With Euro 2024 on the horizon, we’ve picked out one Wonderkid to Watch for each participating nation at this year’s European Championship 🔎
Group A
Germany - Maximilian Beier (Age 21)
A rapid attacker with 16 goals in 33 games for Hoffenheim this season which earned him a deserved place in Germany’s final 26-man squad; while he may find himself behind the likes of Kai Havertz and Niclas Füllkrug in Nagelsmann’s pecking order, he offers a more explosive and unpredictable option to Germany’s frontline if given the minutes in this year’s tournament.
Scotland - Billy Gilmour (Age 22)
Still only 22, Billy Gilmour became a mainstay in Brighton’s midfield this season with 30 league games played, and looks set to take on a key role in Scotland’s midfield alongside John McGinn and Scott McTominay. His quality on the ball and ability to break down play in midfield should be crucial if Scotland hope to advance from a tricky Group A this year alongside Germany, Hungary and Switzerland.
Hungary - Milos Kerkez (Age 20)
A player who made an immediate impact on the Premier League since arriving at Bournemouth last summer and one who could play a huge part in Hungary’s Euro 2024 campaign. While Dominik Szoboszlai is the obvious talisman for the Hungarians this summer, keep an eye on 20-year-old Kerkez’s performances as an explosive wing-back on the left-hand side.
Switzerland - Fabian Rieder (Age 22)
One of the more aged teams in this year’s competition, Switzerland generally rely on the solidity of midfield duo Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler, however in the absence of any real attacking threat centrally, keep an eye out for Rennes’ Fabian Rieder, who finished the season strongly in France following a €15m move last summer; good on the ball with strong passing and vision and excellent technical ability, he adds an additional layer of class to this highly consistent Swiss side who have qualified for every major tournament since 2012.
Group B
Spain - Lamine Yamal (Age 16)
Who else could it be? The minute Lamine Yamal takes to the pitch at this year’s Euros he will become the youngest ever player to feature in the tournament; still only 16 and not 17 until after the competition, we are looking at the youngest player and goalscorer in both La Liga history and on the international stage for Spain, so there is little doubt that we will see him grace one of the biggest stages in world football this summer.
Croatia - Martin Baturina (Age 21)
Another talented youngster who finds himself among an ageing squad, however being touted as the next Luka Modric should give him plenty of confidence and with the latter now at the age of 37, there is every chance that Baturina will get minutes in Germany either off the bench or as a substitute depending on whether results go in Croatia’s favour; with 7 goals and 9 assists for Dinamo Zagreb last season (impressive for a deep-lying playmaker), he has since attracted interest from Arsenal and looks set for a big future in the coming seasons.
Italy - Riccardo Calafiori (Age 22)
With Italy’s defensive line having been rocked by the injuries and subsequent absence of Francesco Acerbi and Giorgio Scalvini, there is every chance we will see Calafiori take up a key role in Luciano Spaletti’s side especially with the wily Italian expected to deploy a back three in this year’s tournament. Having impressed highly and played a key role in Bologna’s Champions League qualification this season after being moved from Left-Back to Centre-Back by Thiago Motta, it’s little wonder he is the first name on the list of the latter who looks set to take the reins at Juventus.
Albania - Kristjan Asllani (age 22)
A €10m signing from Empoli last summer, Asllani is yet to fully break into the Inter Milan midfield with the trio of Çalhanoğlu, Barella and Mkhitaryan proving unflappable throughout the entirety of their Scudetto title win last season. That said, a host of promising cameo appearances suggest he is highly regarded by Simone Inzaghi and a big tournament this summer would go a long way towards forcing himself into first-team contention at the San Siro next season; likely to hold a more defensive role for Albania especially considering the group they are in, Asllani has excellent positional sense, great feet and can unlock an opposition block through his passing and vision with ease.
