Euro 2004 introduced some new and explosive players to the world of football. Here is a quick a look at them.
Name: Antonio Cassano
Country: Italy
Age: 21
Club: Roma
Born a day after Italy won the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Cassano’s displays in Portugal provided the Azzurri with their only crumb of comfort. Giovanni Trapattoni had described the former Bari midfielder as ‘a genius, the future of Italian footballâ€, with Cassano’s pace and skill offering an insight as to why.
The world’s most expensive teenager — he moved from Bari to Roma for £23-million in 2001 — he marked his international debut with a stunning lob over Jerzy Dudek in a friendly against Poland last November. Against Sweden he created countless opportunities that others missed. He scored Italy’s goal in that match, then belted a sublime winner in stoppage-time against the Bulgarians in the last group game.
Name: Martin Petrov
Country: Bulgaria
Age: 25
Club: Vfl Wolfsburg
Petrov was the tearful winger sent off eight minutes into his international debut against England five years ago. Hot-tempered and with a waspish left foot, the midfielder excelled at Euro 2004.
Against Italy he provoked panic down his flank, twice forcing Gianluigi Buffon into desperate saves. It was Petrov’s penalty that yielded his country’s only goal of the tournament and he should have scored a winner in stoppage-time at the end, but was thwarted by Buffon.
The 25-year-old began at Botev Vratsa before moving to CSKA Sofia and then Servette. A £3-million transfer to Wolfsburg in 2001 made him the most expensive sale in Servette’s history. He scored eight goals in the Bundesliga last season.
Name: Lukas Podolski
Country: Germany
Age: 19
Club: Cologne
The Polish-born striker played only 45 minutes in Portugal — the second half of Germany’s defeat by the Czechs — but the inquest into his country’s failure is sure to feature questions as to why. Podolski scored 10 times in 18 Bundesliga games last season for relegated Cologne. It was his first season in the senior game and earned him a contract extension until 2007.
The youngster had booked his driving test in the middle of Euro 2004, sure that he would not be in the squad. He excelled when called upon, almost edging his side ahead in the 73rd minute.
Name: Wayne Rooney
Country: England
Age: 18
Club: Everton
It says everything about this teen-ager’s impact at his first major finals that England can barely contemplate life without the Evertonian these days. Four goals in the group stage had Sven-Goran Eriksson comparing the striker with Pele.
England’s tournament fell apart against the Portuguese when Rooney hobbled from the pitch with a broken foot. The fracture could force him to miss the start of the Premiership campaign. Chelsea and Manchester United would leap at the chance to sign him, aware that Everton have as yet been unable to start talks over a new contract.
Name: Joaquin Sanchez
Country: Spain
Age: 22
Club: Real Betis
Manchester United have long considered a move for the Betis winger. His second-half display against Greece (he came on for Joseba Etxeberria) was remarkable, and his eagerness to torment his marker refreshing.
There were spanked shots at goal in that match too, though he was less effective when starting against the Portuguese. The 22-year-old made his international debut two years ago and featured twice at the World Cup. His new deal, which includes a buy-out fee of £45-million, keeps him at Betis until 2010 and makes him the club’s top earner.
Name: Bastian Schweinsteiger
Country: Germany
Age: 19
Club: Bayern Munich
The midfielder had not been expected to feature in Portugal but, having excelled in May’s Under-21 Uefa championships, he graduated to the senior set-up. He did enough in his substitute appearances in the first two group games to start against the Czechs.
At Bayern Munich Ottmar Hitzfeld handed him a senior debut after two first-team training sessions. He made 26 appearances for Munich last season and it was his cushioned lay-off which set up Michael Ballack’s goal against the Czechs.
Name: Dmitri Sychev
Country: Russia
Age: 20
Club: Lokomotiv Moscow
The young forward showed flashes of the ability that briefly had him earmarked as ‘the Russian Michael Owen†as a teenager. Small, quick and direct, he came on for the second half against Greece — Russia’s only win — and alarmed the otherwise impressive Traianos Dellas.
At 18 years and 222 days, he was the youngest Russian to play in a World Cup when he scored one and set up his side’s other three goals in Japan. He had a brief, unhappy spell at Marseille before returning to Moscow with Lokomotiv.
Name: Fernando Torres
Country: Spain
Club: Atletico Madrid
Age: 20
Torres arrived in Portugal for Euro 2004 with only two international caps to his name, a haircut to rival Lee Trundle and his reputation well established.
His searing pace and direct style had helped propel Spain to victory in the Under-16 and Under-19 Uefa championships in 2001 and 2002. By then ‘El Niño†had broken into the Atlético Madrid side, scoring on his debut. Contracted until 2008, he hit 19 league goals last term.
Name: Maris Verpakovskis
Country: Latvia
Age: 24
Club: Dynamo Kiev
Mike Riley is responsible for the Latvian striker not being a household name. The referee’s decision not to award a pair of penalties after Verpakovskis crumpled to the turf against Germany cost Latvia a famous victory.
He was a scorer on his Latvia debut four years ago and it was Verpakovskis’s goals — six in 10 games — that propelled his country to the finals. Wolves did not offer him a contract after a trial but Charlton may be more eager. He joined Kiev in January on a five-year deal.
Name: Johann Vonlanthen
Country: Switzerland
Age: 18
Club: PSV Eindhoven
The teenaged striker made his international debut in a 1-0 victory over Liechtenstein just before Euro 2004 and was included only because of injuries to Marco Streller and Leonard Thurrer.
The son of a Colombian mother and Swiss father — he lived in Colombia until he was 12 — Vonlanthen usurped Rooney to become the youngest goalscorer in a European championship when he speared Switzerland’s 26th-minute equaliser against the French in Coimbra.
Formerly with the Swiss club Young Boys, he joined PSV last summer. —