Top 5 Players Missing from Euro 2024

Top 5 Players Missing from Euro 2024

While Europe’s best footballing nations are getting set to battle it out at Euro 2024, some massive names will not be partaking. Whether it be the failure to qualify, injury, or just being left out of the squad here are the top five players that will not be competing in Germany come Friday. 

5. Gavi – Spain

One of the favorites for the best young player at Euro 2024 would have been Spain’s Gavi. The 19-year-old plays years ahead of his age. Gavi won the 2022 Kopa Trophy Award for the best player under 21 years old. He beat out the likes of Jamal Musiala, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jude Bellingham. The Barcelona star has been touted as the midfielder of Spain’s new generation. Sadly for Spain and fans of football, he suffered an ACL injury in November during a Euros qualifying match against Georgia.

4. David Alaba – Austria

Austria’s second-most capped player and the captain of their team is David Alaba. Unfortunately for Austria, Alaba will not be heading to Germany for Euro 2024. The Real Madrid defender suffered an ACL injury back in December and has still yet to fully recover. This is a massive loss as Alaba is one of the best at his position and was a key part in Austria advancing to their first-ever knockout stage at Euro 2020. Alaba played in five of Austria’s Euro 2024 qualifying matches, picking up an assist against Estonia. 

3. Martin Ødegaard – Norway

Martin Ødegaard is the first player on this list who is missing out on playing at Euro 2024 due to failure to qualify. Norway had a tough qualifying campaign winning just three of their eight matches. Ødegaard is Norway’s captain and the engine of the whole team. Just as he is with Arsenal. The Norwegian had a superb season for Arsenal and was a massive part of their strong season that fell just short of Premier League glory. Following the 2023-24 season, Ødegaard was named Arsenal’s player of the season for the second straight year.

2. Thibaut Courtois – Belgium

The 2023-24 season could not have gone any worse for Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois. Their star goalkeeper played just five matches the entire season after suffering multiple knee injuries. He did however make it back to health in time for the UEFA Champions League Final in which he made some crucial saves to help Real Madrid win yet another title. While the injury-plagued season hurt Courtois’s hopes of playing at Euro 2024, there was another underlying reason he was left out despite finally appearing healthy. That is he clashed with Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco a year ago and does not seem to be on the same page. 

Watch: It’s Called Football Euro 2024 Preview

1. Erling Haaland – Norway

Similarly to Ødegaard, Erling Haaland will not be playing at Euro 2024 since Norway failed to qualify. Arguably the best striker in the world, Haaland scored the seventh most goals in qualifying with six. This moved him into second place on Norway’s all-time scoring list with 31 goals in 33 matches. Haaland had another great year for Manchester City despite missing 14 games due to injury. The Norwegian star still scored 38 goals in his 45 matches and was a key part in Man City winning their fourth straight Premier League title. 

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