UEFA Euro 2024 will be one of the biggest sports events this year, and for a good reason. We will have the opportunity to watch some of the world’s best footballers in action in Germany. Starting on June 14, 24 teams will do everything in their power to succeed and lift the trophy.
The qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2024 were fierce, but most of the big names qualified for the tournament. According to www.fordephotography.com, however, we won’t be able to see all of the top-tier footballers in action. “Besides the players whose countries failed to qualify for Euro 2024, some of the teams’ starts received an injury. This means that they won’t be able to help their country in the upcoming battle”, said Veselin from NB.
Now that we got your interest, it’s time to take a look at some of the biggest names that won’t take part in the upcoming EURO 2024. Some will surprise you, so keep reading to learn more.
Thibaut Courtois
One of the first big names that we won’t be able to see in action at EURO 2024 is Thibaut Courtois. He was one of the best goalkeepers in the world and was a crucial part of Belgium’s squad, and people expected him to lead his nation. However, due to several injuries, Real Madrid’s player will miss out on one of the biggest football events.
Following his ACL tear earlier in the current season, Thibaut Courtois was nowhere to be found. Although he started training with his club, he suffered another knee injury, which put an end to his hopes of attending EURO 2024.
It goes without saying, but Thibaut Courtois’s absence will greatly impact Belgium. The country has several other goalkeepers that can substitute him, so it will be intriguing to see what’s going to happen.
Erling Haaland
EURO 2024 will allow us to watch some of the best strikers in the world. Sadly, we won’t be able to watch Manchester City’s goal-scoring machine, Erling Haaland.
Despite the fact that Haaland helped Manchester City win the EPL for the 4th time in a row, we won’t see him in Germany this June. He and his country, Norway, were unable to qualify for the tournament. This will definitely disappoint a lot of people because Haaland became the leading scorer in the English Premier League.
Even though Erling Haaland played really well for Norway, the latter finished 3rd in their group. The country wasn’t able to overcome the Netherlands and Turkey.
Paul Pogba
Moving on from Erling Haaland, one of the most beloved players right now, we have Paul Pogba. Despite being one of the best French players in the last couple of years, we won’t see Pogba in EURO 2024 because of his suspension.
In case you forgot, Pogba also missed out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar two years ago because of an injury. Fans were hoping to see him back in action this summer, but the bad news is that he received a 4-year ban. This happened after he failed a drug test.
We do not have much information about Pogba’s current state because, according to him, he has legal restrictions and can’t discuss the problem. It will be interesting to see what he has to say, but what’s certain is that he won’t back up France this June.
David Alaba
Besides Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba is another player from Real Madrid who suffered from a heavy injury this season. Alaba has a huge role in Austria’s performance and is one of the most respected players in his country. The 31-year-old has more than 10 years of experience with the national team, but the bad news is that the ACL tear won’t allow him to be a part of EURO 2024.
Austria’s fans were hoping to see their captain back in action because the injury happened in December. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and Austria would have to play without him. The team is in Group D, where it will face the Netherlands, France, and Poland. In other words, it is not going to be easy.
Lewis Ferguson
The next football player that fans won’t be able to see in action at EURO 2024 is Lewis Ferguson. Scotland’s attacking midfielder had a key role in his team’s attempt to reach the top 4 in Serie A. Sadly, he won’t be able to help his country in Group A because of an ACL injury.
The injury happened in April, and it was devastating to Scotland and all of Bologna’s fans. Ferguson was really looking forward to helping Scotland, but he must watch the games on TV.
What’s interesting about Lewis Ferguson is that clubs, such as Juventus and Napoli, are interested in signing him. Assuming he had the chance to participate in this tournament, he would have had an easier time moving to a bigger club in Italy.
Gavi
Spain has always been one of the strongest football nations in Europe. Even though the team is not in excellent shape, it is among the hidden favourites for EURO 2024, and for a good reason. Sadly, the country won’t be able to rely on Gavi, one of the best midfielders right now.
Barcelona’s player injured himself in a match against Georgia that took place last November. What’s interesting about it is that the player took part in 2 matches before that, so everyone was expecting him to take some time off. Sadly, this never happened, and the player injured himself just 24 minutes after he started playing.
After what happened, Spain’s football federation decided that they wouldn’t rely on Gavi for the upcoming competition. This disappointed a lot of fans because they were eager to see the 19-year-old in action. After all, he is among the most promising players in his country.
Christopher Nkunku
If you take a look at some of the top-tier betting websites, you can see that France is one of the big favorites to win the competition. The finalists of the 2022 World Cup have an excellent squad, but Christopher Nkunku won’t be a part of it.
Even though a lot of people expect to see the player in action, he won’t be able to defend his country’s flag. Christopher Nkunku had a very annoying knee injury, but he recovered and got back in late 2023. Sadly, this was when he picked up another injury that did not allow him to take part in many, many games.
Due to the lack of playtime, the French coach decided to leave him out of the squad. This means that he will join Paul Pogba.
Luke Shaw
England is the big favorite to win EURO 2024 and all online bookmakers agree with it. Even though the squad consists of some of the best footballers right now, fans won’t be able to see one of them in action. Sadly, that’s Luke Shaw.
Shaw played for England in March this year, but he has had a lot of issues before that. While playing for Manchester United, Shaw picked up an injury, and it was related to the same injury he received earlier in the season.
Although it has not been confirmed yet, it seems like Luke Shaw will miss out on EURO 2024.
Sandro Tonali
In one of our previous articles, we mentioned several players who were involved in betting scandals and how they affected them. Well, Sandro Tonali was among them and he also happens to be one of the footballers that will miss out on EURO 2024.
Unlike some of the players here who won’t be able to attend the competition because of an injury, the situation with Tonali is different. Newcastle’s player received a ban because of the betting scandal he was involved in. Consequently, he won’t be able to help Italy on the country’s path to success.
Speaking of the devil, Italy is in Group B, where they have to play against Spain, Croatia, and Albania.
Maro Reus
Another big name that fans won’t be able to see in Germany is Marco Reus – Borussia Dortmund player. Despite being one of the more experienced players for Germany, Reus won’t be taking part in EURO 2024. Germany’s manager decided to leave him out of the squad.
While this decision is questionable, it is important to know that Germany has tons of world-class players that can fill it the gap left by Reus. Considering that the country will host this year’s competition, Germany is in Group A, where it will play alongside Switzerland, Hungary, and Scotland.
Karim Adeyemi
The last player that we want to include on the list of names that will miss out on Euro 2024 is Karim Adeyemi. Germany’s forward was expected to join the squad, but the manager decided not to include him in it.
Like Reus, Adeyemi plays for Borussia Dortmund, and he had a pretty good season with the team. Sadly, it seems like this was not enough to receive an invitation.
