Euro 2024: Top 11 Best Footballers Who Will Not Feature in the Summer Tournament in Germany

With Euro 2024 coming up soon, fans and football pundits are all eyes and ears to witness the fire action.

However, key high-profile players are set to miss out on this primo summer competition.

From suffering injuries to respective national teams not qualifying for the tournament, these will be some of the reasons that will see some top players miss the tournament.

Sports Brief now weighs in on 11 top-tier players, a list that involves stars who would easily win the title but will not be taking part in the Euro 2024 matches.

The biggest World Cup snubs: A list of footballers left out of their countries’ World Cup squad

Football

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

Despite qualifying for the Euro 2024 competition, Belgium will be playing without their number one keeper Thibaut Courtois who picked an ACL injury at the start of the 2023/2024 season.

Koen Casteels and Matz Sels will be Domenico Tedesc’s only options to take up Courtois’s place. Belgium managed a quarter-final finish in the past European Championships before losing to Italy.

Right-Back: Ben White (England)

Ben White put a clear request to Gareth Southgate that he will not be participating in the competition at the moment.

After the 2022 World Cup, White flew back home after a disagreement with Steve Holland. Apparently, this was the last time he took part in the national team sessions, with the 26-year-old not clear about coming back anytime soon.

Centre-Back: Victor Lindelof (Sweden)

It is unfortunate that Sweden will not participate in the competition after they managed to finish third in their qualifying group, behind Belgium and Austria. This means that Victor Lindelof will have adequate time to polish his craft during the summer break.

Lindelof was part of the Swedish defense that allowed in 12 goals in eight games in the course of their qualifying stage games.

Centre-Back: Sven Botman (Netherlands)

Truth be told, Newcastle’s Botman enjoyed quite a superb 2023/2024 season. Unfortunately, the defender has endured injuries in the current season, hindering his stellar performance.

The Dutch will miss his national duties after being dismissed for nine months with an ACL injury. Despite the fact that he would not fit in the shoes of Virgil Van Dijk, Nathan Ake and Matthijs de Light, Botman would have been a bona fide backup option for the Dutch side.

Left-Back: David Alaba (Austria)

Dead, is what we could say is David Alaba’s dream to captain the Austria squad in the upcoming Euro 2024 competition.

Alaba suffered an ACL injury as he played a pivotal role when Austria qualified ahead of Sweden.

Austria will be playing without the star who has often contributed to their success, as they face a tough group that includes the Netherlands and France.

Defensive Midfield: Paul Pogba (France)

The latest one being served with a four-year ban from football with doping charges. By the time he is done with the punishment, the star would probably be thinking of his retirement from active football.

The midfielder’s services will not be in use as the French side will be going into the Euro 2024 competition.

Centre Midfield: Sandro Tonali (Italy)

Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali will be forced to watch his teammates from the sidelines after being slapped with a 10-month ban from football following gambling-related charges.

Centre Midfield: Gavi (Spain)

Having been crucial for Barcelona and Spain, Gavi will be missing out on the Spanish squad that will be heading to Germany for the Euro 2024 competitions after suffering an ACL injury.

Pedri and Rodri will now be forced to step up to ensure the Spanish side midfield remains intact, with fans expected to be downhearted by the absence of the star who had a consummate spell at the 2022 World Cup.

Attacking Midfield: Martin Odegaard (Norway)

Martin Odegaard is one of the best talents to have played under Arsenal head coach, Mikel Arteta.

However, despite his fire performance at Emirates, the midfielder will not be heading to Germany for the Euro 2024.

The midfielder managed to make two goal contributions for Norway during their group-stage qualification matches, which saw Scotland, Spain and Georgia win a spot in the tournament.

Striker: Alexander Isak (Sweden)

This promising Sweden forward has had quite an interesting time with Newcastle United. However, he will not be participating in the Euro 2024 competition as Sweden failed to sail through to travel to Germany.

Striker: Erling Haaland (Norway)

Scanning through his performance at Etihad in the last 18 months, Erling Haaland has been placed as one of the best strikers.

However, the 23-year-old failed to duplicate that performance in his national team matches. He only managed to find the net six times during their qualification stage which was not enough to push them to the top three teams heading to Germany for the Euro 2024.