There are always unexpected omissions at every summer international tournament: spectators roar, newspapers write in capital letters and pub discussions escalate to feelings of disbelief.
This summer is no exception.In fact, there may have been more shocking omissions than any other summer in recent memory, with Gareth Southgate making bold national team selections and other European national team managers doing the same.
We’ve put together a really wild 11 made up of players who weren’t selected for the Euros this year, and I can honestly say I think they have a good chance of winning it.
Thibaut Courtois
The Real Madrid goalkeeper great returned from injury in time to win the Champions League but there was not enough time for Domenico Tedesco to include him in Belgium’s Euro 2024 squad.
We are not international football managers but if asked for our opinion we would say that if he is fit enough to play in the Champions League then he is probably fit enough to be selected, but listen, what do we know?
Pedro Polo
It is true that Pedro Polo has much less experience than the rest of the team, butTo be honest, I decided to bring in Polo because I wanted a formation that would work, rather than forcing a striker in at right-back.
His omission is a real surprise and the Spaniard has been outstanding for Tottenham this season and is therefore extremely unlucky not to travel to Germany this month. Manager Luis de la Fuente opted for the more experienced Dani Carvajal and Jesus Navas instead, which in fairness was understandable.
Sergio Ramos
This is truly a passing of the baton moment. Ramos still plays at the top level of Spanish football at the heart of Sevilla’s defence but was left out of Spain’s Euros squad by de la Fuente.
Pau Kubalsi has been called up instead and, indeed, the 17-year-old might be expected to start given his performances this season, with the teenager’s development having been phenomenal since breaking into the Barcelona first team.
Next article Euro 2024 squad: England announce final squad, Grealish and Maguire left out…
Take the quiz: can you name the most capped players for these 25 European countries?
Mats Hummels
Imagine being a true legend of modern football, playing in a Champions League final and being a total unknown and not being selected for your country’s Euros squad. We’d be furious. We can’t even imagine how Hummels must feel.
Jonathan Tah has earned his place after a historic season at Bayer Leverkusen, while Antonio Rudiger is in his fearsome prime. surely Hummels is at least Are you on a team?
Rafael Guerreiro
Guerreiro is still just 30 and has been a regular for his country since 2014, but the left-back may have been collateral damage in Bayern Munich’s hugely disappointing season. Joao Cancelo and Diogo Dalot are likely to secure the full-back positions, but Guerreiro will still be disappointed to miss out.
Jordan Henderson
Gareth Southgate has made some bold decisions when it comes to selecting his final squad for Euro 2024. The England manager has been accused of having favourite players and refusing to deviate from his preferred core line-up, despite calls for him to call up more in-form players.
Henderson was a mainstay in England’s side under Southgate but his eventful move to Saudi Arabia was followed shortly by a move to Ajax, with the Mackem midfielder eventually losing his place in the national team as the Amsterdam side finished fifth, 35 points behind PSV.
Marco Verratti
One of the most talented midfielders of his generation, Verratti has always been a key player in Italy’s midfield but after moving to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabi last summer he may have been lost to oblivion, having been lost to the national team.
Italy certainly have options in midfield, with Nicolo Barella, Jorginho and Davide Frattesi among them, but we believe Verratti should still be very useful for the Italian national team.
Leon Goretzka
Pascal Gross is a great soccer player—We absolutely cannot disagree with that. If we were Julian Nagelsmann, would we choose Pascal Gross over Leon Goretzka? Probably not. But that is the way it is.
In the 98th minute of the final, Gross scored the winning free kick.
Take the quiz: can you name the top scorers from these 25 European countries?
Isco
The former Real Madrid player has been impressive since joining Real Betis and we fully expected him to head to Germany this summer.
Unfortunately, he never got the chance. After a fantastic comeback, he looked set to make the national team, but then he broke his leg in May and missed the tournament. Heartbreaking.
Serge Gnabry
Although Gnabry failed to live up to the expectations of former West Bromwich manager Tony Pulis, he has worked hard to turn his career around since then and is enjoying a brilliant spell at Bayern Munich this season.
However, the skillful winger’s Euros campaign was over before it began when he was forced to leave the Champions League semi-final second leg with a hamstring injury – a real shame.
Ciro Immobile
We are all struggling to understand this. Italy are not blessed with strikers, with only two and a half to choose from, depending on whether you call Giacomo Raspadori a pure striker or not.
Luciano Spalletti has opted for Gianluca Scamacca and Matteo “Tiger King” Letegui, both excellent choices, but Immobile’s experience will undoubtedly be invaluable to this Azzurri squad.
