The commentator of the channels Football1 / Football2 Kirill Krutorogov tells about those whom we saw a few meters away from ourselves in Donetsk and Mariupol, but they were still considered to be nouns, and today they are the stars of world football.
Almost nine years ago, Ukraine hosted the European Championship among young men under 19. Matches were held in Donetsk and Mariupol in the stadiums of the RSK "Olympic", "Metallurg", "Ilyichevets" and "Western". The average attendance of the tournament was 6064 spectators, and the final game between the English and our national team collected 25,100 on the RSK "Olympic". Then the team of Yuri Kalitventsev triumphed. For the first time in history (and still only once), any of the national teams of Ukraine in football became the champion of Europe.
Over time, six players of that team tried their hand at the first team of Ukraine: Krivtsov, Garmash, Butko, Shakhov, Fishing and Koval. But there are a few players who were not considered big stars then, and now they are such without any exaggeration.
David De Gea Spain / Manchester United He won the youth (under 17 years) and twice the youth European Championship. Only in Ukraine there were no medals. After that tournament, De Gea won with Atletico in the European League and for 25 million euros moved to Manchester United. Then he managed something unique - he became the main goalkeeper of the Spanish national team, interrupting the hegemony of Casillas, and now is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
By the age of 27, David has already held about 400 matches at the highest level (Spain, England, European Cups). And 27 for the "Fury of the Roch". They say that soon De Gea can move to Real Madrid - at least, he really wants to see in the "creamy" club. The potential transfer amount is not less than 100 million euros, which means that the Spaniard will become the most expensive goalkeeper in the world.
In the current season, De Gea rewrote his own record, having played 21 matches for "0". While at Euro 2009 in Ukraine he never managed to keep the gate dry, and his team did not even leave the group. True, he avenged us later, in 2015, when our main team needed to defeat the Spaniards at the NSC Olimpiyskiy to enter Euro-2016, but David was just inimitable in the frame of the gate (0: 1).
Mario Gaspar Spain squad / Villarreal And this guy scored that single, victorious, for the "Fury Rohy" goal against the national team of Ukraine three years ago in Kiev. At 27, he is still one club man - brought up in Villarreal and has spent his entire career there (he played more than 400 matches, 340 of which at the highest level of Spain and European competition), being the undisputed leader of the team and one of the best right-backs. Examples. A couple of years ago, Mario almost moved to Barcelona - the Catalans regarded him as a substitute for Dani Alves. And also his goal in the "baggage" with the English claimed for the award of Puskasha in 2016.
In total for the first team he spent 3 matches and scored 2 goals. On the other hand, Gaspar has no title at any level. Nevertheless, Transfermarkt estimates it at 20 million euros and puts above Danilo from ManCity and Meunier from PSG.
At Euro 2009, Mario played all three games at the heart of the Spaniards from call to ring, but, as already mentioned, they did not leave the group.
Nacho Fernandez Team Spain / Real Madrid Just in 2009, Nacho graduated from the Academy of Real Madrid and began to speak for the club's branch. Since 2011, he has been gradually drawn to the first team. He has never had a stellar status, but for four seasons he has been holding at least 20 matches in different tournaments, and from year to year this number is steadily growing. Fernandez qualitatively substituted Pepe, Varana, Ramos, Marcelo and Carvajal - that is, acted on all positions in the defense. In his 27 Nacho played more than 150 matches for "creamy" and won all possible tournaments. Became the champion of Europe among the youth in 2013 and played 15 games for the national team of Spain.
In the Ukrainian fields in 2009, he spent as much as one minute of the opening match for the Spaniards against the Turkish national team.
Kyle Walker England / ManCity Shortly before the youthful Euro-2009 Tottenham bought out Walker's contract from Sheffield United for almost 6 million euros to sell in eight years for 52 million. For two weeks he even became the most expensive defender of the world, while the "townspeople" did not buy Mendy for 57 million.
A few days ago, Walker won the first in his career title - champion of England - and entered the symbolic team of the Premier League season. By the way, together with De Gea.
At Euro 2009, the British reached the final of the tournament, where they lost to the Ukrainian team (0: 2). Walker at that tournament took part in all matches without substitutions. For the first England team, he had already 35 matches.
Danny Drinkouter England / Chelsea FC Manchester United FC came to Euro 2009 as a player of this team, after the tournament went on a rental in Huddersfield. Then there were similar voyages to Cardiff, Watford and Barnsley, and only then - a full-fledged contract with Lester, who spoke in the Championship. It was in the "fox" Drinkouter declared himself, became the champion of England, played in the Champions League and moved to Chelsea for 38 million euros. True, in London he does not feel himself to be an important figure, dissatisfied with the amount of playing time and is thinking about changing teams.
