552 players will converge on Euro 2024 this football off season. Some are global stars, others not so much. We’ve handpicked 6 players we think will be the competition’s breakout stars.
Typically, breakout players are quite easy to point out. They’re either young guys primed for a season cementing themselves on the world stage, or an established star yet to realise their potential.
For example, at the beginning of the 2023-24 Premier League season, we selected 10 players poised for breakout campaigns. Among our selections were Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte, a young attacking midfield yet to receive a proper first team chance, as well as Arsenal’s Kai Havertz and Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, two players universally agreed upon as being talented but who are yet to express their full potential.
At international level, breakout talents become harder to come by, particularly at a tournament like the European Championships. This is largely down to the fact players selected to represent their nation at such a tournament have likely already broken out.
At international level, a breakout star is almost entirely different to club level; it can be a young talent showcasing themselves on the international stage or an established professional who’s won it all in club land finally taking a tournament by the horns, making it their own.
Think Danish midfielder, Mikkel Damsgaard, who shot onto the European footballing scene at Euro 2020, or Wayne Rooney, who announced himself to the world at the 2004 edition of the tournament, or even someone like Dimitri Payet, who in 2016 confirmed his Premier League form for West Ham was no fluke.
Ahead of the Euro 2024, we’ve chosen one player from each group we think are in for a breakout tournament. Do you agree with our selections?
Six breakout stars to watch at Euro 2024
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Group A
Teams: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
Breakout star: Florian Wirtz (Germany)
Contenders: Deniz Undav (Germany), Dominiki Szoboloszai (Hungary), Billy Gilmour (Scotland)
It almost feels like cheating to list Florian Wirtz as one of the breakout stars of Euro 2024, especially after the season he’s had. But here we are. At the March international break, the Leverkusen attacking midfielder has amassed 17 Bundesliga goal involvements as his side flies high at the top of the table.
A strong showing at Euro 2024 would simply be a continuation of Florian Wirtz’s remarkable breakout campaign. He pairs an ability to thread passes through minute gaps with a goalscoring instinct and a dribbling style which sees the ball practically stuck to his boot as he slaloms between helpless defenders.
A particularly high point of the midfielder’s season came against Freiburg. With scores locked at 0-0 after half an hour, Wirtz receives the ball down the right channel with seemingly nowhere to go. Yet, somehow, he jinks, dances and cuts his way past two defenders before curling the ball into the back of the net.
German head coach Julian Nagelsmann will be hoping for similar feats of attacking brilliance as his side aims to be the first host nation in 40 years to win the Euros.
Group B
Teams: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
Breakout star: Pau Cubarsi (Spain)
Contenders: Lamine Yamal (Spain), Nico Williams (Spain), Alessandro Bastoni (Italy)
La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy, is probably football’s greatest talent factory. Leo Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Gavi and many, many more former greats and current stars honed their skills at the academy.
Centre back Pau Cubarsi is the latest La Masia talent set to take European football by storm. Trusted by Barcelona manager Xavi at a critical juncture of the Catalan side’s season, the young defender’s so far failed to disappoint.
Handed his Champions League debut in Barcelona’s 3-1 victory against Napoli at 17 years and 50 days, making him the youngest player to debut in the Champions League knockout stages, Cubarsi oozed calm and composure, even in the face of Victor Osimhen, one of football’s finest strikers.
Cubarsi’s performance was so exceptional that he was named Player of the Match. Following the tie, Xavi offered a glowing endorsement of the defender’s abilities.
“When Pau Cubarsi has the ball at his feet, my heart rate doesn’t go up. This is his best version. I’m calm when he has the ball. It’s priceless. Napoli pressed and he always found the best option.”
Given Spain’s lack of central defenders, resulting in Rodri featuring at the heart of defence in each of the nation’s four games at the 2022 World Cup, the door is open for Cubarsi to not only start at Euro 2024 but also cement himself as football’s finest young defender.
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Group C
Teams: Slovenia, Denmark, England, Serbia
Breakout star: Phil Foden (England)
Contenders: Jude Bellingham (England), Bukayo Saka (England), Rasmus Hojlund (Denmark)
You may be scratching your head here. How exactly can a man with 30-odd England caps and a treble to his name be considered a breakout star? As we explained above, there’s a difference between a player breaking out for their club and their country.
Really, the Manchester City attacker is yet to take breakout at international level for England and take a tournament by the scruff of the neck. This has been partly due to performance and partly due to opportunity. At Euro 2020, Foden started twice without contributing to a single goal, though he rectified these performances with a goal and two assists at the Qatar World Cup.
