The football calendar always finds a way to give us our fix of the beautiful game, even in the supposed off-season for Europe’s elite leagues. In the summer of 2021, we were treated to the delayed UEFA EURO 2020 tournament which saw Italy climb to the summit of European football once more with a nail-biting penalty shootout victory over England at Wembley. Last summer, we should have been enjoying the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a tournament that was ultimately delayed until November and December, but it was more than worth the wait.
This summer there are no major senior international competitions taking place however, we do have the Women’s World Cup taking place in August from Australia and New Zealand. On the male side of things, we have the UEFA U21 European Championships emanating from Georgia and Romania, and the tournament has already had plenty of noteworthy talking points. Big hitters such as the Netherlands and Germany were both eliminated in the group stages, while the joint-hosting Georgians have seen record-breaking crowds upwards of 40,000 attending their matches.
Prior to the tournament getting underway, Bodog, which is one of the best sports betting sites Canada, had made England 6/1 second favorites and so far, that prediction doesn’t look to be too far off the mark. The Young Lions have powered their way to the semifinals where they will meet an underdog Israel side hoping to spring the shock. On the other side of the draw, we also have a heavy favorite in Spain hoping to hold off outsiders Ukraine.
The U21 European Championships have served as a springboard for many a player to announce themselves onto the world stage over the last decade. Here are four superstars that initially made a name for themselves in the coveted tournament.
2017 – Saúl Ñíguez & Marco Asensio
Perhaps back in 2017 both Saúl Ñíguez & Marco Asensio were already household names. The former was in scintillating form as he helped his boyhood club Atletico Madrid reach a second Champions League final in three seasons the year before the tournament. The latter meanwhile had just helped Los Rojiblancos’
cross-city rivals Real Madrid become the first side in history to successfully retain the coveted ‘Big-Eared’ trophy, even scoring in the final against Juventus and the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich.
However, while both of them may well have been regarded as prospects, they certainly announced themselves as world beaters during the 2017 U21 Euros. Saúl top scored in the tournament from midfield, scoring six goals overall including a breathtaking second-half hat trick against Italy in the semifinals. Asensio came in second on the top scorer’s list, netting three goals overall, all of which came in the group stages.
In the end, however, their brilliant performances were enough to carry Los Rojos to victory. They ended up losing out to Germany in the final courtesy of a solitary goal from current Werder Bremen man Mitchell Weiser.
2013 – Thiago Alcântara & Isco
A decade ago, Spain were still at the peak of their powers. They had won three consecutive major international tournaments, including back-to-back European Championships and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, their first triumph in the competition in history. And after the 2013 U21 European Championships, it looked as though that domination would continue for years to come.
Their team contained the likes of David De Gea, Asier Illarramendi, Koke, and Alvaro Morata, all of whom looked primed and ready for greatness. The stars of the show however were without a doubt the young prodigies known as Thiago Alcântara and Isco. With the aforementioned Illarramendi in a Xabi Alonso-esque role allowing those two to thrive, the Spanish went all the way and became just the fourth nation in history to successfully secure the title in back-to-back editions of the tournament
Heading into the tournament that year, the Spanish were the overwhelming favourites. However, they only just scraped narrow 1-0 victories in their opening group games against Russia and Germany courtesy of late Morata strikes. In their third group game however, they began to flex their muscles, dominating the Netherlands by three goals to nil and with Isco getting his first goal of the tournament.
From there, there was only going to be one winner, and Isco and Thiago were leading the charge. The former netted again in the 3-0 rout of Norway in the semifinals while the latter hit a brilliant hat trick in the 4-2 victory over Italy in the final. Both players went on to secure big money moves later that summer, however, the continued era of Spanish domination didn’t come to pass.
2013 – Thiago Alcântara & Isco
A decade ago, Spain were still at the peak of their powers. They had won three consecutive major international tournaments, including back-to-back European Championships and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, their first triumph in the competition in history. And after the 2013 U21 European Championships, it looked as though that domination would continue for years to come.
Their team contained the likes of David De Gea, Asier Illarramendi, Koke, and Alvaro Morata, all of whom looked primed and ready for greatness. The stars of the show however were without a doubt the young prodigies known as Thiago Alcântara and Isco. With the aforementioned Illarramendi in a Xabi Alonso-esque role allowing those two to thrive, the Spanish went all the way and became just the fourth nation in history to successfully secure the title in back-to-back editions of the tournament.
Heading into the tournament that year, the Spanish were the overwhelming favourites. However, they only just scraped narrow 1-0 victories in their opening group games against Russia and Germany courtesy of late Morata strikes. In their third group game however, they began to flex their muscles, dominating the Netherlands by three goals to nil and with Isco getting his first goal of the tournament.
From there, there was only going to be one winner, and Isco and Thiago were leading the charge. The former netted again in the 3-0 rout of Norway in the semifinals while the latter hit a brilliant hat trick in the 4-2 victory over Italy in the final. Both players went on to secure big money moves later that summer, however, the continued era of Spanish domination didn’t come to pass.