Group C
Slovenia - Benjamin Šeško (Age 21)
The obvious choice, by a country mile. Not only a legendary FM wonderkid in recent seasons, Šeško has gone from strength to strength since moving to RB Leipzig and it’s little wonder he is arguably the most coveted striker in Europe this summer, not only based on his 14 league goals in 17 starts (14 sub appearances) but also his unique style and ability with many comparing him to a young Zlatan Ibrahimovic at this early stage in his career. Arsenal are rumoured to be leading the chase for his signature, and a good performance at this year’s tournament will surely add digits to his price tag.
Denmark - Rasmus Højlund (Age 21)
Another obvious choice but again we have a top prospect who finds himself surrounded by a group of ageing players who will have one last hoorah at Euro 2024 for Denmark. Likely favourites to finish second in their group behind England, they will need the young Man Utd striker to be firing on all cylinders with the likes of Jonas Wind and Youssef Poulsen having proven ineffective at times for the national side.
Serbia - Lazar Samardžić (Age 22)
While Serbia’s combination of Sergej Milinković-Savić and Aleksandar Mitrovic usually defines their on-field success, keep an eye on Udinese’s talented playmaker Lazar Samardžić who has been heavily linked with the likes of Juventus, Napoli and Barcelona in recent months. Technically gifted with outstanding vision and ball control in the middle of the park, he could be a gamechanger for Serbia if given the minutes and freedom in Germany this summer.
England - Adam Wharton (Age 20)
A natural toss-up between Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton for England’s one to watch, however the latter is arguably more intriguing after his performances for Crystal Palace literally forced himself into Gareth Southgate’s squad - made even more impressive by the fact that he only joined Palace last January. While unlikely to be a starter, if England perform as expected in a group where they are by far the strongest team on paper, then Wharton might just get the opportunity to show the world what he can do on the international stage in Germany.
Group D
Poland - Kacper Urbański (Age 19)
Another contributor to Bologna’s successful Champions League qualification this season, the 19-year-old was uncapped before being called up for this year’s tournament however a highly impressive debut in a friendly against Ukraine might just convince manager Michał Probierz to give him his chance in Germany this summer; highly versatile with great ball control, vision and movement - he brings something new to an otherwise predictable Poland side and alongside Nicola Zalewski represents a new generation of Polish internationals.
Netherlands - Xavi Simons (Age 21)
There’s not a lot we can say about Xavi Simons that hasn’t already been said over the past few seasons, with the main question mark being where he will play his football next season after a highly impressive loan spell at RB Leipzig which saw him notch up 8 goals and 13 assists in the Bundesliga this year. Another who finds himself in a slightly ageing squad setup, he looks set to play a prominent role for the Netherlands this summer as arguably their most productive outlet going forward if given the gametime and creative freedom he needs to thrive in this Dutch side.
Austria - Nicolas Seiwald (Age 23)
Another from the RB Leipzig hype train, at 23 Seiwald finds himself as the youngest player in Austria’s 26-man squad but increasingly likely to feature prominently for Ralf Ragnick’s side in Germany due to his team-mate for club and country Xaver Schlager picking up an ACL injury ruling him out of this year’s tournament. A tough tackling combative midfielder, he offers a steel core in midfield which in turn allows the likes of Marcel Sabitzer and Christoph Baumgartner to push on and offer more of an attacking threat to support lone striker Marco Arnautovic.
France - Warren Zaïre-Emery (Age 18)
Despite starring regularly for PSG throughout the season, the depth and quality of France’s midfield (combined with Didier Deschamps’ often more reserved tactical approach) mean that Zaïre-Emery might find game time limited at this year’s Euros. That said, should France struggle to comfortably navigate their group as expected then the young Frenchman offers a more dynamic and creative option in midfield when compared to the likes of Kanté, Tchouaméni, Camavinga and Rabiot and should Antoine Griezmann fail to perform or require rest at any point, Zaïre-Emery offers an intriguing option to this year’s tournament favourites.
Group E
Belgium - Johan Bakayoko (Age 21)
Off the back of a title winning season which saw him contribute 14 goals and 14 assists for PSV, Johan Bakayoko has done everything possible to deserve a start for Belgium in their opening fixture against Slovakia and looks set for a big move this summer especially if he shines for his national side in the coming weeks; his pace and energy make it easy to compare him to compatriot Jeremy Doku however Bakayoko offers even more in terms of ball distribution, decision-making and overall end product off the right-hand side. Already heavily linked with the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle and Bayern Munich.
