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Already on Friday will begin the long-awaited European Football Championship, whose matches will take place in 11 different European cities, and the first referee whistle will sound at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. The portal Eurofootball.com invites you to look at the biggest intrigues that await us in the upcoming month in the reigning football feast.
1. How will the European champions Portugal look? Let's admit it, in 2016 the Portuguese national team was quite weak, especially compared to this year. Five years ago, they did not have the best Premier League player, Ruben Dias consolidating the defense, or Manchester United leader Bruno Fernandes. Let's not forget Andre Silva, Diogo Jota, or Joao Felix. The composition of the European Champions looks much more solid than in 2016, but will Cristiano Ronaldo-led team be able to demonstrate something similar and reach at least the final?
2. Will the French justify the favorite label? In such a championship, it is difficult to distinguish a clear favorite, but all bookmakers rate the chances of the French national team the best, and this should not be surprising. The world champions have hardly changed their squad since 2018. At EURO 2020, their starting lineup, compared to 2018, should have only 3 changes: Umtiti will replace Kimpembe, Giroud will replace the returning to the team Benzema, and instead of Matuidi, Corentin Tolisso should play. The nucleus remains and even strengthens. Mbappe, Pogba, Pavard, Hernandez - all players have become even better since 2018, and there is another favorite for the Ballon d'Or - N'Golo Kante. The squad is very strong and the French have quite a lot of chances to win the European Championship after a 21-year break.
3. Will we have the youngest goal scorer in the history of the European Championships? Do you know who is the youngest goal scorer in the entire history of the European Championships? It is the Swiss Johan Vonlanthen, who scored a goal in the 2004 championship at the age of 18 years and 141 days. It is quite strange that this record has not been broken for almost two decades, but this year we have two real contenders who can enter the history of the European Championships.
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