Figure 1 There have been some notable absentees at Euro 2024
The European Championship – better known as Euro 2024 – has kept soccer fans occupied this summer, with some of the best players on the planet battling it out on the national stage to determine the champions of the continent. Italy went into the tournament as holders, with the likes of England, France, and Spain tipped to do well.
But there will be some incredible soccer players who won’t be seen on our TV screens until the beginning of the new domestic seasons. Either through injury or their countries simply not qualifying, these six will miss out on the chance to win a major international tournament – at least for another two years.
All six players that we profile here would feature heavily in the betting markets of the best sportsbooks in Vegas, as well as in many people’s favorite teams. It will be a frustrating offseason for these athletes, so don’t be surprised to see them eager to make up for lost time once the EPL kicks off again in August.
Erling Haaland
He may have won another EPL title and bagged himself the Golden Boot for the second consecutive season but there has still been a large Erling Haaland-shaped hole at Euro 2024. Although fancied to qualify from its group, Norway could only finish third behind Spain and Scotland.
It is now 24 years since Norway made it to the finals of a major international tournament when it crashed out of Euro 2020 at the group stage after scoring just one goal. Erling’s father was still playing at the time but failed to make the squad for those finals. The Manchester City striker will now be focused on further success with his club and scoring the goals that help Norway qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Alexander Isak
Isak has just enjoyed the best goal-scoring season of his career, managing 25 in all competitions for Newcastle United. That’s an even better achievement when you take the games missed through injury into account. But he is another top EPL striker putting his feet up this summer due to his nation’s inability to qualify for Euro 2024.
Sweden could only finish third in its group, well off the pace set by Belgium and Austria, who both made it to Germany. It was the second consecutive qualifying campaign failure for Sweden, so Isak will hope that his national side can pull itself up to standard for the next World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
David Alaba
Alaba has long been regarded as one of the finest defenders in the world but tore his ACL back in December, so missed out on Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph in May. His national side, Austria, did actually qualify for Euro 2024 so that injury was even more of a personal blow for Alaba.
He will not be missed in Germany, though – at least not away from the field of play. Alaba will not be featuring in any of the games, but head coach Ralf Rangnick, recognizing what an inspirational figure he is, invited him to be a “non-playing captain”. Maybe he can still have an effect on Austria’s chances of success.
Marcus Rashford
If you live in England, you may have seen Marcus Rashford featuring in a number of Euro 2024-inspired adverts. As a player with a very high profile, it is not a surprise that a whole range of businesses would want to use him as a figurehead. But, after a disappointing season at Manchester United, Gareth Southgate obviously didn’t think he was worthy of a place in the England squad.
Rashford scored just twice for England in qualifying and managed only eight goals in 43 appearances for Manchester United. He has struggled to recreate the form from just after the World Cup and United coach Erik Ten Hag regularly looked to other players in what was a frustrating season for everyone at Old Trafford.
Figure 2 Soccer fans have not been able to get behind some top EPL players this summer
Brennan Johnson
Wales lost its playoff final against Poland in March, meaning that it would miss out on a place at the European Championship for the first time since 2012. It also meant that Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson would not get the chance to play at his second major international tournament after being selected for the Welsh team for World Cup 2022.
Johnson’s electrifying pace has made him an integral part of the Wales team, one that is still trying to move on after the retirement of a number of very important players. His career has taken off in the last few years, with a successful big-money move to Spurs from his boyhood club Nottingham Forest, and his form will be crucial if Wales does make it to World Cup 2026.
Martin Ødegaard
The second Norwegian on our list, Martin Ødegaard, may well want to forget all about the last few seasons. Not only did he share in suffering the disappointment of not qualifying for Euro 2024 with Erling Haaland, he has also had to put up with his international teammate beating his club side to the EPL title for the past two years.
Ødegaard has been an incredibly important part of an Arsenal team that has been the closest challenger to Manchester City recently. But his leadership skills and talent with the ball have not been enough to pick up any silverware – or give him the chance to captain his national team at a major international tournament.
