England come into the 2024 UEFA European Championship as huge favorites to win it all. When you look at the talent available for the Three Lions, it’s no question why this is the case.
Here are the five best England national team players who will make the difference for England at Euro 2024. If England do finally get the job done and win a major international tournament, it will be because of these players.
5. Bukayo Saka
Arsenal’s ‘Star Boy’ has gone from strength to strength since missing a key penalty in England’s loss in the Euro 2020 Final to Italy on penalties.
Saka has been instrumental to Arsenal’s improvement under Mikel Arteta. Without the tricky winger, the Gunners would not have finished second in the Premier League in the last two seasons.
The 22-year-old scored 20 goals and served up 13 assists in all competitions this season. Only Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku and Man Utd’s Alejandro Garnacho completed more progressive carries than Saka. The young right winger also ranked third in the Premier League for shot creating actions.
Injuries are the only thing that have stopped Saka from being a more impactful player for England. He comes into Euro 2024 suffering from lack of fitness. If he can get up to speed before the end of the tournament, Saka could finish Euro 2024 as one of the competition’s most impactful players.
4. John Stones
Like Saka, John Stones is expected to miss the start of the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament. The Man City defender is reportedly suffering from an intense illness and has been quarantined from the rest of the England squad. Unlike Saka, the Three Lions do not have a solid replacement for Stones.
If Stones is too ill to play, England will have to rely on Lewis Dunk, Ezri Konsa, or Joe Gomez to replace him. Those are all fine players, but they are not John Stones.
Stones’ technical ability puts him above those three, but what really separates him from the pack is his positioning and ability to read the game.
Pep Guardiola has taken full advantage of Stones’ abilities, playing him as an inverted full back, center back, and as a defensive midfielder.
Stones is England’s best defender by far, and someone they need to be playing at their best if they are going to win the Euros.
3. Phil Foden
One of the questions heading into Euro 2020 for England was whether manager Gareth Southgate would get the most out of Phil Foden. In 2024, there’s no question that the Man City wonderkid will play an integral role for England, no matter where Southgate plays him.
Foden has played as a left winger, right winger, and number 10 for England in the past year. He’s similarly played all over for Man City. He had 19 goals and 8 assists in just the Premier League this season.
Being able to play so many positions is a testament to Foden’s ability to work within a well-defined system. However, unlike a lot of English players, Foden also possesses an individual brilliance to create chances out of nothing all by himself.
2. Jude Bellingham
The 2023/24 season could not have gone better for Jude Bellingham. The young Englishman joined Real Madrid from Dortmund and immediately hit the ground running.
Bellingham finished third in the La Liga Golden Boot race with 19 goals. Most of his goals came from perfectly-timed late runs into dangerous areas. The 21-year-old was far from a one-trick pony though. Bellingham scored multiple goals from outside the box, including a screamer against Barcelona.
Besides the goals, Bellingham also contributed with 13 assists this season. He averaged a goal contribution nearly every 90 minutes for Los Merengues, playing an essential role in the club’s La Liga and Champions League winning season.
If Bellingham can cap off this great season by winning the Euros with England, he’ll be a strong contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
1. Harry Kane
After 19-years at Tottenham, Harry Kane finally made the jump to a bigger club. Did he win any trophies for it? Well, no. Not yet at least. This doesn’t mean he’s not a great player though.
Kane’s link-up play from the striker position is unmatched in Europe. Even in a down year, he still put up historic goal numbers.
In his first season at Bayern Munich this year, Kane nearly broke Robert Lewandowski’s Bundesliga record for most goals in a season. The Englishman scored 36 goals in 32 matches, five short of Lewandowski’s record.
The England captain scored 44 goals overall this season and won the European Golden Shoe award given to Europe’s top goal scorer.
There’s an argument to be made to put Bellingham over Kane, but goals win games. When it comes to scoring goals, there’s no one better at Euro 2024 than Kane.
