The UEFA European Under-21 Championship is held every two years – a biennial competition that has taken place since 1978 – and it sees teams from around Europe send their best youth talents. It is the breeding ground for world class players that go on to enjoy a period of success over the next decade or so.
The 2017 edition has already seen a number of players show their potential such as Spain’s Saul Niguez and Marco Asensio – already established players at the two esteemed La Liga clubs Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid respectively.
These two players are assured of stellar careers as long as they live up to the potential they have shown so far. We look at five other players who impressed at the U-21 Euros before making their mark in Europe.
5) Manuel Neuer – Germany
Back then, the U-21 Euros was an eight-team affair with four teams split into two groups. Germany were in the same group as England, Spain and Finland and actually finished second in the group behind the Three Lions.
Neuer had managed to keep two clean sheets against Spain and Finland. It was England who first breached his goal through a strike from a young Jack Rodwell (who has since lost his way following a couple of questionable transfers) in a 1-1 draw.
However, Neuer did not concede another goal in the tournament again. Die Mannschaft first beat Italy 1-0 in the semi-finals before meeting England in the final, where Stuart Pearce’s side were the only other undefeated team.
Germany went on to thrash England 4-0 as Neuer kept a clean sheet against a side that had scored eight goals in the four games prior to the final.
4) Alessandro Nesta – Italy
The 1996 edition saw eight teams qualify but there was no group stage. After a qualification process that saw eight different groups with five to six teams each, the top eight teams directly entered the quarter-finals where they played two legs.
Italy did not have the best of starts as they trailed 1-0 to Portugal after the first leg. But manager Cesare Maldini got the best out of the side in the second leg and they beat Portugal 2-0 to advance to the semi-finals.
Back then Nesta wasn’t a central defender but a right-back. But his athleticism and versatility allowed coaches to play him as a centre-back, where he would go on to cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats.
Italy beat France 1-0 in the semi-finals before beating Spain in the final in a penalty shootout after the game was tied at 1-1 (after extra time). Nesta even took one of the penalties and scored as the Azzurri won 4-2 to win the title for a third consecutive time.
3) Raul – Spain
Spain are one of the best teams in the history of the U-21 Euros, winning the competition four times. They could have added a fifth if they had won the final in 1996 but it was Italy who came out on top in that contest.
Among the members of that talented Spain squad that had the likes of Aitor Karanka and Fernando Morientes (19 at the time), there was one standout player wearing his favourite no.7 jersey – Raul Gonzalez.
He was the youngest player in the tournament (aged only 18) playing among other players who were between 20 to 23 years old (players who are U-21 at the start of the qualifying campaign are allowed to take part in the U-21 Euros even if they are over 21). Of course, he was already a part of the Real Madrid senior team setup at the time, scoring goals at will as a teenager.
And it was quite remarkable to see the youngest player at the tournament also finish as the competition’s top scorer with three goals. He first scored a brace in a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals before scoring the equaliser in the final.
However, there was heartbreak in store for Raul as he was one of two Spaniards to miss their kick in the penalty shootout that followed. Raul was the fourth kicker and his miss saw Italy maintain their lead before winning 4-2 to clinch the title.
2) Mesut Ozil – Germany
Although he was eligible to play for Turkey, Ozil chose to wear the Germany shirt when he started his international career with the U-17 national team in 2006. He was so good that he was quickly fast-tracked to the U-21 team in 2007 – he was only 19 at the time.
The 2009 U-21 Euros was where he made his mark and it made the continent sit up and take notice. He was already exceeding expectations at Werder Bremen but his performances in the Euros, especially in the final, soon saw him become one of Europe’s most coveted players.
While Neuer impressed between the sticks, Ozil was busy running things in midfield. And, boy, did he run that midfield! The final saw Ozil come into his own as he made the English team run around in circles. Germany won 4-0 after previously drawing 1-1 with the same side in the group stages.
Ozil was one of the goalscorers and he even took home the Man of the Match award for his performance in the final. A year later, he impressed at the 2010 World Cup and earned a move to Real Madrid.
1) Andrea Pirlo – Italy
Before he was taking penalties for the senior national team, Andrea Pirlo was taking them for the U-21 team, even scoring from the spot in the U-21 Euros in 2000. Everyone remembers how he chipped Joe Hart at Euro 2012 with a Panenka that suddenly became popular worldwide. But he had consigned England to defeat in 2000 in the very first group game when he scored from the spot.
Pirlo was undoubtedly the star of the tournament as he captained the Azzurri to the title. The highlight of his tournament was the final where he scored both goals in a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in typical Pirlo fashion – via a penalty and a free-kick.
The Italian midfielder at the time played in a more attacking role before establishing himself as a central midfielder or regista. And that tournament saw the birth of a star as Pirlo also went home with the Golden Player award (Best Player of the tournament) and the Golden Boot (top scorer with 3 goals).