For the main England team played only 3 matches. And for Euro-2009 took part in four games and was noted as an assistant in a meeting with our team in the group stage (2: 2).
Adem Lyaich Serbian national team / Torino He was considered a child prodigy - right after the Euro in Ukraine he made his debut in the qualification of the Champions League. At that time he was only 17 years old. In 2010 Adema bought Fiorentina, having laid out 8 million euros. Three years later he moved to Roma for 11 million, played on loan to Inter. And in Torino was sold at a loss - for 8.5 million. But there he has everything going well - Liaic plays at the base, scores and assists. In Italy, he spent more than 250 matches and 27 for the national team of Serbia.
At Euro 2009 he played in four games, made two assists in the games with Spain and France, his team suddenly took first place in his group, but in the semi-final it was beaten by the team of Yuri Kalitvintsev (1: 3).
Thiago Alcantara Team Spain / Bavaria The son of the Brazilian Mazinho could play for the Brazilian national team (as his brother Rafinha), but when he was in La Masia in 2005, he began to be called in the junior national teams of Spain, and then got into the "fury of the roche" , later saying that he never regretted his choice. A year before the youthful Euro in Ukraine became the champion of Europe in the tournament for players under 17 years old.
Thiago sympathized with Guardiola, and this is already a guarantee that there is something special about him. He was considered "future Iniesta", but in the early career of Alcantara it was difficult to compete for a place in the base with Andres and Xavi himself. Although Pep gradually gave him the practice game. He also initiated the transfer of Thiago to Bavaria, when he led the Munich. 22-year-old midfielder cost the Germans 25 million euros. He believed Guardiola in him and after a severe injury, who sent a football player for a year and a half to the infirmary.
Previous season, Carlo Ancelotti was the best for Tiago in terms of playing time. In the current - everything is not so rosy, but Guardiola continues to believe in Alcantara and is considering his purchase in ManCity. The transfer price can reach 50 million. Euro.
At Euro 2009 Thiago played 64 minutes of the opening match with the Turks, was injured and more in the Ukrainian fields at that tournament did not appear. For the main team of Spain spent 25 matches and scored 2 goals. At the age of 27 he is 9 times champion of Spain and Germany, and also the winner of all tournaments in which his teams took part.
Yasin Braimi Team France / Algeria / Porto This character we will never see at the European Championships - the one in 2009 was his last. In Ukraine, Brahmi came to the role of player Rennes and the leader of his team. After this tournament he was sent to rent in Clermont, where he showed himself perfectly in League 2. In the next season he was not lost and in the top league of France.
Later Braime leased Granada, paying 700 thousand and soon bought out his contract for 4 million. It was then that he began to be called into the national team of Algeria, giving up prospects to ever be called into the "lele", thanks to which he went to the 2014 World Cup. And after his graduation he moved to Porto for 6.5 million. In their composition, Yasin made his debut in the Champions League, scored 5 goals in the group stage (including a hat-trick for the BATE goal) and again stayed in Ukraine, where the Portuguese crossed with the Miner.
Now Brahimi is the leading player of the "dragons" who regularly slots and assists. Interest in him is attributed to the clubs more seriously: Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus. For the national team of Algeria, he has already spent 39 matches, scoring 11 goals.
Admir Mehmedi Team Switzerland / Wolfsburg Perhaps, he can not be called a grandiose star of the world scale, but he had already played 49 matches for the first team of Switzerland. At Euro 2009 came the player of Zurich with a small, but still experience playing in the big league of the country.
Later, Dynamo bought Mehmedi for 4 million euros. But he failed to prove himself in Kiev either under Semin, or under Blokhin. In the Bundesliga Admir feels much better. True, if in Freiburg he was the main, then that in Bayer, that in Wolfsburg played less than half of the matches.
At the European Championship nine years ago Mehmedi took part in three matches of the group stage, his team painted a draw with the English, defeated the Slovenian, but the defeat of our team (0: 1) did not let the Swiss into the playoffs.
Danny Welbeck England team / Danny Arsenal during Euro 2009 was the one for whom the collectors of autographs were already hunted at that time (SELFI was not yet common). At the young Euro, he came as a footballer with three matches in the Premier League and even one goal. Two more he managed to score in the FA Cup. Well, in general, the game in one team with Ronaldo, Neville, Scholes and other superstars, and under the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson expensive.
For six years in Manchester, with breaks for rent in Preston and Sunderland, the Red Devils Academy student spent almost 100 matches, and then sold him for 20 million euros to Arsenal. Probably, if not for the injury, Welbeck would have achieved much more than he managed to achieve to date.
At Euro 2009, he scored two goals and made one assists (in a group match against our team), and after the finale hung a silver medal of the tournament round his neck.
Do you want to learn the main football news first? Subscribe to our channel in Telegram! You can also follow our website in Viber and Twitter.