The European championship is here again, and the best footballers in the world will again be entertaining us!
The Euros bring together the best countries on the continent, as they battle for the right to become European champions.
This year’s tournament will be played across 11 venues, with the final set to be contested at the Wembley Stadium in London.
Can Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal retain their title? Will world champions, France add European glory to their global crown? Or can Harry Kane and England finally bring it home?
Many betting sites in Nigeria have France as the favourites for the title, while England and Belgium are also getting lots of love from the bookies.
As the Euros close in, we take a look at the top five players to watch.
Cristiano Ronaldo
All-time great, Cristiano Ronaldo will again be one of the men to watch, as he leads Portugal in their title defense.
Ronaldo has enjoyed international success in recent years, inspiring Portugal to the European title in 2016, and captaining the team to the European Nations League in 2019.
At 36, Ronaldo is not the youngest anymore, but he remains one of the deadliest forwards in the world. The Portuguese superstar is coming off a fine goal-scoring season in Serie A, banging in 29 goals to emerge top scorer in the league.
Kylian Mbappe
World champions, France have one of the most formidable squads in the Euros, and in Kylian Mbappe, they have arguably the most fearsome forward in the tournament.
Blessed with incredible pace and precise finishing, Mbappe is set to light up the world over the next month.
Mbappe was an integral part of the French team that won the World Cup in Russia in 2018, and if he finds his best form at the Euros, Les Bleus will yet again be extremely hard to stop.
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Harry Kane
Before the start of last season, Harry Kane was already one of the finest strikers in the world, but he took his game to another level during the last campaign, finishing on top of the goal scoring and assists charts in the Premier League.
With his insatiable desire for goals, Kane, who was the leading score at the World Cup in Russia, is arguably the frontrunner for the Golden Boot award at the Euros.
The Tottenham Hotspur man has never hidden his desire to win the biggest trophies in the world, and the England captain will hope to inspire his nation to a rare major title.
Kevin de Bruyne
After inspiring Manchester City to another English Premier League title, Belgian playmaker, Kevin de Bruyne heads into the Euros hoping to add an international title to his already impressive collection.
Despite missing parts of last season through injuries, de Bruyne put together another sensational campaign, adding the League Cup title and a Champions League runner-up medal to his EPL winners’ medal.
The brilliant Belgian was rewarded for his efforts with the PFA Player of the Year award.
De Bruyne will be central to Belgium’s ambitions of winning a maiden international title.
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski compiled a record-breaking season, scoring 41 goals in another title-winning season for Bayern Munich.
No other player has scored as many goals in a single season in the history of the Bundesliga.
Lewandowski’s Poland aren’t exactly one of the big guns in the continent, and aren’t expected to go all the way at the Euros, but the prolific center-forward guarantees goals, and is one of the players to keep an eye on during the Euros.
While these players are our top picks, there are numerous other top quality players in the tournament. Euro 2020 promises to be a very exciting festival of football.
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