UEFA U21 EURO Legend Teams: These young kickers became world stars

Many say that without the 2009 Euro U21, Germany would never have won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Coaching legend Horst Hrubesch was able to draw from an unprecedented pool of talent. Though not all of them went on to huge careers, the 2009 German squad now reads like a who’s who of world football – with six 2014 World Cup winners.

The goalkeeper was none other than Manuel Neuer, then still with Schalke. At the time he probably couldn’t have imagined that he would go on to become a Champions League and World Cup winner as well as five-time world goalkeeper of the year. But his talent was evident early on, conceding just one goal in the entire tournament.

In front of him were centre backs Benedikt Höwedes and Jérôme Boateng. Boateng’s long-time sidekick at Bayern and in the national team, Mats Hummels, was also in the 2009 squad, but only played in two of the five games. In the final against England, he played an unfamiliar role in the defensive midfield with aplomb. Mesut Özil – the fifth German U21 player to also feature in the 2014 World Cup final – played a more forward midfield position. If Sami Khedira hadn’t been injured while warming up in Rio, the tally would have been six.

Things didn't look good for the German side in the early stages. With just one win and two draws, Horst Hrubesch’s squad came second in the group and narrowly qualified for the semi-finals. There, an outstanding Neuer helped them eke out a 1-0 nail-biter over Italy to make the finals.

The final in Malmö was the breakout performance where everything fell into place. The German team swept past England 4-0, with future Bayern striker Sandro Wagner scoring twice.

The great era of the Spaniards had actually just ended. The team of the century around Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol and Torres had dominated world football for years, winning all European Championship and World Cup titles in 2008, 2010 and 2012. And then, in 2013, a new, young and title-hungry generation of top stars emerged.

In David de Gea, the Spaniards already had a top-flight goalkeeper in their ranks; the now Manchester United keeper is still one of the best. The Iberians’ showpiece, however, will probably always be their midfield. After Xavi and Iniesta, new tiki-taka artists took to the stage in 2013. Isco pulled the strings in the midfield; after the Euro U21 he moved from Malaga to Real Madrid and still plays in a central role today. He has won the Champions League with Los Blancos four times.

Thiago, developed under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage in Barecelona, also provided moments of magic. The 1.74-metre magician was a giant in the final, bagging a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Italy. The Spanish captain was unsurprisingly voted the best player of the tournament. After the Euro U21, Thiago held the Bundesliga in thrall for seven years with Bayern Munich before joining Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool in the summer of 2020.

The Spaniards also had an outstanding goal scorer: Álvaro Morata, who was the tournament's top scorer with four goals. The brawny centre-forward never settled down for long afterwards, but still played exclusively for top clubs: Real Madrid, Chelsea, Atlético Madrid and currently Juventus.

And even if the 2013 U21 European champions around Isco, Thiago and Morata are still chasing the big titles of their predecessor generation in the men’s game, you can never write Spain off – including at this summer’s Euro U21.

The tournament in Slovakia was above all the birth of a football legend: Andrea Pirlo. Even at a young age, the Italian field marshal was blessed with calmness on the ball and vision. Combined with his enviable technique, he is still regarded as one of the great thinking midfielders of all time. The Euro U21 Championship in 2000 was an up-and-down affair for Pirlo, however: he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the opening 2-0 win over England from, but was sent off with a second yellow in the second game against Slovakia, causing him to miss the final group game against Turkey. With a 3-1 victory, the Italians made it to the final even without Pirlo. Unlike in the years to follow, the two group winners qualified directly for the final.

Pirlo scored both goals in the final and personally crowned his team European champions, putting his side 1-0 up with a penalty and scoring again with a superb 25-metre free-kick to wrap up a 2-1 win. Pirlo was the top scorer and player of the tournament. He then launched his world career with AC Milan and Juventus, winning six Italian league titles and two Champions League titles.

But for Pirlo to shine at all in Slovakia 2000, he needed an enforcer to watch his back. Gennaro Gattuso, internationally feared for his rough and uncompromising style of play. A seething volcano, always on the verge of eruption. The two formed an inseparable midfield duo: in the U21 squad, later in the senior national team and for over ten years at AC Milan. “The first time I saw him play, I thought I had to change jobs,” Gattuso once said of his congenial midfield partner. Pirlo, on the other hand, loved to tease and wind up Gattuso. The quick-tempered midfield Rambo didn’t put up with anything, though, saying: “I smacked him more times than Bud Spencer smacked Terence Hill.”

Gattuso the destroyer and Pirlo the artist. So different on and off the pitch – yet still close friends to this day. As the crowning glory of their respective careers, both were cornerstones of Italy’s 2006 “summer fairy tale”, winning the World Cup title in Germany. Today, both are coaches – Gattuso at Napoli, Pirlo at Juventus – and now duke it out from the sidelines.

Later World Cup winner Simone Perrotta was also in the Euro U21 squad. However, alongside dominant figures such as Gattuso and Pirlo, the attacking midfielder was unable to capture the limelight, and made only two appearances as a substitute in the tournament. His star didn’t really rise until 2004, when he moved to AS Roma. Perrotta made over 400 appearances in the Serie A and played a key role in Italy’s 2006 World Cup title success, appearing in all seven of the tournament’s matches.

“It's been the most fascinating thing I've experienced so far – I’ve never been part of a better team unit.”

Rarely has a triumph been as much of a team success as Germany’s 2017 Euro U21 title. Captain Maximilian Arnold fondly remembered the days in Poland a couple of years later, saying in 2019: “We were like friends.”

The squad under Stefan Kuntz was riding a wave of euphoria after their commanding opening victories against Czech Republic (2-0) and Denmark (3-0), and no one was overly interested in the 1-0 defeat in the final group game against Italy. The boys were just fired up for the semi-final against England. But while gifted technicians Max Meyer and Serge Gnabry had cruised through the group stage, the German squad now faced a nerve-racking prospect. After 120 rousing minutes, the score was 2-2 – penalty shootout. Against England. As it happened: goalkeeper Julian Pollersbeck saved two penalties and Germany reached the final.

Waiting for them in the final were tournament favourites Spain, featuring today’s top stars Saúl and Asensio. But with a great team performance, Stefan Kuntz’s team offered the Iberians a thrilling duel. They all believed in themselves and their teammates, and they fought for each other. The man of the match was Mitchell Weiser. The then Hertha-player put in a strong performance and notched the 1-0 winning goal after 40 minutes with a looping header for the highlight reels.

The balance of the German team was underscored by the list of goal scorers: The team’s eight goals in the tournament were scored by seven different players, with only Davie Selke scoring twice. The success is even more significant in hindsight as top players such as Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sané and Niklas Süle would all still have been eligible to play for the U21 squad, but were already involved with the senior national team.