After breakout seasons for their clubs, these players take their talents to international level
The experience that a youngster will have going to their first International tournament can vary depending on the player and the manager’s willingness to take a risk. For every Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo – who were born ready when they got their first EUROs call up – there’s a number of players waiting to break through.
The 5 players below were all Topps rookies for the 2023/24 season, with all players also receiving/ or are set to receive a ‘National Debut’ card.
Lamine Yamal
The Barcelona winger broke another record as the youngest-ever player to a feature at a UEFA EURO 2024™ after starting for Spain. This adds to his already growing list of achievements, with stand outs including:
- Youngest to provide assist in UCL
- Youngest debut in the UCL
- Youngest player in UCL Starting XI at Group stage, Knockouts and QF level
- Youngest to make 10 UCL appearances
- Spains Youngest player ever
- Youngest goalscorer for Spain
There’s no doubt that Yamal has a bright future ahead of him.
Petar Ratkov
Moving from TSC in Serbia to FC Salzburg for the 2023-24 season, Ratkov has gained the reputation as a dominant target man and was called up as part of the Serbian EURO 2024 squad.
Time will tell what his ceiling is, but with a number of British clubs tracking him – such as Leeds and Rangers – there’s potential for his stock to rise. Additionally, with much lower print runs compared to the likes of Yamal – there’s a higher level of scarcity should he ‘blow up’.
Fermín López
Yamal overshadowed Fermín López’s breakout season at Barcelona, despite the Spain international outscoring the seventeen-year-old 11 goals to 5 in all competitions. Two of these even came in the UCL!
Barcelona have already brushed off a £30m bid from Manchester United, with calls for the Catalan giants to build another La Masia Dynasty with the two aforementioned rookies, plus Pau Cubarsí, Héctor Font and Marc Guiu.
Bradley Barcola
Coveted across Europe for his electric displays for Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain managed to beat Chelsea and Manchester City for his signature. Lauded for his pace and versatility across the front line, it wasn’t until this season that Barcola was given a rookie card.
Considered by many as a bit of a shock call-up for France, Barcola has already dazzled his peers in the France camp. Expect some magic off the bench at UEFA EURO 2024™
Josip Šutalo
Josip made his move to Ajax in 2023 as an already established defender for Croatia, making his tournament debut in their 3rd placed play-off at the Qatar World Cup. At UEFA EURO 2024™ he will go to the tournament as their starting Centre-back, especially if Gvardiol is preferred at Left-back.
