Euro 2024 Players to Watch – Top 10 Players Going to the Euros

Who will be the players to watch at Euro 2024?

The eyes of soccer fans across the world will be focused on Germany this June and July.

Players from 24 nations will be striving to add their country’s name to the European Championship roll of honor.

The leading teams feature a host of outstanding individuals whose displays will be key to their chances.

Here we single out a star performer from each of the 10 countries with the best chance of bringing European glory to their nation this summer.

1. Jude Bellingham – England

Bellingham has gone from promising youngster to the man who carries the hopes of a soccer-mad nation on his shoulders in a remarkably short space of time.

It is astonishing to think that Bellingham will celebrate his 21st birthday during the tournament. He arrives here on the back of a meteoric rise and a stunning first season at Real Madrid, during which he has become widely recognized as one of the world’s best players.

Bellingham is the complete midfield player with power, creativity and an eye for goal.

England are tournament favorites with the best online sportsbooks and Bellingham is unarguably key to their hopes of going deep in the finals, and could be worth a wager for the Player of the Tournament award.

2. Joshua Kimmich – Germany

As the host nation of Euro 2024, Germany will be hoping to mount a serious challenge for the trophy. The versatile, powerful play of Joshua Kimmich in their midfield will be key to those hopes.

The Germans have performed uncharacteristically poorly in recent international tournaments, going out in the group stage at the last two World Cups and in the last 16 at Euro 2020.

But Kimmich, who has been linked with a summer move from Bayern Munich to Arsenal in the Premier League, could be the man to inspire them to go much further this time round.

3. Kylian Mbappe – France

In the six years since Kylian Mbappe moved to Paris Saint-Germain as a promising teenager, he has established himself as one of the brightest stars in the soccer world.

His searing pace and finishing ability have brought him goals for France in the last two World Cup Finals and a bucketful of strikes for PSG. He’s rightly one of the favorites to be the top scorer at this summer’s tournament.

Mbappe has told PSG he is leaving for Real Madrid this summer in a move that will see him become one of the highest paid players in Europe, not that he needs it with a net worth already into nine figures.

A stellar showing as one of the best players at Euro 2024 is likely to set the seal on his as one of the very best in the world.

4. Virgil van Dijk – Netherlands

Van Dijk has been a stalwart presence at the heart of Liverpool’s and the Netherlands’ defense for so long that it is hard to imagine either team without him.

His power is complemented by a tactical awareness that makes it incredibly difficult for forwards to prosper against him, and he contributes more than his fair share of goals at set-pieces.

Dutch fans desperate for a first title since 1988 will hope that their skipper’s contribution will carry them a long way this year. He could even be an interesting bet at long odds to be the Player of the Tournament.

5. Rodri – Spain

Many of the Euro 2024 players to watch are midfielders, and one of the most influential could be a man who shines in that position for club and country.

Rodri is a key component at the heart of the all-conquering Manchester City team, and fired home the winning goal in their Champions League Final victory over Internazionale in 2023.

He brings a compelling mix of strength and intelligence to a Spain side desperate to reach the heights they enjoyed when winning two European Championships in a row in the early years of this century.

6. Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

Let’s set the scene: Ronaldo’s net worth is over $800 million and he’s  39 years old. You could be forgiven for thinking he’ll start to take it easy.

But nobody should get against him being one of the best players if they are using Euro 2024 betting sites.

Ronaldo is one of the all-time greats of the game, and spent more than two decades at the very highest level before his move to the Saudi league in 2023.

So brightly does his star shine that he sometimes eclipses his team-mates, but no one will ever forget the role he played in leading Portugal to the title in 2016.

Ronaldo holds the record for goals in Euro finals tournaments and will be hoping to score at an unprecedented sixth finals this summer. His reputation also makes him a good bet to be voted man of the match whenever he plays.

7. Gianluigi Donnarumma – Italy

Only one goalkeeper has been named Man of the Tournament at a European Championship. That was Donnarumma at the most recent finals, and the accolade marks him out as one of the Euro 2024 players to watch.

The PSG stopper, whose admirable heroics between the posts anchored Italy’s triumph in the last (delayed) finals in England three years ago, is still only 25 – still well short of the traditional peak years for a keeper.

Soccer-mad Italy will hope that the big man who combines strength and agility can inspire a squad desperate for glory after failing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

8. Romelu Lukaku – Belgium

Lukaku has been scoring goals in club and international football for so long that it is surprising to realize he is only 30 years old.

He made his Belgium debut as long ago as 2010, but he showed with a record-breaking 14 goals in qualification that he still has the potential to be one of the Euro 2024 players to watch.

Lukaku’s fortunes have been revived at Internazionale and Roma following his disappointing most recent spell with Chelsea. His goals could inspire Belgium to a long-overdue first international title – and he has an outside chance of being the tournament’s top scorer.

9. Luka Modric – Croatia

Modric is without question the best soccer player ever produced by Croatia, and he has captained the national side for almost a decade.

In that time he has been the beating heart of his nation’s midfield, inspiring Croatia to go all the way to the 2018 World Cup Final. Meanwhile, he has collected a host of top club honors with Real Madrid, where he has been a key player since 2012.

Even at the age of 38, his creative and influential style is impossible to ignore. Small in stature but huge in quality, he is sure to be one of the most compelling Euro 2024 players to watch.

10. Christian Eriksen – Denmark

Some have questioned the continued presence of Eriksen in his national side at the age of 32, at a time when he is getting so little first-team action for Manchester United.

But for soccer fans in Denmark and beyond, the sight of Eriksen on a football field this summer will complete a wonderful story that proves there is far more to life than sport.

Few can forget the ghastly scenes when Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during a match in Copenhagen at the last finals in 2021. His recovery since has been inspirational to follow, and he retains a creative quality at the heart of the Danish midfield that suggests he can still be one of the best players at Euro 2024.

Key Players in the Past

The European Championship finals have often been the stage upon which soccer stars have announced – or confirmed – themselves as leading players at the highest level. Who might be the Euro 2024 players to watch who join illustrious legends of the game such as the following?

FAQ