OPINION: Has the U21 European Championship lost its lustre in modern football?

On Saturday, 19,153 people were in attendance to watch England beat Germany after extra time in a 3-2 thriller, bringing the curtain down on a frantic 16 days of football at the Under-21 European Championship.

Young players from across Europe came to Slovakia to test their mettle against their counterparts from across the continent and give them much-needed tournament fixtures as they build towards their future for club and country.

But, does this tournament, steeped in history and the producer of world-class talents, still have the same lustre it once had or is it being swallowed by the saturation of the modern game?

The easiest barometer of tournament success tends to be the interest it garners from the host nation. In Slovakia, away from watching their national side, attendances have been middling.

The neighbouring Czech Republic brought thousands to Dunajska Streda for their opening game, creating an atmosphere that felt akin to that of a World Cup qualifier or a big club game.

Outside of that, some matches have not had the same attention. For example, another neighbour of Slovakia, Poland, had just 2,218 in Zilina to watch their 2-1 loss to Georgia.

To put the figures into perspective, there were, on average, 3,000 more people at each game in Georgia and Romania two years ago for the 2023 edition.

The decline is even more stark when you go back to 2021. In Hungary and Slovenia, each game had more than 13,000 people attending on average.

These numbers are skewed by host nation games being attended in vast amounts, but that correlation of disinterest feels alarming.

Calendar quandaries

This edition of the Euros has faced a problem not seen before as it came up against the ‘goliath’ of the Club World Cup.

Running concurrently, FIFA have jumped at the chance to make some extra cash with their four-week tournament in the USA, meaning games have clashed for the TV viewing public.

Crucially, though, it has drained talent from the Euros.

England lost both Jobe Bellingham and Liam Delap to the tournament days before leaving for Slovakia, Spain were unable to call up young Porto striker Samu, whilst PSG starlet Joao Neves - who played for Portugal during the qualification stage - was in the US rather than Slovakia.

Young players not taking part in an age group tournament is nothing new. Lamine Yamal was never likely to take part this summer for Spain, given he is already a fully fledged member of the national team. Still though, the Club World Cup has not helped sides at the Euros with bringing their best squads to the tournament.

This will be felt harder in the future. FIFA have already floated the idea of making their new flagship product a bi-annual event as well as increasing the teams competing to 48. If that happens, the European Championships could start to really suffer.

Some players have chosen national ambitions over club; James McAtee, England’s captain in Slovakia, made the decision to play for Lee Carsley’s side rather than go to the US with Manchester City, something he says he has no regrets over.

This, though, was rare. Given his future at the Etihad Stadium looks bleak, a summer in Central Europe was the best thing to show his capabilities to any potential suitors. 

Players also have the opportunity to work with some of the best coaches its association has to offer. For the likes of Tino Livramento, three weeks with Ashley Cole is hard to put a price on.

National managers will also be keeping an eye on the tournament. If players can show they can perform under pressure a year out from a World Cup, it could be their golden ticket to further opportunities within the setup.

Pride and passion

Throughout Flashscore’s time in Slovakia, players and managers have spoken about how proud they are to represent their country.

There was talk of these moments being some of the best of their career, pulling on the shirt of their nation being the things they will cherish later in life. This passion, this patriotism, will never die. This, then, shows that age-group tournaments have their place with the players.

But, is that enough to keep these tournaments relevant?

The pathway into senior teams through these tournaments is well-trodden and will continue to produce players ready for experience at the next level.

Skipping age groups and going in at the deep end has, historically, always been part of the game. Lionel Messi only played at the Olympic Games for Argentina Under-23s; the rest of his international career has been spent at the senior level.

Maybe this isn’t the point of what makes this tournament still so important. Players will go through different journeys to make it to the top of their career, but for some, this level may be the highest they reach for their country.

That chase for glory, that brotherhood created within squads, the whirlwind of tournament football cannot be replicated at the club level. 

The Under-21 European Championship has stiff competition to find its place amongst football’s giants, but the purity of what it is will still create lasting memories, just like it did in Bratislava over the weekend. That will always be relevant.

AuthorFlashscore

Catch up on the U21 European Championship with Flashscore.