The 2024 European Championship will kick off on June 14th with 24 teams competing for the right to be crowned European champions.
Ahead of the month-long tournament, Al Jazeera takes a look at some of the standout players missing from the showpiece event in Germany.
Norway’s complicated qualification leaves the main pair out of the Euros
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard narrowly missed out on winning the 2023-24 Premier League trophy, which was coincidentally won on the final day of the season by his good friend Erling Haaland’s Manchester City for a record fourth consecutive time.
While Odegaard and Haaland have put in hugely impressive individual performances in the Premier League – and are loved by their clubs and countries – both will be forced to sit out the European summer after their country, Norway, surprisingly failed to qualify for Euro 2024.
Norway, who have not played in a major football tournament since 2000 and who, despite being full of these two stars, finished a disappointing third in their qualifying group behind Spain and Scotland, were unable to secure an automatic place. Later, their playoff hopes were also extinguished.
Even the six goals scored by Haaland during the Euro 2024 qualifiers were not enough to secure Norway’s passage to the tournament, while Odegaard’s two-goal contribution from midfield was evidently not enough to see his team overcome the obstacle.
With a talented squad that also features Fredrik Aursnes, Oscar Bobb and Julian Ryerson, it’s fair to say that Norway are the biggest shocking omission from the Euro 2024 tournament and a huge disappointment for the millions of fans who follow this talented duo.
Manchester United duo miss out on England call-up after poor season
Failed striker Marcus Rashford was left out of Gareth Southgate’s provisional Euro squad, just a year and a half after his dynamic World Cup run in Qatar.
The 26-year-old has suffered a loss of form in 2023-24, scoring just eight goals in 43 games across all competitions – a huge drop from the 30 goals he scored the previous season.
Rashford’s omission from the national football team was undoubtedly the biggest shock for English fans, as he had been a familiar presence in Southgate’s squad for years.
Rashford was not the only player from Manchester United’s underperforming 2023-24 squad who failed to make England’s Euro squad.
Jadon Sancho’s difficult spell at Old Trafford in the first half of the season proved to be a deciding factor as Southgate also left him out.
The star winger regained his form when he returned to Borussia Dortmund on loan in January, helping the German club to a place in the Champions League final, but he arrived too late to bring Sancho back into the Three Lions’ squad for Euro 2024.
Pogba leaves a huge hole in France’s midfield
With his eye-catching and unique displays in midfield, the talented Paul Pogba played an important role in France’s 2018 World Cup victory, but was forced to miss the 2022 edition in Qatar due to injuries.
Despite returning to form this season, Pogba will not play in the next Euros after the Juventus midfielder was banned for four years for doping after testing positive for a banned drug.
The suspension, which runs until September 2027, also puts the French superstar out of the next World Cup in 2026, effectively ruling Pogba out of the national team until he is in the twilight of his career at the age of 34.
Pogba’s absence in midfield will be a huge blow for France, especially given his proven track record with the national team in major tournaments.
In Pogba’s absence, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni will look to fill the huge talent gap in the French midfield.
Alaba, from Austria, will be at the Euros – but not on the field
Austrian David Alaba was left out of coach Ralf Rangnick’s provisional squad due to injury – but there has been an unexpected twist in this story.
In an unusual decision, the defender will still be on the plane with the rest of the Austrian team to Germany and will take part in Euro 2024.
Alaba, who played in two of Austria’s previous Euros matches in 2016 and 2020, was named “non-playing captain” by the national football federation after the 31-year-old emphasized that he wanted to be with the team at the tournament.
Following a discussion with his club Real Madrid, Rangnick confirmed that Alaba will travel with the Austrian national team despite ongoing rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his knee.
Alaba, known as a positive-minded and team-first player, will continue to play the role of captain, team leader and motivator at Euro 2024 – and it would be expected now, he will also play the key role of cheerleader for the team. outside .
Even without Alaba on the field, Austria have a star-studded squad including Marcel Sabitzer, Marko Arnautovic and Konrad Laimer as the small Alpine nation attempts to qualify from a tough group that includes France, Poland and the Netherlands.
Unlucky Gavi to be left out of Spain
Central midfielder Gavi, a regular starter for Barcelona and Spain, will not play for La Roja in the Euros as he also continues to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The 19-year-old suffered a knee injury during Spain’s European Championship qualifier against Georgia in November.
Excluding him until the start of the 2024-25 season, Barcelona would have been furious with Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente’s decision to face Gavi in that match, as his team had already sealed qualification for Euro 2024 in the previous game.
The coach, responding to a plethora of complaints about Gavi’s workload, lamented the unfortunate – some would say unnecessary – injury as “an accident, a misfortune”.
The young midfielder’s absence will be huge for Spain, although they have a good mix of youth and experience in the squad, with Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Dani Carvajal and Aymeric Laporte all set to step into Gavi’s role.
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated Euro 2024 tournament page with all match build-up and live text commentary, and stay up to date with group standings and real-time results and match schedules.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
