It seemed only right that I should do at least one international video over the international break, despite the fact that it seems like everyone hates the international break and can’t wait for it to be over.
In fact, I must be the only person who actually quite enjoys watching England these days – as well as all the other international fixtures – and doesn’t mind the occasional weekend off from the emotional turmoil of following my club.
Today’s video takes us back to Euro 2004, a tournament I went to with my Dad at the age of eight and watched England snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against France in the group stages, before England went on to lose in the quarter-finals thanks to a dodgy Swiss referee and our inability to convert from 12 yards.
Anyhow, that is now incredibly 15 years ago, so if you were 18 then, you’d be 33 now, so it seemed like a good time to make this video.
Here are the 7 youngest players from Euro 2004: Where are they now?
7. Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus
The seventh youngest player at the finals in Portugal was homegrown superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Just one year after joining Manchester United, a 19-year-old Ronaldo was already an extraordinary talent, but he had more flicks and tricks to his game than actual end product. He had a very impressive tournament for a teenager though, scoring two and assisting two to make the team of the tournament as Portugal finished as runners-up. He has since scored about 7,000 goals, has won the Ballon d’Or five times and left Real Madrid to join current club Juventus last summer.
6. Tranquillo Barnetta – Retired
Tranquillo Barnetta of Switzerland (C) shoots to score the first goal during the UEFA EURO 2012 group G qualifying match between England and Switzerland at Wembley Stadium on June 4, 2011…
Having made a big impression at St Gallen, Tranquillo Barnetta joined Bayer Leverkusen at the start of 2004 as an 18-year-old. He had turned 19 by the time the Euros came around, but didn’t manage to get on the pitch in Portugal. He would later play in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, as well as scoring a brace against England in Euro 2012 qualifying. He returned to St Gallen in 2017, but retired this summer at the age of 34.
5. Lukas Podolski – Vissel Kobe
Germany legend Lukas Podolski began his international career in 2004, aged 19, and went on to score 49 goals from 130 caps for Die Mannschaft, winning a World Cup in 2014 and being named as the Best Young Player at the 2006 World Cup. He made just one substitute appearance at the 2004 finals in Portugal, but as mentioned, his international career would be a roaring success. Renowned for his thunderous left-foot, Polish-born Podolski retired from international duty in 2017, but still plays club football in Japan with Vissel Kobe now.
4. Wayne Rooney – DC United
DC United midfielder and former England captain Wayne Rooney speaks during a press conference at Pride Park Stadium in Derby on August 6, 2019 after Rooney agreed a deal to become a player-…
Although Wayne Rooney is England’s all time record goal scorer, and he was fantastic for the country in qualifiers, Euro 2004 was actually his only truly impressive major tournament, and perhaps it should come as little surprise that it was the only international tournament in which he ever played without carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders. An 18-year-old Rooney scored braces against both Switzerland and Croatia, enough to make UEFA’s Team of the Tournament, but got injured in the quarter-final against the hosts. Rooney went on to become one of the most decorated players of his generation, and currently plays for DC United although he will soon join Derby County.
3. Johan Vonlanthen – Retired
Wayne Rooney became the youngest goal scorer in the history of the European Championships when he scored twice against Switzerland, but that record would be taken from him by one of the Swiss players just four days later. That man was PSV winger Johan Vonlanthen, who scored for Switzerland against France aged 18. The Colombian-born Swiss international went on to win 40 caps for Switzerland in a career plagued by injuries. He initially retired in 2012 to avoid undergoing a knee operation, but returned in 2013. He retired for a second and one suspects a final time last summer, aged 32.
2. Valeri Bojinov – Botev Vratsa
Daniele Bonera (L) of AC Milan competes with Valeri Bojinov of US Lecce during the Serie A match between AC Milan and US Lecce at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 11, 2012 in Milan, Italy.
Followers of the Premier League may recall that Valeri Bojinov spent three seasons at Manchester City between 2007 and 2010, although he only played 12 games for the club. He was a bit of a wonderkid in Italy with Lecce, and was the second youngest player at Euro 2004. A quick and explosive striker, he never bettered his 2004-05 campaign as a teen though, and has only amassed 6 goals from 43 caps for Bulgaria. Aged 33, Bojinov has only represented his country once since 2013, and he recently signed for Bulgarian outfit Botev Vratsa.
1. Igor Akinfeev – CSKA Moscow
Igor Akinfeev made his CSKA Moscow debut at the age of 16 and his Russia debut at the age of 18, and he is still his club and country’s number one now at the age of 33. He could easily have another six or seven years left in the tank, yet he has already made more than 600 appearances for CSKA Moscow and has won 111 caps for Russia. Akinfeev was the youngest player at Euro 2004, but he didn’t get on the pitch. He would become Russia’s first choice tournament goalkeeper from Euro 2008 onwards however, a year in which he was named as the best young goalkeeper in Europe.
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