Slovakia - Tomáš Suslov (Age 22)
A January signing for Hellas Verona, Suslov finished the season strongly with 3 goals and 5 assists in Serie A and broke into his national side during qualification scoring a crucial winner against Iceland to help Slovakia finish second behind Portugal in the group stages. Highly versatile with the ability to play anywhere across the attacking midfield strata, he offers an exciting and dynamic option in a tough group alongside Belgium, Romania and Ukraine.
Romania - Radu Drăgușin (Age 22)
By far the youngest player in Romania’s final 26-man squad and with that their most important player if they stand any chance of qualification from the group stages; though they went unbeaten in qualification and topped a group containing Switzerland, Israel, Belarus, Kosovo and Andorra - they are largely expected to struggle in Germany and Drăgușin will be key to marshalling their defence in the hope they can stifle the likes of Belgium and Ukraine.
Ukraine - Illya Zabarnyi (Age 21)
Another Bournemouth player makes the list, they really are playing FM in real life. While Ukraine are somewhat blessed with attacking options with the likes of Mudryk, Dovbyk, Tsyhankov, Yaremchuk and Malinovski to choose from, they will need to prove themselves defensively solid if they are to go far in the competition and a big tournament from Zabarnyi could prove crucial if they are to progress from the group stages; having played every league minute for vastly improved Bournemouth this season bar one game missed against Brighton, he should be full of confidence coming into the Ukraine camp in a group where they are expected to qualify alongside Belgium.
Group F
Turkey - Arda Güler (Age 19)
A flip between Güler and Kenan Yıldız for Turkey’s one to watch, but it’s simply impossible to ignore the former’s performances for Real Madrid in the back end of last season, returning from injury to score 6 goals in just 373 minutes of football for the La Liga champions - propelling him to international stardom and setting him up for a big role in Turkey’s Euro campaign this summer in an exciting midfield alongside Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Orkun Kökçü. If Turkey can get it right this year following a number of disappointing tournaments, then expect big things from Güler when the time comes.
Georgia - Georges Mikautadze (Age 23)
While most eyes will be on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia when Georgia open their campaign against Turkey in a few weeks time, Georgia’s “redeemed” golden boy Georges Mikautadze is very much one to watch this year especially knowing that opposition defences will largely be focused on the threat of “Kvaradona”. Tipped for big things after a €16m move to Ajax last summer, he largely unimpressed having failed to score during the first half of the season and was subsequently loaned back to relegation threatened Metz in January; this seemed to light a flame for Mikautadze, his end of season form (11 goals in 12 games) helping Metz avoid relegation and propelling him right back in to manager Willy Sagnol’s first XI plans this summer.
Portugal - Joao Neves (Age 18)
One of the big favourites this year, the only thing stopping Neves from having a breakout tournament is that Portugal are absolutely STACKED when it comes to midfield options; Palhinha, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes - manager Roberto Martinez has his work cut out for him in terms of team selection, however it can’t be ignored that Neves has been one of the standout midfielders in Europe all season and regardless of what happens in Germany, looks set for a huge move this summer from Benfica. Though only 18, his quality and composure on the ball combined with his strength, aggression and press resistance make him a ready-made all-action midfielder for this Portugal side and he is certainly one to watch if given minutes in this year’s tournament.
Czechia - Adam Hlozek (Age 21)
A player all FM enthusiasts are well aware of however he hasn’t reached the same levels in real life as yet; extremely highly rated as a youth player which led to a €13m move to Leverkusen in 2022 after being linked with almost every elite club in Europe, he has struggled to break into Xabi Alonso’s first team and managed only a host of cameo appearances during their title-winning campaign; that said, he and club-mate Patrick Schick are arguably Czechia’s most potent goal-threats, and Hlozek would highly benefit from having a breakout tournament with his future largely uncertain at Leverkusen next season.
Did we miss anyone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!! 👇