The Phil Foden who went to those tournaments is vastly different to the Phil Foden currently tearing the Premier League up. Now a core component of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side, 2023-24 has seen Foden start more games and be involved in more goals (11 goals, seven assists) than in any of his previous campaigns.
The elegance with which he glides across the pitch and ghosts into the right space at the right time is unrivalled in English football. Should he translate this onto the pitch in Germany at Euro 2024, we will fondly remember this tournament years from now as the making of Phil Foden as an international footballer.
Of course, the mitigating factor is how Gareth Southgate uses him. For all he’s shown as England manager, many rightly regard Southgate as a pragmatic manager. This is fair. International tournaments are often won by the most defensively resolute side.
But if Southgate affords Phil Foden the freedom to be Phil Foden, Europe better watch out.
Group D
Teams: Netherlands, Austria, France, winner of playoff group A
Breakout star: Jeremie Frimpong (The Netherlands)
Contenders: William Saliba and Warren Zaire-Emery (both France)
Another Bayer Leverkusen star. Can you blame us? Xabi Alonso’s side are just about the best side in Europe in 2023-24. At the heart of their dominance has been their flying Dutch wingback, Jeremie Frimpong.
At times throughout the campaign, the former Celtic man has been more winger than wingback, bombing freely into attacking positions fullbacks don’t typically find themselves in. But getting into these positions is one thing, making the most of them is another.
Frimpong’s eight goals and seven assists in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season indicate he’s undoubtedly making the most of his dangerous attacking forays. The prototypical attacking fullback is capable of scoring in many, many ways.
In a Dutch side without a great goalscorer, Frimpong’s attacking prowess may take on a new level of importance. Competition from Inter’s Denzel Dumfries for the Netherlands right-back role will be stiff, though there is no reason Frimpong can’t feature as a winger. He certainly has the pace, dribbling and instincts to do so.
Group E
Teams: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, winner of playoff group B
Breakout star: Arthur Vermeeren (Belgium)
Contenders: Radu Dragusin (Romania), Johan Bakayoko (Belgium)
Finally, we have a star who is flying a little under the European footballing radar. At 19, Vermeeren has already played a crucial role in a Belgian league title, for Royal Antwerp and a domestic cup victory.
Such is his evident talent, Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid splashed nearly $30 million to sign him in January 2024, tying the central midfielder down to a six-and-a-half-year contract.
An all-action midfielder, equally adept at disrupting opposition attacks as he is starting his own. Depending on which system Domenic Tedesco opts for at the Euros, Vermeeren’s technical ability could see him slot into the heart of midfield, likely alongside Youri Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne.
In six 2023-24 Champions League matches for Royal Antwerp, Vermeeren averaged a little over an interception a game, three tackles per 90 and recovered the ball roughly seven times per game, all while winning 67% of his duels and completing 88% of his passes.
Averaging just 27 minutes per game in La Liga for Atletico Madrid, Vermeeren’s not yet broken out in one of Europe’s top five leagues. Euro 2024 represents the perfect chance for the 2023 Belgian Young Player of the Year to show Europe why he’s one of the continent’s finest midfield talents.
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Group F
Teams: Turkey, Portugal, Czech Republic, winner of playoff group C
Breakout star: Orkun Kokcu (Turkey)
Contenders: Arda Guler (Turkey), Antonio Silva (Portugal), Goncalo Inacio (Portugal), Joao Neves (Portugal), Jota Silva (Portugal)
It’s probably a little strange to suggest a man who captained Feyenoord to the 2022-23 Eredivisie title is yet to break out. But then again, the same could be said for many on our list.
Tucked away at Benfica, on the outskirts of European football’s attention, Orkun Kokcu is quietly proving to be one of Europe’s brightest midfield prospects. In 19 league games this season, the Turkish midfielder has three goals and seven assists, yet his best attribute may lie away from his goal-contributing abilities.
Few footballers, let alone central midfielders, are adept dribblers in the way Kokcu is. According to FBref, the 23-year-old averages 2.57 progressive carries per 90 and 12 progressive passes, making him one of the finest midfielders in Europe in both categories.
What’s even crazier than his ability to move the ball, and his team, up the pitch is that, according to various reports, Kokcu feels he isn’t being utilised correctly by Benfica coach, Roger Schmidt.
Those same reports suggest the Turkey international is far from happy with his Benfica situation and could look to move on to greener pastures in the upcoming transfer window. There’s no better opportunity for him to place himself in the shop window for Europe’s top sides than breaking out at the Euros and inspiring Turkey to a deep run at the tournament.
