Who have been the breakout stars at U21 Euros?

BBC News

6 hours ago

The Under-21 European Championships have paved the way for many future stars over the years.As recently as 2023, when England claimed their first title under manager Lee Carsley, the competition included the likes of Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto and Rayan Cherki - all who now play prominent roles for their respective senior sides.Looking further back, the tournament also saw players such as Luis Figo, Andrea Pirlo and Laurent Blanc break through.But what about the new generation? Who of those that have taken part during the past month in Slovakia have marked themselves as ones to watch?BBC Sport takes a look...
Nick Woltemade
If you weren't aware of the name Nick Woltemade prior to the U21 European Championship, you certainly will be now.The Germany forward was top scorer in Slovakia with six goals and was also the joint-top assister with three.He has, at times during the tournament, proved he may be a class above Under-21 level and highlighted exactly why he already has two caps for the senior national side.Of his six goals at the European Championship, he bagged himself a hat-trick in the 3-0 victory against Slovenia during the group stage, only the seventh hat-trick in Euro U21 history.The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season with Stuttgart and was even called a "two metre Messi-Musiala" by the Bundesliga side's club captain Atakan Karazor in an interview in February., external His form for both club and country has perked the interest of teams around Europe, with Premier League side Chelsea reportedly showing interest.
Charlie Cresswell
While attackers will always get the limelight, former Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell, who now plays in France with Ligue 1 side Toulouse, certainly deserves his flowers.One could argue that plying his trade regularly in the French top division has already seen him "break out", but he only highlighted that further with his near-faultless performances in Slovakia.The 22-year-old played every minute of the tournament for England as they retained their trophy.He averaged a hefty 8.67 ball recoveries per 90 minutes and totalled 52 over the course of the competition, more than any other player.The centre-back also attempted 34 clearances, made 10 tackles and had a mightily impressive 91% passing accuracy.Cresswell chipped in up the other end of the pitch, too, scoring in the opening game of the tournament against the Czech Republic.England's senior squad has looked thin on the ground in defensive areas since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel and the former Leeds defender has done himself no harm of a potential call-up to another squad, this time for the senior team in 2026.
Geovany Quenda
One that will excite Chelsea fans, midfielder Geovany Quenda capped a promising breakthrough season at Sporting with an equally impressive stint on the international stage.In March, it was announced that the teenager would join Chelsea for a fee of up to £44m but will remain in Lisbon until the end of the 2025-26 season.While the fee sounded high for a player who at the time was only 17 years old, Portuguese football journalist and pundit Mariana Fernandes told BBC Sport that he will be "worth double" that in two years' time.And the now 18-year-old showed glimpses during the European Championship of exactly why Enzo Maresca wanted to spend the money to bring him to Stamford Bridge.He played in all four matches for Portugal, who were knocked out in the quarter-finals by the Netherlands, and was the top scorer for the side with three goals, while he also chipped in with two assists.Quenda was awarded the player-of-the-match trophy in two of the four of games.
Djaoui Cisse
Djaoui Cisse was a key cog in the wheel of a France side that reached the semi-finals at this year's championships.The 21-year-old broke into the first team of French Ligue 1 side Rennes in the second half of the 2024-25 season and hasn't looked back since. He was able to take his form into this summer's tournament, where his performances in central midfield became instrumental to the success of Gerald Baticle's team. Cisse played no part in the first game but was brought in for the second group match and became undroppable from then on.A real box-to-box midfielder, the Rennes man stood out for his ability to pick up the ball in deep areas before carrying it forward and breaking the lines.He scored three goals, provided one assist and had 91.75% passing accuracy throughout the tournament.Predominantly deployed in a more holding role for France, the 21-year-old also showed his defensive attributes with seven ball recoveries and four tackles in his four games played.
Luka Kharatishvili
They say it can be lonely being a goalkeeper but the European Championship was far from a lonely place for Georgia's Luka Kharatishvili, who was kept tremendously busy throughout.The 22-year-old, who plys his trade in the Georgian first tier with Dinamo Batumi, was the standout performer for his country during the tournament.Despite conceding eight goals in three games, things could have been much worse for Georgia had it not been for some superb saves from their number one.He produced six stops in the narrow 3-2 defeat by France alone, including one that will be in contention for save of the tournament. He also produced an outstanding last-minute save in the final group game to earn Georgia a 2-1 victory against Poland.Unfortunately those three points weren't enough to see the side progress but it was a big moment for a nation that were taking part in just their second European Championship.If Kharatishvili wasn't on the radar of clubs before the tournament he will be now, and like fellow countryman Giorgi Mamardashvili, he may not be too far away from a move to one of Europe's elite leagues.