The Euro2020 is set to be the 16th UEFA European Championship .It takes place every four yearsand isorganized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The soccer competition was originally scheduled forJune 12toJuly 12, 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournamentwas delayed for a wholeyear and is now rescheduled to start onJune 11and end onJuly 11, 2021.
The competition, which will include 24 countries, promises to be a carnival filled with soccer’s biggest names. It is one of those stages whereplayers fantasizeabout creating history with their country.With the tournament set to start on Friday, international coaches in Europe will want to have their best players fit afterunveiling their final squads afterthe end of the regularseason.
Some of the game’s top stars will compete in the tournament to establish their worth. However, some unhappy individuals will be forced to skip the competition as a result of aninjury; some of them were not called up, and there are even some whose teamshave failed to qualify for the championship.Let’s take a lookat the star players who will miss the UEFA European Championship 2020.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden. (Getty)
In March, the 39-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned from international retirement to assist the Swedish national team to overcome Georgia in a World Cup 2022 Qualifiers. He was expected to be among the first people called up for the Euro team this summer. However, he suffered a knee injury in the second half of Milan’s 3-0 thrashing of Juventus and has been ruled out of the competition.
Virgil Van Dijk and Donny van de Beek (The Netherlands)
Virgil van Dijk left) and Danny Van De Beek (right) of the Netherlands. (Getty)
In October 2020, Virgil van Dijk had suffered anterior crucial ligament damage that forced him to miss the rest of the season with Liverpool. Van Dijk withdrew from the European Championship in May to finish the final phase of his rehabilitation process during the off-season. He acknowledged his displeasure but stated that he had come to terms with his decision.
Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek was also obliged to withdraw from the Netherlands’ squadfor the European Championship. The 24-year-old battled for an ailment in the groin and had to give up on his dream ofparticipatingand representing his nation at the big event.
Marc-Andre ter Stegenand Marco Reus (Germany)
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (left) and Marco Reus (right) of Germany. (Getty)
The Barcelona goalkeeper will also miss the Euros due to a knee injury suffered last week. He had knee surgery, which kepthim out of the last game of the season as well as the entire Euro championship.Marco Reus, The Borussia Dortmund attacker withdrew after a rigorous season.
Sergio Ramos andAnsu Fati (Spain)
Sergio Ramos (left) and Ansu Fati (right) of Spain. (Getty)
While this comes as a surprise, it really shouldn’t be giventhe Ramos’ injury-plaguedseason. Due to a succession of injuries, knocks, and COVID-19-related pause, he has only played 90 minutes three times and made one league start with Real Madrid this calendar year. Spain, aiming for its first major prize since the Euros in 2012, will miss Ramos’ experience, leadership, and big-game mindset. In his absence, La Roja’s four tournament-selected centre-backs have a total of 21 caps between them.
Spain’s Ansu Fati will be another talent we won’tsee in the championship. Fati, who maintains the record for Spain’s younger goal scorer, willmiss the action because of the knee damage he received late last year.The Barcelona teenager was on track to have a fantastic season for both club and country until suffering a knee injury. The Spanish international had his first operation in November and was scheduled to return to training in January. However, he is still recovering from surgery.
Erling Haaland (Norway)
Erling Haaland of Norway. (Getty)
The athletic, powerful, boisterous, and full of ambition Erling Haaland will be primarily tasked with ensuring Norway’s qualification to the high-profile tournaments. However, he will be unable to compete in Euro 2020 because his country failed to qualify for the tournament this year.
Haaland was not even born the last time Norway competed in a major international competition, and the 20-year-old now leads his country’s dreams. He will have to wait to play at a major tournament, with the World Cup 2022 coming up, hoping that he helps Norway to qualify this time.
Ivan Rakitic (Croatia)
Ivan Rakitic of Croatia. (Getty)
Croatian star Ivan Rakiticdidn’t leave his coach with a choice, as he decided to retire from international duty in 2020.The33-year-old midfielderwithdrew from international soccer soon after leaving Barcelona and signing for fellow La Liga club,Sevilla.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Serbia)
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic of Serbia. (Getty)
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored two goals for Serbia in the UEFANations LeagueSemi-Final against Norway. He is one of the most exciting creative talents, and after his side lostto Scotland in the Playoffs Final, he will also miss the competition.
Jan Oblak and Josip Ilicic (Slovenia)
Jan Oblak (left) and Josip Ilicic of Slovenia (right). (Getty)
With Slovenia missing out on the Euro 2020, one of the world’s greatest goalkeepers will not participate in this tournament. That will see Atletico Madrid’s shot-stopper and national team captain,Jan Oblak, and Atalanta midfielder Josip Ilicic miss out.
Jesse Lingard,JoeGomez,Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Mason Greenwood (England)
Joe Gomez (top left), Trent Alexander-Arnold (top right), Mason Greenwood (bottom left), Jesse Lingard (bottom right) of England. (Getty)
In November 2020, while on international service with England, another Liverpool defender had a severe knee injury. As a result, JoeGomez was excluded for the rest of the season.After Trent Alexander-Arnold had suffered from a severe thigh injury against Austria and had to be excluded from playing in Euros, three Lions Head Coach, Gareth Southgate had to make a change to the England Euro 2020 squad.
Mason Greenwood withdrew from the prospectiveteam of England as a result of a minor injury, while his Manchester United teammate Jesse Lingard, despite having an excellent time on loanat West Ham throughout the season, was cut off from the preliminary squad.
Ferland Mendy and Theo Hernandez (France)
Ferland Mendy (left) and Theo Hernandez (right) of France. (Getty)
The 2020/21 season of Ferland Mendy was prematurely brought to a conclusion with the revelation of a woundcaused by irritation and inflammation of the lower leg muscles, tendons, and bones. The French international defender from Real Madrid, who had just recovered from calf troubles, came back to the hospital with a calf problem, and thus, he was left out of the final squad.
The French coach Didier Deschamps had also opted to leave Theo Hernandez out of the team once again despite the player’s incredible performances since joining Serie A sideMilan from Real Madrid in 2019.
