It’s a very curious Euro which starts this Friday in Berlin. Because the World Cup is still fresh in our minds. The World Cup was yesterday and the Olympics are tomorrow. For us, in Paris, the event is the news, obviously. After all, it’s only once a century. And the country in full existential questioning since Sunday has, today, other fish to fry.
So this strange European Championship arrives under the radar of an already saturated media space, and it is up to Didier Deschamps’ Blues to make it a majestic campaign, to offer a truce in the divisions and to open a summer glorious for French sport. We weren’t really counting on Roland-Garros to kick off the momentum. The French team is looking for jobs.
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A World Cup finalist less than 18 months ago, she is one of the obvious favorites. But it’s been twenty-four years since this damn Euro has escaped the Blues, it is also the last one to resist the conquest of the Deschamps/Griezmann/Mbappé generation. The new Madrilenian will be the gigantic star of a tournament which has never been successful for him. The Euro remains the only competition in which he has never scored. Before posing with the white jersey, the captain of the Blues, lost in 2021 in Budapest then Bucharest, will have to show himself as great as in Qatar because the competition will be at least as dense.
Germany, France, Portugal and England are the favorites for Euro 2024
Credit: Quentin Guichard
Five of the eight semi-finalists in Doha
In Doha, five of the eight quarter-finalists came from the Old Continent. Suffice to say that France is not the only one to believe in its destiny before the party begins. Among them, England and Portugal, along with Deschamps’ gang, form the group of teams to beat. Will the English succeed where they have failed for 58 years? They have rarely been so well armed to go to the end and they have a score to settle with a competition which held out its arms to them at Wembley in 2021 but escaped them on penalties. But can they go all the way with Harry Kane “the cursed” in their ranks?
It’s another must-see that will attract attention on the Portuguese side. This funny German Euro will also be that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s last dance. At 39 years old but with the physique of a twenty-year-old, he will continue to extend the time during his 11th international tournament. It all started at home with blonde highlights and goals, already. Will it all end 20 years later with a second continental title at the end? Portugal is full of talent and José Mourinho has made it his favorite…
Cristiano Ronaldo poses with the Portugal jersey ahead of Euro 2024
Credit: Getty Images
Where are the historic nations?
We must not forget the historic nations. Where are they? No one knows. Germany, led by the talent of Jamal Musala and Florian Wirtz, will play at home and its two victories in March against France and the Netherlands reignited the flame after eight years of crossing the desert. If the Mannschaft completely missed its last two World Cups, Italy was not there. But its downgrade should not make us forget that the Nazionale is the title holder.
All it needs is a nice scandal for her to transcend herself as usual. We should also not remove Croatia from the equation, on the podiums of the last two World Cups even if the legs of Luka Modric, 37, are starting to age. The Spanish youth remain serious outsiders but, twelve years after their last title, La Roja still lacks recent references to be among the headliners.
France has no shortage of them. In these times of uncertainty, deep questions and major crises, the Blues would be happy to provide consistency. For them, this usually means, at least, reaching the final. Hoping that, this time, it will not be decided by penalties.
