clash against Italy. His inch perfect cross found Freuler for the opener as the Swiss claimed a historic win in Berlin. Aebischer is the perfect profile for any defensive system and his versatility is an attribute that not money others in Europe have.
Fabián Ruiz (Spain)
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Age: 28
Fabián Ruiz celebrating his goal against Croatia at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Katatonia82
A midfielder with a lot of European pedigree through his time at Napoli, Fabián finally had his breakthrough on the International stage. With Spain consistently producing world class midfielders every year, Fabián finally took his chance. His brilliant solo goal against Croatia in the opener was a sign of things to come and he continued to link up beautifully with his counterparts as Spain went on to dominate every team in their way.
Dani Olmo (Spain)
Club: RB Leipzig
Age: 26
Dani Olmo at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Vitalii Vitleo
Olmo was arguably the player of the tournament, which is astounding considering he started Euro 2024 as a sub. But the partnership he formed with Fabián and the two young wingers (who will be evidently mentioned later), was a joy to watch as he got three goals and two assists. He won the golden boot with goals against Germany and France along the way yet his most important moment was his goal-line clearance in the the last minutes of the final, crowning the tournament as his in every sense possible. It seems only a matter of time before he moves to Europe’s elite, with Manchester City heavily linked.
Christoph Baumgartner (Austria)
Club: RB Leipzig
Age: 24
Christoph Baumgartner during his excellent display against The Netherlands at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Orange Pictures
It would be cruel to not highlight the Austria’s excellent achievement of topping a group with France and Netherlands. Baumgartner’s excellent displays again Poland and the Dutch set the tone for Ralf Rangnick’s pressing machine and his cultured finish against Poland showed the level of man much more mature than his age would suggest.
ATTACKERS:
Georges Mikautadze (Georgia)
Club: Olympique Lyonnais
Age: 23
Georges Mikautadze in Georgia’s round of 16 match against Spain at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Vitalii Vitleo
Georgia’s cult status at Euro 2024 was typified by the quality shown by Mikautadze in each of their four games. Scoring three and assisting one, the ex-Ajax man carried his nation on his back and gave the fans a summer they won’t be forgetting any time soon. Having just secured a £23.5 million pound move to Lyon off the back of his successful tournament, a promising season awaits for the lethal striker.
Ivan Schranz (Slovakia)
Club: Slavia Prague
Age: 30
Ivan Schranz celebrating his winner against Belgium at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Katatonia82
Slovakia’s only real threat was Schranz yet his three goals took his side to the round of 16. A smart finish against Belgium led his side to a historic win in their opening game. Then his strike against against England had the Slovakians dreaming that they were on their way to one of the biggest shocks in European history. Without Schranz, Euro 2024 would’ve been lacked magic and flair from an incredibly effective winger who enjoyed the best year of his career.
Nico Williams (Spain)
Club: Athletic Bilbao
Age: 22
Lamine Yamal (left) and Nico Williams (right) at Euro 2024 — Shutterstock/Marco Iacobucci
The first half of Spain’s dynamic duo, Williams announced himself on the global stage as he tore apart defenders with ease. Scoring the opener in the final, destroying Giovanni Di Lorenzo and scoring a beautiful goal against Georgia were only a few of his many highlights on the way to victory in Berlin. With many Champions League clubs interested, Williams’ potential is limitless and his promising career on the international stage could not have gotten off to a better start.
Lamine Yamal (Spain)
Club: FC Barcelona
Age: 17
The star of the tournament already had a lot of fans purring prior to Euro 2024 yet his brilliance still shocked everyone around the world. With a chart-topping four assists, Yamal took his first tournament by storm. The goal of the tournament against France and his beautiful assist to WIlliams in the final will be forever etched in Spain’s rich footballing history. Breaking every record along the way as he turned 17 on the eve of the final and the scariest part is we have another 17 years of this to come. World class.
So, there you have it. 13 players with such contrasting profiles all stamping their authority on the pinnacle of European football. Roll on the 2026 World Cup.
