EURO 2020 ONES TO WATCH
EDUARDO CAMAVINGA
(France)
As he proved when netting a fine goal in only his second international appearance for “Les Bleus” - a sublime over-the-shoulder flick in a thumping 7-1 victory over Ukraine six months ago - 18-year-old Rennes midfield prodigy Camavinga is a special talent, indeed, a teenager destined to go all the way to the top.
Les Bleus head coach Didier Deschamps is the dictionary definition of conservatism, never one to gamble unless he absolutely has to. But even the risk-averse Deschamps found himself unable to resist Eduardo’s charms, bringing the midfielder into the national team fold as quickly as possible. Camavinga, only 17 years and 11 months old when making his full international debut last autumn in a Nations League tie versus Croatia, is very much a history-maker - France’s youngest debutant since1914.
“It’s not just a case of his enthusiasm; in spite of his young age, Eduardo has the capacity to perform to a high standard,” gushed Deschamps last year. “Generally speaking, we first and foremost expect young players to bring lots of life and energy to the table. He can do things which other youngsters do less well, notably his distribution, ball control, movements, the quality of his passing. What’s more, he’s very versatile and has a strong all-round game. He has everything going for him. He has a bright future.”
The smart money says that this will be his last season in Brittany with Rennes. More or less every top European club currently has his agent Jonathan Barnett (who most notably has Gareth Bale on his books) on speed dial, and Euro 2020 will hand the prodigy the most prominent of shop windows to showcase his incredible talent.
For quite some time, Real Madrid were thought to be in pole position for his signature. However, according to reports from France and Spain, a more realistic destination is the Premier League, where Chelsea or Manchester United are ready to lay down serious amounts of money. An outstanding Euros could see the rumoured figure (currently €50m) climb considerably higher.
MERIH DEMIRAL
(Turkey)
Tremendously combative Juventus centre-back, who has bounced back well after tearing cruciate ligaments early in 2020. Turkey coach Senol Gunes puts a premium on a granite defence, one which does not make unenforced
