On March 17th, UEFA made the disappointing, yet necessary, decision to postpone Euro 2020 until next summer. Let’s take a look at who stands to benefit from this turn of events, and who is losing out.
England
England is in an advantageous position for Euro 2021. The captain, Harry Kane, is currently attempting to recover from an injured hamstring. If Euro 2020 was to proceed as scheduled, he would have been at risk of reinjury. However, this postponement means that he has plenty of time to rest up and finish healing. England is also waiting on two more players to recover: Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling.
Domestic Football
Since the Euro 2020 has been postponed, this allows additional time for the domestic football season to be completed. The games will have to take place behind closed doors, but at least it won’t have to be voided ¾ of the way through the season. Perhaps this will be the advantage that some teams need to return to the Premier League. For instance, Leeds could stand to gain from this turn of events.
Europe’s Young Stars
The still-green players across Europe will have an extra year to garner additional experience and improve their statistics. One such promising athlete is Erling Braut Håland, a 19-year-old Norwegian pro whose career began in 2016. He is already showing incredible potential; just imagine how well he will play after one more year of practice!
Who’s At a Disadvantage?
Cristiano Ronaldo
This may seem surprising to some of you. After all, Ronaldo is almost superhuman when it comes to his football skills. Some, in fact, regard him to be one of the best players in existence. However, he is well past the prime age of the average football player. By the time Euro 2021 comes around, he will be 36 years old. Seeing how most pro players peak at around 25-26, many people predict Ronaldo’s skill and speed will begin to decline. This seems to be the likely outcome, but it’s entirely possible that Ronaldo could defy odds again, just as he did four years ago.
Regardless of whether Ronaldo is still up to the task next year, we know that his chances of victory would have been stronger this year. In the sports world, age is often a factor in one’s performance.
Women’s Football
Women’s football grew by leaps and bounds throughout the 2019 World Cup; the league set all sorts of records in terms of attendance, viewing, and general buzz. However, now that the men’s Euros has been set back a year, it could potentially clash with the women’s cup. Sports media may choose to focus on the men’s Euro 2021 rather than the women’s 2021 World Cup come next summer.
Belgium
Belgium’s star players are all phasing out of their prime playing age. Several of the players were already going to be in their early 30’s if the Euro 2020 had proceeded. Now, similarly to Ronaldo, they will be a year older for the postponed tournament and in a more vulnerable position. Since this will happen to multiple players, Belgium is certainly at a disadvantage.
