EURO 2020: Cristiano Ronaldo to Sergio Ramos – 5 Players Might be Playing For The Last Time in UEFA’s Premier Competition

There are a handful of big names from the European circuit, who are expected to appear for the last time in the premier competition.

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Euro 2020 was pushed back by a year and now finally we see it happening, as Europe’s premier international competition is just days away for kick-off. This will be the first time in the International European competition, or perhaps in any major international competition of the world, that the tournament will be hosted in multiple host countries. UEFA has listed as many as 11 countries as hosts with one venue a piece. This will be the first major senior competition to be held during the Pandemic and obviously without the loyal vociferous fans as the players have to cope up with empty stands.

Every edition we have seen one superstar or the other featuring in their last major competition and calling it a day in international football. Here are some of the notable names, we might be missing them in the next edition and other major competitions in the near future.

• Cristiano Ronaldo: The man needs no introduction. His name himself carries a pedigree. The 36-year-old forward is still on a rampaging hunt, breaking every possible record there is to beat. The Portuguese juggernaut has featured four times in the tournament ending up as champions in the previous edition and currently the joint all-time top scorer of the competition with 9 goals. He’ll be 40 by the time of the next edition. At 36, he is considered to be as fit as a 20-year-old and is very much evident of the fact that he is still scoring 40+ goals in a season, even better than a 20 year old. He has all the strength and fitness to feature in the next edition and no one will be surprised if he does so.
• Sergio Ramos: Captain, Leader and Legend. That’s Sergio Ramos in a nutshell for you. The highest goal-scoring defender of our generation is a multiple-time winner, when it comes to this competition and has given great service, be it in the national team or in club football. At 35, he’s still a roadblock for even the best of players and still going strong as an integral member and this will be his 4th appearance. He’ll be 39 in 2025 and only time will tell whether he can continue or not.
• Luka Modric: 2018 FIFA World Cup’s Golden Boot recipient is one of the finest box-to-box midfielders of our generation. At 35, he never fails to amaze us with his remarkable presence of mind and his defense splitting passes along with his deft long-range efforts, always keeping us at the edge of our seats. We have to wait and watch, whether he’ll be featuring for the 5th time in a row or not.
• Manuel Neuer: The 2014 World Cup winner has wowed everyone with his “sweeper-keeper” ability year after year and his consistent performance makes him arguably the best goalkeeper in the last 10 years. Another 35 year old from our list, who equally has the potential to continue.
• Georgio Chiellini: Like Ramos, he has an equal contribution, when it comes to serving both the nation and club. A warrior of many battles, the 2006 World Cup winner has always been one of the toughest defenders and still has his place intact with his cool and calm composure despite having tough competition from many young defenders. His team ended up as runners-up back in 2012 and the 36-year-old still has lot to give.

(Written by Debayan Bhattacharyya)