The biggest disappointment of Euro 2024: Ronaldo, Mbappé or entire teams?
Anatoly Romanov July 16, 2024, 07:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
We have selected the losers of the European Championship. We expected something completely different from these stars and teams.
The Euros are over, and now we can only remember its heroes and… antiheroes. Euro 2024 was not only about revealing players and sensational teams. Some star players and potentially important teams were very disappointing. And among a large number of matches, there were games that left an unpleasant aftertaste. Unfortunately.
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Let’s all name the biggest disappointment of Euro 2024 together. We have suggested the 10 most suitable events, in our opinion, for this rating, but it is possible to choose another option. Take part in the vote and share your opinion in the comments.
Ranking: Which player or team is the biggest disappointment of Euro 2024?
Photo: Eric Verhoeven/Socrates/Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored in the Euros
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Euro 2024 as the second-highest scorer in qualifying, so there was hope that at 39 years old he would make some noise at the major tournament. The Portuguese set a record by playing in the sixth European Championship and could go down in history as the scorer of the oldest goal at the European Championship. However, it all ended sadly for the legend. In five games, the striker only made one effective move: he assisted Bruno Fernandes. And in the round of 16 match against Slovenia, at the most crucial moment, he missed a penalty and burst into tears. Ronaldo was criticised by everyone for playing in Germany. Cristiano took 24 shots (only Mbappé took more) and hit the target 10 times, yet he finished Euro 2024 without a goal. He also became the worst in terms of offsides: eight times the Portuguese was found in an offside position.
Photo: Fake Images
Kylian Mbappé – lost his face with a mask
Kylian Mbappé had everything go wrong from the start. In the first match of Euro 2024, the leader of the French national team’s attack broke his nose after colliding with an opponent. I had to continue the tournament with an uncomfortable mask. This was reflected in the striker’s play, who somehow took care of himself on the field. Mbappé scored the only goal in the least important match of the Euro against Poland, converting a penalty. In addition, Kylian gave an assist in the semi-final against Spain. He risked holding this meeting without a mask. The Real Madrid debutant had the most shots at the Euro (24) and was third in shots on goal (nine), as well as making the most dribbles (17). But the effect of all these actions turned out to be small.
Photo: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
The French team that didn’t score a field goal until the semi-finals
Many experts called the French national team the main contender for gold at the European Championship. Still, Deschamps’ team is the runner-up of the 2022 World Cup and the winner of the 2018 World Cup; it includes Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann; However, it was unpleasant to watch the football played by the “tricolors” at Euro 2024, and the French star strikers simply disappointed. Deschamps eventually even sent Griezmann to the bench. The French national team did not score a goal until the semi-finals! In the group stage, Austrian Maximilian Wöber scored an own goal and Mbappé scored a penalty against Poland. In the round of 16, Belgian Jan Vertonghen scored an own goal. The only goal of the match was scored by Randal Kolo Muani. But Deschamps’ team still fell in the semi-finals.
Photo: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Early exit for current European champions Italy
Three years ago, the Squadra Azzurri, led by Roberto Mancini, gave the country a holiday by unexpectedly winning Euro 2020. This helped Italy survive two consecutive failures to qualify for the World Cup. The team was led to Euro 2024 by another former Zenit coach, Luciano Spalletti, whose image soared after the championship with Napoli. But even today’s Spalletti is not a magician. In this tournament, Italy made history only by conceding the fastest goal in the European Championship (23 seconds behind Albania). The Italians miraculously got out of the group, escaping defeat in the match against Croatia in the 90+8 minute. And in the round of 16, they lost without a chance to Switzerland 0-2. The Squadra Azzurri’s centre forwards did not score a single goal.
Photo: Daniel Löb/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
Weak Serbian team, last in the group
In the absence of the Russian national team at Euro 2024, the majority in our country rooted for sister Serbia. For the Serbs it was the first European Championship since 2000; the Yugoslav national team also took part. We are used to the fact that at the World Cup the Serbian national team, which has a great squad, invariably fails. There were hopes that at least Euro 2024 would be more successful for them. But, unfortunately, the result turned out to be traditional. Dragan Stojkovic’s team was very disappointing with their football. They lost to England (0-1), but only at the end they were saved from defeat in the match against Slovenia (1-1). And in the third round match against Denmark, when victory was needed, the Serbs, who are known for their powerful attack, only managed one shot on goal. We played in the style of “some in the woods, some in the woods” and deservedly went out, finishing last in the group.
