The tournament has provided a stage for two young guns to explode into mainstream consciousness
Even in an era when every league on the planet is available to watch if you know where to look, there’s nothing quite like an international tournament when it comes to a young superstar announcing themselves to the world. Just take Lamine Yamal, for example.
There’s been murmurings that the 16-year-old is properly special for some time, but unless you’re a Barcelona fan or devoted European football head, one might not have had the pleasure of watching him go to work live. That all changed on Saturday.
Given his biggest platform yet, Yamal shrugged off the pressure that came with becoming the youngest player in European Championship history against Croatia. Dangerous throughout, he capped off an imperious first-half display by setting up Dani Carvajal – a team-mate literally twice his age – with a delightful cross.
Then, a few days later, Clasico rival Arda Guler also used Euro 2024 as a canvas to display his artistry to the widest audience possible. There have been a lot of stunning goals in the tournament already, but the Real Madrid and Turkey star’s wondrous, left-footed curler against Georgia is right up there.
But these are far from the first young guns to make a splash at the Euros. Below, KW has taken a trip down memory lane by ranking the other best European Championship campaigns from teenagers…
9. Johan Vonlanthen (Switzerland, Euro 2004)
Switzerland did not give their supporters much to smile about at Euro 2004. After playing out a joyless 0-0 draw with Croatia in their group-stage opener, they were well beaten by England and then lost 3-1 to France.
But they did at least come away believing they’d found a great hope for the future. Having scarcely featured prior to the France clash, Johan Vonlanthen made a splash against Les Bleus. With 26 minutes on the clock, his
perfectly-timed run was spotted by Ricardo Cabanas and the 18-year-old produced a pinpoint finish past Fabien Barthez.
The goal made Vonlanthen the youngest scorer in Euros history, a record he stole off Wayne Rooney and still holds to this day. Rooney had the last laugh, though, with the winger failing to deliver on his potential by enjoying a fairly middling career at a string of European clubs.
8. Paolo Maldini (Italy, Euro 1988)
Paolo Maldini was included in Team of the Tournament at three different European Championships during his storied career, and that honour was first bestowed on him back in 1988 when he was still a teenager.
Deployed at left-back by Italy boss Azeglio Vicini and wearing the number eight on his back, Maldini helped his side navigate a tricky group stage alongside the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Franco Baresi and Gianluca Vialli.
Opening the tournament with a draw against hosts West Germany, the Azzurri would progress to the knockouts courtesy of victories over Spain and Denmark. But Maldini’s journey would end in the semi-finals, with the Soviet Union besting them 2-0 in what was the defender’s only shaky display of the entire campaign.
7. Bukayo Saka (England, Euro 2020)
Bukayo Saka gifted us one of the defining images of Euro 2020 when he was just 19 years old. In the final, he scurried past grizzled veteran Gieorgio Chiellini and was swiftly punished for his insolence, with the Italian desperately grabbing his collar to prevent him darting away.
The moment was typical of Saka’s joyful performances throughout the competition as the Arsenal starlet emerged as one of Gareth Southgate’s key men. His one goal contribution came in the semi-finals against Denmark, but in truth he was dangerous throughout, regardless of whether he started on came on as a sub.
His tournament would ultimately end in heartbreak, in the form of a missed penalty in the final shootout, but the outpouring of love he received in the wake of the defeat rightly ensured this did not overshadow a strong showing.
6. Cristian Chivu (Romania, Euro 2000)
Cristian Chivu is one of the best defenders in Romanian football history, with the peak of his club career coming when he helped Jose Mourinho’s Inter clinch a famous treble in 2010. But it all began for him, on the international stage at least, back in 2000.
Entering the tournament aged 19, Chivu started every one of his side’s games as Romania defied the odds to make it out of the ‘Group of Death’. Kicking-off with a hard-fought point against Germany, they did everything right in their second game before having their hearts broken by a 94th-minute winner from Portugal midfielder Costinha.
This meant they had to beat England to get through, and Chivu sent Romania into dreamland inside 22 minutes when his cross-cum-shot deceived Nigel Martyn to put his side ahead. The two teams then traded blows in a classic encounter, before a late Ionel Ganea penalty earned all three points.
