As many as 72 under-23 players, i.e. on average three per team, featured at the EURO 2020 finals.
Players born in year 1998 or later – also eligible to play at this year’s under-21 European Championships – scored a total of 10 goals and provided 14 assists at the senior tournament, which represents a slight upgrade on EURO 2016.
Five years ago, at the first 24-team European Championships finals, under-23s scored a total of no fewer than 13 goals, but provided just eight assists.
This time, the most influential under-23 players were:
- Mikkel Damsgaard (2 goals, 1 assist);
- Ferran Torres (2 goals, 1 assist);
- Dani Olmo (3 assists);
- Kai Havertz (2 goals);
- Manuel Locatelli (2 goals);
- Dejan Kulusevski (2 assists);
- Alexander Isak (2 assists);
- Donyell Malen (2 assists).
Furthermore, Christoph Baumgartner and András Schäfer also bagged a goal each while Mason Mount, Kylian Mbappé and Kamil Jóźwiak all provided an assist.
Interestingly, over a third (29) of under-23 players at EURO 2020 were born in year 1999:
- 1998 – 15 players;
- 1999 – 29;
- 2000 – 11;
- 2001 – 7;
- 2002 – 7;
- 2003 – 3.
In terms of position on the pitch, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Matvey Safonov were the only two goalkeepers to make at least one appearance:
- goalkeepers – 2;
- centre backs – 9;
- full-backs – 10;
- centre midfielders – 14;
- attacking midfielders – 13;
- wingers – 14;
- forwards – 10.
As far as Relative Age Effect is concerned, there were no surprises:
- I quarter of year – 17 players;
- II quarter – 25;
- III – 16;
- IV – 14.
Team-wise, England had the most under-23s, who made at least one appearance:
- England – 7 players;
- Netherlands – 6;
- Poland – 5;
- Italy, Spain, Turkey and Wales – 4;
- Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, North Macedonia, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine – 3;
- Finland, France, Germany, Portugal and Scotland – 2;
- Austria, Belgium, Slovakia and Switzerland – 1.
Young English players also made, on average, the highest number of starts (2.71), just ahead of Spain (2.67). Meanwhile, Dutch players made the highest number of appearances (3.75), ahead of England (3.71), Poland (3.67) and Spain (3.33).
In contrast, no Finnish, Slovakian or Swiss under-23 player made a start during the tournament.
Finally, there were 17 under-20 players who featured at least once at the EURO 2020 finals, making a total of 50 appearances (27 starts and 23 substitute cameos). In comparison, there were just 11 teenagers at the previous edition of the European Championships, totalling 17 starts and 21 substitute appearances (note: back then only three subs were allowed).
The youngest starters this time around were:
- Pedri (6 starts);
- Ilia Zabarnyi (5);
- Jérémy Doku (2);
- Ryan Gravenberch (1);
- Joško Gvardiol (4);
- Bukayo Saka (3 + 1 sub app);
- Jurriën Timber (1 + 2 sub apps);
- Billy Gilmour (1);
- Neco Williams (1 + 2 sub apps);
- Eric García (3).
What is more, several players also made only substitute appearances, including 17-year-old Kacper Kozłowski, who became the youngest player in the history of the EURO finals, just after his peer Jude Bellingham had broken the same record:
- Kacper Kozłowski (2 sub apps);
- Jude Bellingham (3);
- Jamal Musiala (2);
- Adam Hložek (4);
- Tomáš Suslov (2);
- Maksim Mukhin (3);
- Nathan Patterson (1).
In the picture (credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images): Mikkel Damsgaard was the youngest both goalscorer and assist provider at EURO 2020
BREAKTHROUGH 