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This summer's Euro 2020 Championships turned out to be one of the most entertaining, enthralling, and dramatic international tournaments in recent history.
The postponement of the competition by a year added to the excitement, and the return of fans to the stadiums gave the players, fans, and pundits a sense of return to normalcy.
The European Championships often produce a number of shock results and upsets but above all it presents itself as the perfect stage for players to showcase their abilities to prospective suitors at an international tournament.
Over the years, a number of European clubs have used the European Championships as a platform to scout players, and in particular young sensations who have the potential to develop into top-quality footballers in the near future.
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The 2004 European Championships in Portugal proved to be a launch pad for Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, whilst Euro 2008 was the beginning of an era of dominance for Spain.
Most recently, Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches burst onto the scene as a teenager at Euro 2016, earning himself a move to Bayern Munich that summer. At Euro 2016, Antoine Griezmann showed the world that he was ready to become a certified superstar and lead his nation to glory at an international tournament.
Euro 2020 had its fair share of youngsters who caught the attention of a number of top European clubs. It also provided opportunities for a number of senior players to rejuvenate their careers.
On that note, let's take a look at the 5 hidden gems from Euro 2020.
#5 Kasper Dolberg, Denmark
Kasper Dolberg began his career with Sikelborg IF before joining Dutch giants Ajax in 2016. In his first season with the club, he scored 23 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions, and led Ajax to the Europa League final.
Dolberg was considered to be one of the brightest young prospects in Europe at the time. The Danish forward, however, struggled to maintain consistency during his next three seasons with Ajax and was eventually sold to French club Nice in 2019.
Dolberg has largely underperformed during his time with the French club, but managed to earn a place in Denmark's squad for Euro 2020.
The 23-year-old proved to be one of the hidden gems of Euro 2020 as he scored a brace against Wales in the Round of 16 and a goal against the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals of the competition.
His three goals helped Denmark reach the semi-finals before they were knocked out by England.
#4 Jeremy Doku
The 19-year-old winger endured an uninspiring season with Rennes in 2020/21 Ligue 1 as he scored just two goals and provided four assists in 30 appearances for the French club.
Doku's pace and dribbling caught the attention of Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, who decided to include Doku in his squad for Euro 2020 to give his side an added dimension. The Rennes winger was mainly used as an impact substitute in the group stage of Euro 2020.
Doku started the games against Finland and Italy. The winger produced a scintillating performance against Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. He caused Roberto Mancini's side all sorts of problems thanks to his pace and directness. He also won a penalty which was converted by Romelu Lukaku.
Despite Belgium's 2-1 defeat to Italy, Jeremy Doku earned plaudits from a lot of fans and pundits. The winger's performances at Euro 2020 were closely monitored by a number of Europe's top clubs. Real Madrid have reportedly registered an interest in Doku.
#3 Denzel Dumfries, Netherlands
Despite the Netherlands' early exit from Euro 2020, Denzel Dumfries proved to be one of the finds for the tournament. The PSV defender was deployed as a right-wing back by Frank De Boer in the country's run to the Round of 16 where they lost to the Czech Republic.
Dumfries was one of the Netherlands' standout players at the tournament. The 25-year-old is the embodiment of modern-day wing-backs. Dumfries proved his quality going forward as he scored two goals in the group stage of Euro 2020 against Ukraine and Austria.
His performances have caught the attention of Inter Milan, who are eager to sign a replacement for Moroccan wing-back Achraf Hakimi. Hakimi left Inter Milan to join Paris-Saint Germain earlier this month. Everton are also said to be plotting a move for Denzel Dumfries.
#2 Mikkel Damsgaard, Denmark
Most pundits and fans feared for Denmark after the loss of talismanic midfielder Christian Erisken in their opening group game of Euro 2020 against Finland. Despite a 2-1 loss to Finland, Denmark bounced back and went on to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament, largely thanks to the performances of 21-year-old Mikkel Damsgaard.
The Sampdoria winger proved to be the ideal replacement for Christian Eriksen due to his creativity, vision, set-pieces, and eye for spectacular goals. He scored a stunning goal in Denmark's 4-1 victory over Russia in the group stage.
Damsgaard's second goal of the tournament was an unbelievable free-kick against England in the semi-finals in front of a packed Wembley Stadium.
Mikkel Damsgaard proved to be one of the finds of the tournament and will have the weight of expectation on his shoulders ahead of next season.
#1 Patrick Schick, Czech Republic
One of the forgotten talents of European football, Patrick Schick burst onto the scene during his sole season with Sampdoria. He scored eleven goals in 32 games in Serie A in the 2016-17 season before earning himself a move to AS Roma.
After disappointing two seasons with AS Roma, during which he scored just five goals in 46 Serie A appearances for the club, Schick joined RB Leipzig on loan for the 2019-20 campaign. He was able to refind his goal-scoring touch as he scored ten goals in just 22 Bundesliga games for Leipzig.
Bayer Leverkusen bought the Czech forward last summer. He scored nine goals in 29 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen last season. Schick has struggled to reach the heights that were expected of him.
The 25-year-old, however, stole the show at Euro 2020, as he led the Czech Republic to the quarter-finals of the competition by scoring five goals in five appearances. Schick also scored one of the goals of the tournament in the Czech Republic's opening group game against Scotland.
His goal from the halfway line was the longest recorded goal scored at the Euros since 1980. He became the first Czech Republic player since Milan Baros to score five goals at a European Championship.
Patrick Schick has once again become one of the most sought-after talents in Europe.
