The 2024 European Championships which commenced on June 14 is now down to just two nations (Spain and England) with both sides set to battle for the right to be crowned champions of Europe at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 14.
The highly anticipated tournament has been rife with loads of excitement as well as surprises. Teams like Austria, Switzerland and Turkey kept fans on the edge of their seats with their enterprising styles of play.
Meanwhile, traditional top sides such as France, Portugal, Croatia, and Italy failed to provide the level of excitement which many would’ve expected from them in Germany with some of their biggest stars grossly underperforming in the tournament.
Soccernet.football has ranked some of the biggest flops of the 2024 European Championships.
10. Benjamin Sesko
The 23-year-old Slovenian is one of the hottest young strikers in Europe at the moment and many would’ve been expecting much more from the Leipzig forward in Germany. However, his blank record in front of goal at the Euros despite starting all of Slovenia’s games has certainly done nothing to boost his credentials in the eyes of potential suitors this summer.
9. Federico Chiesa
After a turbulent 2023/2024 season with Juventus, The Euros was Chiesa’s opportunity to re-establish his reputation as a lethal wide man but the 26-year-old just couldn’t find his form, crashing out with Italy in the Round of 16 without any goal contributions in the tournament.
8. Marcus Thuram
Coming off the back of an impressive Scudetto winning campaign with Inter Milan, Thuram got his opportunity up front for France, starting in three of his four appearances in the tournament. However, the 26-year-old was unable to register any goal contribution as Les Blues struggled to find the back of the net throughout the tournament.
7. Rasmus Hojlund
The Manchester United center-forward’s positioning often came under criticism last season and his showing in Germany all but raised similar concerns. Hojlund scored seven goals in eight matches in the Euro qualifiers but failed to register a single goal contribution during the actual tournament despite starting all of Denmark’s games.
6. Jeremy Doku
A crucial part of Pep Guardiola’s 2023/2024 Premier League winning Manchester City, Belgium fans would’ve been excited by the prospect of watching Doku on the flanks in Germany. However, the 22-year-old’s performance at the tournament left so much to be desired as he registered zero goal contributions in four games.
5. Rafael Leao
Leao was practically AC Milan’s main man last season but the highly talented winger failed to deliver the goods for Portugal when it mattered most in Germany. The 25-year-old was afforded four starts in the tournament by Selecao manager Roberto Martinez but he was unable to leave a significant impact on any of those matches.
4. Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku was tasked with the responsibility of leading Belgium’s front line in Germany but the former Manchester United striker’s profligacy in front of goal saw him miss a number of great chances to get the ball in the back of the net. The 31-year-old also went missing as the Red Devils got knocked out by France in the Round of 16.
3. Antoine Griezmann
The 33-year-old Frenchman is usually one of Les Blues most exciting players at major tournaments but the Atletico Madrid forward was one of the biggest disappointments at this year’s edition of the European Championships. Griezmann was tasked with the role of playmaker in Germany but his impact was rarely felt in games and creativity was almost non-existent in the French attack.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
There have been calls for the 39-year-old forward to call time on his international career after an abysmal display at the Euros. Ronaldo looked a shadow of the absolutely mesmerizing player many football fans remember, seeming more like a liability than an asset for most parts of the tournament. The Portugal skipper scuffed some easy chances and ultimately ended his campaign in Germany with just one assist as his only notable contribution in the tournament.
1. Kylian Mbappe
Coming off the back of a highly prolific season for Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe would’ve been hoping to carry his goal-scoring form into the Euros but the 25-year-old only managed one goal (a penalty) and one assist in five games. While his nose injury and the fact that he had to play some matches wearing a protective mask could have impacted his levels, the fact remains that Les Blues’ skipper had an underwhelming outing in Germany.