Photo: Fake Images
The faceless Belgian team with the unfortunate Lukaku
The Belgian national team has traditionally been in the shadow of the favourites at the major tournament. Before Euro 2024, the team did not suffer a single defeat under the leadership of former Spartak coach Domenico Tedesco. For the Euro, Kevin De Bruyne was brought back into form after an injury, and Romelu Lukaku had to rehabilitate himself after his failure at the 2022 World Cup. The Belgian centre-forward looked “hungry” and became the top scorer in the qualifying round. But at the Euro, the Belgian national team disappointed. Tedesco’s team started with a defeat to Slovakia, only won a victory over Romania and was eliminated in the round of 16, losing to France. Lukaku had goals taken away from him for offside and other violations, and Romelu finished the tournament without scoring. His only effective action was an assist in the match against Romania.
Photo: Fake Images
Ukrainian stars Lunin and Dovbik fail at Euro 2019
The Ukrainian national team had the potential to perform much better at Euro 2024 than it turned out to be. Sergei Rebrov’s team went to the tournament with the Real Madrid goalkeeper in goal and the top scorer of the Spanish Championship in attack. However, the Ukrainians did not even make it out of the group. Andrei Lunin let loose in the first match against Romania, which ended in an embarrassing 0-3 defeat. After that, the Champions League winner remained on the bench until the end of the Euro. Artyom Dovbik, not receiving the same support as in Girona, was also puzzled. The centre-forward finished the Euro without scoring. If in the second round match against Slovakia (2-1) they managed without Dovbik’s goals, in the decisive match against Belgium (0-0) none of his teammates could take on the role of a sniper.
Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images
Kroos’ last game, in which the German broke Pedri
Toni Kroos ended his club career in perfect fashion, winning the Champions League in his last game for Real Madrid. The midfielder planned to say goodbye to football with the same joy as he did with the German national team. Tony returned to the national team to win Euro 2024 on home soil. Everything went smoothly until the quarter-finals, but Kroos’ final performance was a blur. It’s not just about the disappointing defeat to Spain after a goal conceded in the 119th minute. Tony himself played in a rude manner that was unusual for him and even in the first half he worked to get himself sent off. The referee forgave him. In addition, the German made several uncharacteristic mistakes. As they say, he got burned. Instead of a final, the Euros had a sad end to a brilliant career.
Photo: Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images
“Strange” group stage match between Slovakia and Romania
Perhaps the most talked-about match of Euro 2024 was the usual tournament match between the national teams of Slovakia and Romania in the third round of the group stage. To qualify for the playoffs, both teams needed a draw, so the most popular word associated with this match was the word “negotiated”. Everyone wanted to see how the Slovaks and Romanians would draw. For 70 minutes, the match did not look “strange”; the opponents fought hard. Ondrej Duda put Slovakia ahead, but Razvan Marin soon equalized from the penalty spot. But in the last 20 minutes, the opponent avoided even the slightest risk. They ruined the entire impression of football. The match ended in a 1:1 draw, which Slovakia and Romania celebrated on the field.
Photo: DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
A bored England reaching the Euro final
The very fact that the English national team reached the final of Euro 2024 infuriated many fans, pundits and even current players. Few liked the cautious football of Gareth Southgate’s team. How can you, with stars like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer, show such mediocre play? The English reached the final on a creaking cart. We recovered in the round of 16 match against Slovakia, to which we lost until the 90+5 minute; Bellingham’s skill saved the day. Only in the penalty shoot-out did they put pressure on the Swiss team, who also lost a quarter of an hour from the end of regulation time. Nevertheless, Southgate became only the third coach in history to play in two Euro finals. He repeated the achievement of two great German coaches.
Photo: Fake Images
The biggest disappointment is another European Championship date.
At the European Championships, there were enough events not only with a plus sign, but also with a minus sign. This rating could well be supplemented by other disappointments. Let us recall, for example, individual mistakes by referees or the poor quality of the pitches in some stadiums in Germany. It is as if the Germans had not prepared their stadiums specifically for Euro 2024. The list of teams and players who disappointed with their performance is also incomplete. For example, Croatia was no longer the same as before and did not make it out of the group to the playoffs even from third place. And in the Portuguese national team, Rafael Leão turned out to be as useless as Cristiano Ronaldo. In general, if you have your own option, vote for this option.
