Bengaluru, June 3: UEFA European Championship is finally set to take place this summer having been postponed from the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic situation caused by the coronavirus. It has been three years since the last World Cup and we have seen plenty of talented young players making their mark since then. As a result, this will be the first major tournament for a host of top young players and an opportunity to become a legend for their respective countries for generations to come.
In this article, we take a look at three young players who have the potential to set the stage on fire and become household names.
Joao Felix - Portugal
Atletico Madrid splashed a massive amount of €126 million for the services of Joao Felix back in the summer of 2019 and while the Portuguese wonderkid might not have lived up to such an astronomical price tag, he has still managed to make quite an impression at Wanda Metropolitano.
Injuries and the coronavirus infection have disrupted his rhythm this season, but the 21-year-old can be devastating when he is in form and he has shown that this time out making enough impact to fire Diego Simeone's side to La Liga title after seven long years. Already capped sixteen times for Portugal, Felix is expected to play a key role for the reigning champions of Europe this time out and his form can prove to be a decisive factor for Fernando Santos' side.
Phil Foden - England
Phil Foden has enjoyed a sensational campaign in Manchester City colours last time out as he has been nominated for both the PFA Player of the Year as well as the PFA Young Player of the Year awards. Following the departure of former club captain David Silva last summer, Pep Guardiola entrusted the English wonderkid to play a much bigger role in this campaign and the youngster has repaid his manager back for his belief.
Foden has played a total of 50 games for the Cityzens last time out and with 16 goals and 10 assists, he has been one of the best players in the Premier League. England boss Gareth Southgate has a youthful yet supremely talented squad at his disposal for the Euros and Foden can prove to be one of the best weapons in his arsenal.
Kai Havertz - Germany
Following his £71 million move to Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, Kai Havertz made a relatively slow start to life at Stamford Bridge but his living up to his price tag was never a question. A supremely gifted, intelligent and versatile footballer like Havertz was always destined to succeed.
Havertz has probably paid Chelsea back almost his whole transfer fee with the solitary goal in the Champions League final against Manchester City becoming an immortal name in the club's history books. The 21-year-old is regarded as the key man for Germany for the Euros who will be starting the tournament, not as one of the favourites but players like Havertz can prove to be decisive for Die Mannschaft.