The Euro Championship has provided a platform for scores of budding football stars to announce themselves on the international stage. The tournament has helped players express themselves and lead a dream football journey.
Here are five of such teenagers who had the Euro as their career-defining moment:
Lamine Yamal (Spain)
Lamine Yamal was 16 when he entered the Euro 2024 championship as a schoolboy. When he ended the campaign as a 17-year-old teenager, by not just becoming the youngest player to score a goal in Euro history but also to have won the title in the maiden appearance. In between, Yamal also passed his school exams.
The tournament would be remembered for gifting the world a promising player like Yamal who has so much fire in him to go down into history as legends.
Bokayo Saka (England)
Bokayo Saka gave us a memorable moment in the tournament in 2020 when he entered as a 19-year-old teenager. In the final match between England and Italy, Saka was moving past Italy’s Gieorgio Chiellini when the veteran grabbed his collar outside the penalty box.
The iconic images of Saka in the final of the tournament made him a reckoning force, and since then he has gone on to become a key member of the England football team as well as his Premier League club Arsenal.
Also Read: England’s Euro 2024: Stars and Strugglers
Wayne Rooney (England)
The Euro 2004 was a defining moment in the life of Wayne Rooney. He entered the tournament as a raw 18-year-old teenager his flamboyance came to the surface when he remarked that playing for England “felt like a holiday”.
From elbowing France defender Lilian Thuram to nutmegging Zinedine Zidane, Rooney’s fearless approach was evident. This marked the thrilling football journey for Rooney.
Cristian Chivu (Romania)
At the age of 19, Cristian Chivu helped Romania beat England in Euro 2000 to progress to the knock-out stage. He gave his side the lead in the 22nd minute.
Chivu became one of the best defenders in the history of Romanian football. He helped Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan to clinch a treble in 2010.
Also Read: EURO 2024: 10 Players Who Have Increased Their Value
Paolo Maldini (Italy)
Paolo Maldini played alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Franco Baresi, and Gianluca Vialli to help Italy pass through the group stage in Euro 1988. However, the Azuries were beaten by the Soviet Union 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Maldini, nonetheless, had a brilliant campaign. He was included in the Team of the Tournament at three European Championships. He first bagged the honor in 1988 when he was still a 19-year-old.
