England’s Most Important Players For The Euros

England made it as far as the final at the last European Championships, only to suffer the heartbreak of losing on penalties to Italy. They head to Germany for Euro 2024 as the current favourites to win the competition, but which players will be most important if they’re to take the next step and be victorious?

Jordan Pickford

Jordan Pickford, 30, has been England’s number one for years now, and the Everton keeper has become more and more reliable over time. As mentioned above, England are favourites according to Euro 2024 betting, and as seen at every recent international tournament, the teams that go far, and the teams that ultimately win, are the ones with a great keeper between the sticks. Gianluigi Donnarumma for Italy being a prime example. His performance was the difference against England at the last Euros.

Declan Rice

Declan Rice’s qualities as a player are undoubted, whether he’s sitting in front of the defence or playing as a number eight, where he’s been really effective for Arsenal. However, the twenty-five-year-old, who is England’s midfield general, is a natural leader, as proven by a spell as captain of former club West Ham. It could be these qualities that come to the fore the most out in Germany, especially if the going gets tough. He’s also England’s best actual central midfielder.

Jude Bellingham

It’s hard to believe Jude Bellingham is still only twenty when he's already taken world football by storm and proven he's one of the best attacking midfielders in the business. Since joining Real Madrid last summer, Bellingham has shown himself to be not only a midfielder with creative skills but also a genuine goal threat. This arguably will take the pressure off Harry Kane slightly, and England also have a player that can turn up in big moments and make a telling difference in the final third.

Phil Foden

Phil Foden, 24, ticks many of the same boxes as Bellingham, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Manchester City man won the Premier League Player of the Season award and has enjoyed another prolific campaign, winning yet another title. Also, like Bellingham, Foden is a goalscorer and a goalscorer of different types of goals and, crucially, from different positions on the pitch. Manager Gareth Southgate can play him anywhere behind Kane, and he’ll deliver the goods. He’s a serial winner, too.

Harry Kane

Harry Kane is probably still England’s most important player, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. The thirty-year-old is a goal machine, and moving to the Bundesliga last summer has proven that even more, with thirty-six goals scored in just thirty-two league games. The Three Lions captain has also weighed in with a stunning sixty-three goals in ninety caps, breaking records and winning tournament golden boots along the way. A team that can win silverware on the international stage needs a player who can consistently score goals against the very best, which Kane can and has.