Major tournaments are a great opportunity for any footballer to perform on the biggest stage of all for their countries.
Some players stand out for their sides despite their team’s overall struggles, whereas others are able to play a part in helping their side achieve great success.
But whilst a lot of attention is on whether the Mbappes, the Kanes, the Lewandowskis can produce the goods, this summer will rightly see plenty of talk about younger players as well.
Five of the squads have an average age of 26 or under. Turkey, England and Wales share the lowest average age figure of 25.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the young players that could have a starring role in Euro 2020:
Phil Foden (England)
After a superb season for Manchester City, which has seen him score 16 goals in all competitions, Phil Foden comes into Euro 2020 full of confidence.
This summer could be his opportunity to shine on the international stage. At 21 years old, this will be his first major tournament – a fact that is quite hard to believe given what he has already achieved in the game.
Armed with a Paul Gascoigne-esque haircut, Foden will be keen to replicate the performances of England’s former midfield wizard and help England to glory this summer.
Pedri (Spain)
Having already been compared to Barcelona icons Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Pedri seems destined to be a global star of world football.
The 18-year-old has taken LaLiga by storm this season, and has established himself as a key figure in Ronald Koeman’s Barca midfield.
He has only recorded four caps for Spain at the time of writing. Given the the talent in his national side’s midfield, he may not be a guaranteed starter.
If Pedri does get an opportunity, expect him to seize it with both hands.
Joao Felix (Portugal)
When Atletico Madrid signed Joao Felix for a club-record fee of £113 million, he was given the number seven shirt vacated by Antoine Griezmann following his move to Barcelona.
The Portuguese international struggled to replicate the goalscoring exploits of Griezmann, however, in his first season. He scored just six goals in his debut LaLiga campaign.
The 21-year-old made great strides at the beginning of this season. In November, he was awarded with the LaLiga Player of the Month award. He also scored three goals in the Champions League group stages.
Those goals have dried up slightly as the season has gone on, but Felix made 31 appearances in a LaLiga title-winning side. With waves of Portuguese attacking talent around him, he could well thrive this summer.
Owen Wijndal (Netherlands)
Owen Wijndal has been earning rave reviews over in the Netherlands for his performances as a left-back for AZ Alkmaar.
Last month, Barcelona were linked with the 21-year-old, who has made nine caps for the national team.
Netherlands are not amongst the clear favourites for the tournament, but still have immense quality across the pitch.
Wijndal could definitively announce himself as one to watch in the future with some good performances.
Alexander Isak (Sweden)
Following the injury suffered by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexander Isak will likely take the mantle as lead striker for Sweden during the Euros.
He signed for Borussia Dortmund as a 17-year-old back in 2017. However, the forward never quite managed to establish himself in the first team.
Since his permanent move to Real Sociedad in 2019, however, Isak has gone to new heights. In 2020/21, he scored 17 goals in 34 LaLiga appearances. That tally was bettered by only five other players.
In a competitive group that includes Spain, Slovakia and Poland, the now 21-year-old could have plenty of opportunities to further his reputation on the international stage.
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