Chivu and Co would bow out in the quarter finals to eventual runners-up Italy, but the young defender had made a sizable contribution to one of his nation’s finest footballing hours.
5. Michael Laudrup (Denmark, Euro 1984)
Denmark boasted a stacked team at Euro 1984, including 1977 Ballon d’Or winner Allan Simonsen, free-scoring striker Preben Elkjaer and Ajax favourite Frank Arnesen. The side also featured the youthful talents of Michael Laudrup, making his major tournament debut aged just 19.
After a narrow, opening-game defeat to a Michel Platini-inspired France, the Danes responded emphatically against Yugoslavia. The fresh-faced Laudrup was immense that day, finishing the game with two assists while playing a withdrawn forward role.
Belgium were vanquished next, setting up a classic clash with Spain in the semi-finals. Laudrup was closely marked by Spain’s sweeper Antonio Maceda all game, but saved his most impressive contribution for the penalty shootout.
His first effort was saved by Luis Arconada, but the teenager wasn’t having it. Showing confidence well beyond his tender years, he insisted to the referee that the Spanish goalkeeper had moved off his line too soon. The official concurred and, with the whole world watching, he buried the retake.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Euro 2004)
With just a single Premier League season under his belt, Cristiano Ronaldo headed into Euro 2004 motivated to secure the trophy on home soil. Ultimately, it would end in floods of tears, with underdogs Greece triumphing in the final.
But in retrospect, this was an important tournament for Ronaldo. In his side’s opener, he scored a towering header off the bench, which hinted at the fearsome penalty-box poacher he would become. He eventually broke into the starting XI at Simao’s expense and, after a string of exciting displays, had a decisive impact in the semi-finals against the Netherlands.
Once again, he scored a superb header to open the scoring, and his smartly-taken corner then allowed Maniche to double Portugal’s advantage with a world-class effort from range. The final was a far less enjoyable affair, but Euro 2004 still marked a giant leap forward for Ronaldo, both as a player and a global personality.
3. Pedri (Spain, Euro 2020)
2021 was the busiest year of Pedri’s life. Not only did the Spanish midfielder dominate Euro 2020 following a draining club season at Barcelona, he would go to represent his country at the Olympics.
In the former competition, he would end up with Young Player and Team of the Tournament honours, having played a major role in propelling Spain to the semi-finals, where they endured a heartbreaking penalty-shootout exit to Italy. He may not have registered a goal or assist, but Pedri’s fingerprints were all over Spain’s masterful displays.
No player in the tournament completed more passes in the opposing half, and he carried the ball superbly throughout too. It was little surprise that he was being hailed the heir to Andres Iniesta when the tournament drew to a close.
2. Renato Sanches (Portugal, Euro 2016)
Forget about his recent struggles, when Renato Sanches initially burst onto the scene at Euro 2016, it seemed certain that he would develop into one of the best players on the planet. He had not even registered a senior start for Portugal before the tournament, but he soon made himself at home.
His finest Euros performances would come in the quarter-finals, where the Selecao clashed with Poland. After the underdogs stunned Portugal with a Robert Lewandowski goal inside two minutes, Sanches would provide salvation on the half-hour mark, exchanging passes with Nani before bending a left-footed shot into the far corner.
He would go on to play prominent roles in the semi-finals and the final too, with the midfielder ultimately named Young Player of the Tournament after Portugal had lifted the trophy.
1. Wayne Rooney (England, Euro 2004)
The impact of Rooney’s Euro 2004 coming-out party extended beyond football. By grabbing the tournament by the scruff of the neck, the teenager became a pop-culture icon back home in England, with the striker spending the next decade on the front and back pages of tabloid newspapers.
2004 was Rooney in his least diluted form. From elbowing legendary France defender Lilian Thuram in the opening game, to nutmegging Zinedine Zidane and claiming England duty “felt like a holiday”, this was a supremely talented street footballer expressing himself with absolutely no fear.
Four goals in the group stages saw England through to the knockouts, where heartbreak awaited the prodigious talent. Inside 27 minutes against Portugal, Jorde Andrade stepped on his foot, leading to a broken metatarsal. The Three Lions would go on to lose on penalties, but life would never be the same for Rooney.
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