The Painful Farewells of the EURO
EURO 2024 has been the stage for farewells, some confirmed and others predictable, of such important figures in recent years as Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos.
The penalty shootout against France in the quarter-finals ended Cristiano's era of records in the EURO. His achievements will continue to be remembered, but without him actively participating in a tournament where he has made history. Champion in 2016 and owner of a collection of unmatched records, Cristiano says goodbye to the tournament.
The defeat by penalties against France may have marked the end of the international careers of two of Portugal's greatest glories: Cristiano and Pepe, the first and third players with the most matches for the Portuguese national team. Both said goodbye to the EURO in a bitter manner from the penalty spot.
The image of Pepe, 41, in tears, was the reflection of what is presumed to be the end of an era in Portugal. An era led by the defender, with five participations in the EURO, and the forward, who played his sixth, a tournament record. Despite not scoring, Cristiano remains the top scorer in the history of the competition, with fourteen goals. Both were key in the 2016 edition in France, when Portugal defeated the host team to win the first and only title in their history.
The Moving Image of Modric
The final image of Modric, desolate on the bench after the final goal by Italian Mattia Zaccagni that left him on the brink of elimination (finally confirmed by the results of the other groups), moved the football world. It remains to be seen whether, nearing 39, he will continue to play with the Croatian team.
There will be no more EURO for the Real Madrid midfielder, after the initial defeat to Spain and the two agonizing draws against Albania and Italy. He has played in five EUROs, with the quarter-finals in Austria and Switzerland 2008 being his best result in this competition, from which Vida, Kramaric, and Brozovic might also be saying goodbye.
End of the Long-lived and Successful German Trio Neuer-Kroos-Müller
Germany entered the tournament as one of the strongest contenders to become European champions, but the goal scored by Mikel Merino in extra time of the quarter-final against Spain ended the hopes of the entire German nation and the career of Toni Kroos. Not only will he not play in the competition again, but he will also never wear the football kit as a professional again.
Along with the departure of the Real Madrid midfielder, the EURO also says goodbye to goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and forward Thomas Müller. The trio, with four tournament participations each, constituted the last vestige in Nagelsmann's team of the World Cup that Germany won in Brazil exactly 10 years ago.
