Euro 2021 key players Group F
France
FIFA World Ranking: 2
Key players for France:
Kylian Mbappe is the world’s most highly valued football player. He led Ligue 1 in France with 27 goals in 31 matches for Paris Saint-Germain. France will likely utilize him on the left-wing of the attack.
N’Golo Kante is perhaps the world’s best midfielder, after leading Chelsea to the Champions League title. He will be utilized by France as a central defensive midfielder. He will be nominated for a Ballon d’Or.
Antoine Griezmann will start as an attacking midfielder for France. He scored six goals at the Euro 2016, leading the tournament. The Barcelona man scored 13 this past season in La Liga.
Paul Pogba plays his club football for Manchester United as a central defensive midfielder. He plays a similar role for France and forms an almost unstoppable midfield duo with Kante.
Portugal
FIFA World Ranking: 5
Key players for Portugal:
Cristiano Ronaldo is regarded as Europe’s greatest football player ever. The all-time leading scorer in Euro Cup history will look to add to his total. The Juventus star lines up as a central striker for Portugal.
Ruben Dias has emerged as one of the world’s best centre-backs, helping Manchester City win the Premier League. Dias will hope to play every minute of the tournament at centre back for Portugal.
Bernardo Silva is a key midfielder for Premier League winners Manchester City. He’s likely to start as a right-winger for Portugal and should see a lot of action in the tournament.
Bruno Fernandes plays as a central attacking midfielder for Manchester United. He led the club with 18 goals this past season. He will play a similar role for Portugal at the Euro’s.
Joao Felix is one of the world’s most highly touted young players. He’s recently won La Liga with Atletico Madrid. Let’s hope his recent injuries don’t keep the 21-year-old forward from competing at the Euro’s.
Germany
FIFA World Ranking: 12
Key players for Germany:
Manuel Neuer is a keeper of legendary status who’s attained everything possible in world football with Bayern Munich. The German captain and World Cup winner hopes to add a Euro Cup to his trophy case.
Joshua Kimmich, also of Bayern Munich, will typically play as a defending midfielder or right back. His versatility will get him a lot of playing time for Germany at the Euro’s.
Tony Kroos is one of the world’s great central midfielders. He is a key component of the Real Madrid squad. Kroos will be relied upon heavily for Germany in the central midfield at the Euro’s.
Serge Gnabry will likely start as Germany’s central striker. He scored 10 goals this past season in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich. Gnabry will need to deliver results to keep playing in that coveted position.
Hungary
FIFA World Ranking: 37
Key players for Hungary:
Adam Szalai will captain Hungary while playing as a striker at the Euro’s. Szalai has played in the Bundesliga for over a decade. He is currently with Mainz 05 where he’s mainly used as a centre forward.
Roland Sallai will line up in the other striker position for Hungary. He’s normally deployed as a right-winger for Freiburg in the Bundesliga, where he scored eight goals last season.
Willi Orban is a solid centre-back who will have a heavy workload for Hungary. He’s an everyday player for RB Leipzig who finished second in the Bundesliga this past season.
Peter Gulacsi kept 15 clean sheets in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig this past season in 33 matches. He’s a top-rated keeper and should be very busy in games against Germany, Portugal, and France.
