For football fans in their twenties, Euro 96 may well be their first memory of a major international tournament.
USA ’94 was a massive deal, but some folk may just have been too young for Houghton’s forward roll, Aldo over-heating in Orlando and Packie’s butter fingers. And there’s nothing like a major competition to capture the attention of impressionable youngsters, even if Ireland were not involved.
England famously got that tournament underway with an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Switzerland, a game which gave no hint of the excitement which would follow later on in the tournament.
But some players involved in this summer’s festivities in France will have no memory of that particular game – because they weren’t even born when the tournament began.
Want to feel old? Keep reading.
Marcus Rashford
If he makes the final 23-man cut, Rashford will be the first uncapped outfield player to make an England tournament squad since Michael Dawson in 2010.
Not only was the Manchester United striker not born when Euro ’96 got underway, but he wasn’t even conceived. With his Hallowe’en 1997 date of birth we’d like to think his Wythenshawe-based parents were ‘inspired’ by Eric Cantona’s last-minute winner against Southampton almost nine months to the day earlier.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: Spice Girls – ‘Spice Up Your Life’
Virgin Records/Giphy
Kingsley Coman
French winger Coman has really been *Coman* this season (groan), playing a big part in Bayern Munich’s run to the Champions League semi-finals.
The on-loan Juventus winger was born on 18 June 1996, the same day Patrice Loko sealed France’s progress to the knockout stages with a late clincher against Bulgaria.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: The Fugees – ‘Killing Me Softly’
Nico Elvedi
Switzerland have named a 28-man squad, allowing coach Vladimir Petković to include a handful of uncapped players along with more experienced faces like Philippe Senderos and Valon Behrami.
Teenage centre-back Elvedi is one of these players, earning a call-up after impressing in his first Bundesliga season with Borussia Monchengladbach. With Senderos and Johan Djourou getting on in years, he can stake a claim to be a big part of his country’s international future.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: Deep Blue Something – ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’
Interscope
Denis Zakaria
Like Elvedi, Zakaria will look to earn his first caps for Switzerland in the pre-tournament friendlies against Belgium and Moldova.
The defensive midfielder has kept Leicester’s Gökhan Inler out of the squad despite playing fewer than a dozen senior games – high praise indeed from Petković.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: The Prodigy – ‘Breathe’
XL Recordings/Makeagif
Breel Embolo
Twelve years after Johan Vonlanthen became the youngest player to score at a European Championships tournament (prompting one commentator to suggest without thinking that Wayne Rooney could still get his record back), another Swiss striker has the chance to make an impression on the continent.
The Basel frontman already has an international goal to his name – admittedly it was a penalty against San Marino, but they all count – and will fight with the likes of Josip Drmic and Haris Seferovic for a starting place, providing he recovers from injury in time for the tournament.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: LL Cool J – ‘Ain’t Nobody’
Andrei Ivan
Romania aren’t among the favourites for the tournament, but 19-year-old Ivan could use the tournament to make a name for himself.
The young forward reportedly turned down a move to 26-time champions Steaua Bucharest to push for a move to a bigger European league, and the youngest player in Anghel Iordanescu’s squad has the chance to impress in France.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: Spice Girls – 2 Become 1
Virgin Records/Tumblr
Bartosz Kapustka
Midfield prospect Kapustka made his Poland debut as a replacement for Jakub Blaszczykowski, and if he goes halfway to emulating the former Dortmund man he’ll have done well.
He has spent his entire career with Cracovia, and was part of the squad that reached the Europa League this season for the first time in their history.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: Spice Girls – 2 Become 1
Emre Mor
Having turned out for Denmark at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 level, Mor switched allegiances to Turkey this year and has been rewarded with a call-up from Fatih Terim.
Just like England’s Marcus Rashford, the winger only played his first professional game this season, turning out for FC Nordsjælland against Randers in the Danish top flight. Also like Rashford, he scored his first league goal on February 28.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: Oasis – ‘D’You Know What I Mean?’
Creation Records/Tumblr
Václav Černý
A graduate of the famed Ajax youth academy, Černý became the youngest player to ever turn out for the Czech Under-21 side last September at the age of just 17.
Fast forward less than nine months and he finds himself in Pavel Vrba’s 30-man pre-tournament squad, having made his debut for Ajax’s first team and scored his first goal for the club.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: Elton John – ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’/ ‘Something About the Way You Look Tonight’
Duje Ćaleta-Car
Ćaleta-Car is quite the journeyman (or should that be journeychild?), having already played for four clubs by the age of 19.
The centre-back played a significant part in Red Bull Salzburg’s title-winning campaign, earning him his first senior call-up for Croatia last year, but he is yet to win a full international cap for his country.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: The Fugees – ‘Ready or Not’
Columbia Records/Tumblr
Alen Halilović
He might still be a teenager, but Halilović has already developed a huge reputation after joining Barcelona at the age of just 16.
The Dubrovnik-born playmaker has spent the season on loan at Sporting Gijon, and lined up against Lionel Messi when Croatia took on Argentina at the Boleyn Ground in 2014.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: The Fugees – ‘Killing Me Softly’
Ante Corić
The third Croatian squad member to be born after the country made its tournament debut, Corić is seen by some as Halilović’s heir at Dinamo Zagreb.
As his compatriot prepares to push for a spot in Barcelona’s first team, the teenager is thought to be on the radar of Real Madrid, where another former Dinamo midfielder – Luka Modrić – is pulling the strings.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: R. Kelly – ‘I Believe I Can Fly’
Atlantic Records/Tumblr
Renato Sanches
Sanches is certainly among the best-known teenagers likely to feature at Euro 2016, having just completed a €35m move from Benfica to Bayern Munich.
The box-to-box midfielder had been watched by Manchester United, and already has two Portugal caps to his name as well as experience in the Champions League.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: Will Smith – ‘Men In Black’
Roland Sallai
Hungary qualified for its first major tournament in a generation thanks to a play-off victory over Norway, and young players like Sallai will hope the country doesn’t have as long a wait for its next chance on the world or continental stage.
Midfielder Sallai suffered heartbreak at club level this season as Puskás Academy dropped out of the Hungarian top flight on the final day, but he will hope that experience helps steel him for a challenging Euros group including Portugal, Austria and Iceland.
Number 1 in the charts on the day he was born: Olive – ‘You’re Not Alone’
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