Euro 2020 Top 10 Players to Watch

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Fans may have been forced to wait an extra 12 months, but the tournament is finally here, with some of the world’s top players ready to roll

It has been a long time coming, but Euro 2020 (in 2021!) is finally upon us.

And though it promises to be a competition unlike any fans have seen before, with games being spread across the continent and restrictions on the numbers of supporters at the majority of stadiums, the football should still be of the highest quality.

With that in mind, who will be the best players on show over the course of the next few weeks?

Goal has put together the 10 players you should be following ahead of Friday’s tournament-opener between Italy and Turkey in Rome…

10. Paul Pogba | France

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There are few players in the world game who divide opinion like Pogba.

At Manchester United, he is broadly seen in frustrating terms, having made a world-record move from Juventus in 2016.

9. Toni Kroos | Germany

 

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An athletic midfielder, Kroos is a figure who has seen it all in the game.

He is not the most spectacular of players by any means, but that should not downplay the job he performs for Real Madrid and Germany, with his technical excellence in the centre of the field having allowed him to set the tempo for both teams.

8. Karim Benzema | France

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Perhaps the most surprising call-up of the whole tournament, Benzema had not represented France since 2015 before being recalled by Didier Deschamps at the end of May.

7. Harry Kane | England

 

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Kane did not feature prominently for Tottenham until he was 21, but the No.9 has made up for lost time impressively and is rightly recognised as one of the outstanding finishers in the game.

Indeed, he has struck at least 15 Premier League goals in seven successive seasons.

6. Joshua Kimmich | Germany

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While 26-year-old Kimmich may not win too many headlines, there is little doubt of his importance to the Bayern Munich side that dominated world football in 2020.

5. Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal

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Quite simply one of the greatest players football has ever seen – many will argue the greatest – Cristiano Ronaldo has been a phenomenon since signing for Manchester United in 2003.

4. Romelu Lukaku | Belgium

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When Lukaku left Manchester United in 2019 after a disappointing spell at Old Trafford, he had a point to prove.

The 28-year-old, however, has set about doing that in immaculate style with Inter. Indeed, he has arguably enjoyed the finest seasons of his career in Italy.

3. Robert Lewandowski | Poland

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If the Covid-19 pandemic had not caused the cancellation of the 2020 Ballon d’Or, Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski would surely be a holder of that particular accolade, having been the standout player of the year.

2. Kevin De Bruyne | Belgium

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Is there a greater passer of the ball presently than De Bruyne? Probably not.

The 29-year-old Belgium star has developed into one of the best players in the game since moving to Manchester City from Wolfsburg in 2015.

1. Kylian Mbappe | France

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A devout fan of Cristiano Ronaldo since he was young, Mbappe is perhaps the player best poised to take over the mantle as the game’s leading superstar when the Portuguese and Lionel Messi finally make way.

The 22-year-old has already climbed to staggering heights in his career having broken through with a Monaco side that stunned Paris Saint-Germain to win Ligue 1 in 2017.

A year later, he became a world champion with France, becoming the first teenager to score in the final since Pele in 1958.

By that time, he had been bought by PSG and made the second-most expensive player of all time.

If he felt pressured by moving to his hometown club, he has not shown it. Indeed, his profile now rivals that of club-mate Neymar and he approaches Euro 2020 after the best season of his career.

This promises much for Euro 2016’s beaten finalists.