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The national teams of 24 European countries participated in the 16th UEFA European Cup. The tournament was established 61 years ago to determine which European top football country is actually the best.
Although the European Cup is all about European football, players of African descent also participated in the tournament. In fact, at Euro 2020, more than 8% of the 622 players Has African roots. More than 50 players!
What’s more interesting is that among these 50+ players, there are many global superstars. Many of them performed well in the game!
The most popular player in the 2020 European Cup relies on African-American players
Before the start of the game, France was the number one favorite, with odds of 5/1.As the tournament progressed, the situation changed, so if you want to check the updated odds, it’s best to Visit website Sportingbet or some other reputable sports betting.
The reason behind this is that in the past few years, France may be the most dominant national team on the planet. After losing to Portugal in the final five years ago, they finished runner-up in the 2020 European Cup. Fast forward to 2018, and they finally got a trophy, a bigger trophy-the 2018 World Cup!
The fact that the French team is so successful is no surprise to anyone who has seen their team. It is packed with superstars, many of which can be traced back to Africa.
Some key figures in France, including Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanter, and Kelian Mbappé, are of African descent.
Pogba’s parents are from Guinea, which is the country where the national team of Paul’s two brothers is located. French midfield engine Kanter is the son of Mali’s parents, who moved to Paris in the 1980s. Mbappé’s father is from Cameroon and his mother is from Algeria.
The other 13 members of the French national team have some connections with Africa, including Marcus Thuram, Kingsley Koman and Karim Benzema.
Other championship contenders also rely on players of African descent
The Belgian goal machine Romelu Lukaku was born in Belgium to Congolese parents. In fact, his father Roger Lukaku represented the Congolese (then known as Zaire) national team as early as the 1990s. The mother of his teammate Yuri Tillermans is from the same country.
In the Portuguese team, Nelson Semedo, Renato Sanchez and others can be traced back to Cape Verde.In addition, Portugal’s 6’2 scored midfielder William Carvalho was born in Angola.
As far as the Dutch national team is concerned, the situation is similar, where several players have at least one African parent. For example, Memphis Depay’s father is from Ghana.
For players who have played for England, Germany and many other countries, the situation is similar.
Only a few Nigerian players participated in Euro 2020
Guinea, Mali, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Congo, Ghana-at least a few players in the 2020 European Cup can be traced back to these African countries.
Surprisingly, Nigeria is not on the list. This most populous African country is known for the number of football talents that sprang up before it was glorified on the global stage.
However, it turns out that most of them want to play for their national team. Many Nigerian football players did not choose to represent their country of residence, but decided to represent their country of origin.
Of course, there are some examples of players doing the opposite. The best example may be David Alaba playing for Austria.
The new Real Madrid player played an important role in the Austrian team’s promotion to the top 16 and they were there Overtime defeated by Italy.
The best African-American player in the 2020 European Cup
David Alaba’s performance in Austria in June will make him a key player for the 2020 European Cup team, which is made up of players of African descent. He may have to act as a left-back instead of being in the middle of the line of defense.
This is not because that position seems to suit him best, but also because Germany’s Rudiger and France’s Kim Pombe are suitable for these positions. Then, on the right, Portugal’s Nelson Semedo will play the role of full-back.
The four will be in front of Yvon Mvogo, who ranks high in the Swiss national team and will eventually have the opportunity to become their preferred goalkeeper.
In the midfield, there must be two Frenchmen of African descent-N’Golo Kanter and Paul Pogba. The third position may belong to Belgium’s Yuri Tillermans.
In the front, we might see Kylian Mbappe on one side and Memphis Depay on the other side. Finally, the person closest to the opponent’s goal must be Romelu Lukaku.
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