Who are the youngest players participating in EURO 2021 this summer, and who are the oldest? At Betting.com we have taken a closer look at the 20 players of both ends of the age spectrum ahead of this year’s big football event.
We will also have a look at the average age of the squads sent by each nation to this year’s European Championship. Let’s dive straight into it!
The 20 youngest players in EURO 2020/2021:
- Kacper Kozłowski, Poland, 17 years old. Born 16 October 2003
- Jude Bellingham, England, 17 years old. Born: 29 June 2003
- Jamal Musiala, Germany, 18 years old. Born 26 February 2003
- Pedri, Spanin, 18 years old. Born: 25 November 2002
- Heorhiy Sudakov, Ukraine, 18 years old. Born: 1 September 2002
- Illya Zabarnyi, Ukraine, 18 years old. Born: 1 September 2002
- Adam Hložek, Czech Republic, 18 years old. Born: 25 July 2002
- Nuno Mendes, Portugal, 18 years old. Born: 19 June 2002
- Tomáš Suslov, Slovakia, 19 years old. Born: 7 June 2002
- Jérémy Doku, Belgium, 19 years old. Born 27 May 2002
- Ryan Gravenberch, Netherlands, 19 years old. Born 16 May 2002
- Rubin Colwill, Wales, 19 years old. Born: 27 April 2002
- Joško Gvardiol, Croatia 19 years old. Born 23 January 2002
- Bećir Omeragić, Switzerland, 19 years old. Born: 20 January 2002
- Maksim Mukhin, Russia, 19 years old. Born: 4 November 2001
- Nathan Patterson, Scotland, 19 years old. Born: 16 October 2001
- Bukayo Saka, England, 19 years old. Born 5 September 2001
- Anatoliy Trubin, Ukraine, 19 years old. Born: 1 August 2001
- Jurriën Timber, Netherlands, 19 years old. Born: 17 June 2001
- Billy Gilmour, Scotland, 19 years old. Born: 11 June 2001
Ahead of the EURO 2020/2021 kickoff there are 20 players who have not yet turned 20. The youngest player in the championship will not be England’s Jude Bellingham, believe it or not. Instead that title will go to Poland’s Kacper Kozłowski, from the domestic club, Pogon Szczecin. He is about 4 months younger than Bellingham, and was born on the 16th of October 2003.
Ukraine tops this list with three players below the 20 line, and that also includes the youngest goalkeeper in EURO 2020/2021 – Anatoliy Trubin was born on the 1st of August in 2001. If he gets any playtime is questionable, but just being selected that young as a goalkeeper is certainly a feat by itself.
The fact that players born in the 2000s are becoming more common in the national teams can be seen clearly in the selections entering EURO 2020/2021. In total we can find 38 players born on the other side of the millennium, and for EURO 2024 we can expect this number to reach about half of all participants. Also of course worth noting that most of these players are not going to be vital parts of their teams, but instead they will be joining to see and learn this summer.
Speaking of players who could get a chance to start, we don’t expect the youngest of them all, Kacper Kozłowski, to get the confidence from Paulo Sousa just yet. With just two caps under his belt previously it’s very unlikely we will see any playtime for the youngest player in EURO 2020/2021. However, number two in the form of Jade Bellingham, has good chances to see playtime in a packed English squad. The 17-year old belonging to Borussia Dortmund got to play a full 90 minutes in a friendly against Austria in June, and chances are good for a few minutes here and there this summer for the talented youngster.
Among other players under 20 we can find Germany’s Jamal Musiala as one of the most interesting names. Together with Bellingham the Bayern Munich player is considered the most talented player in the championship. The 17-year old Musiala played some youth national games for England, but has finally decided to play for the German team. While he might not see play this summer, we can surely expect Musiala to be a leading player for his team in the future.
The 20 oldest players in EURO 2020/2021:
- Maarten Stekelenburg, Netherlands, 38 years old. Born: 22 September 1982
- Craig Gordon, Scotland, 38 years old. Born: 31 December 1982
- Pepe, Portugal, 38 years old. Born: 26 February 1983
- Goran Pandev, North Macedonia, 37 years old. Born: 27 July 1983
- Yuri Zhirkov, Russia, 37 years old. Born: 20 August 1983
- José Fonte, Portugal, 37 years old. Born: 22 December 1983
- Andriy Pyatov, Ukraine, 36 years old. Born: 28 June 1984
- Giorgio Chiellini, Italy, 36 years old. Born: 14 August 1984
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, 36 years old. Born: 5 February 1985
- David Marshall, Scotland, 36 years old. Born: 5 March 1985
- Steve Mandanda, France, 36 years old. Born: 28 March 1995
- Andreas Granqvist, Sweden, 36 years old. Born 16 April 1985
- Łukasz Fabiański, Poland, 36 years old. Born: 18 April 1985
- Dušan Kuciak, Slovakia, 36 years old. Born: 21 May 1985
- Sebastian Larsson, Sweden, 36 years old. Born: 6 June 1985
- Burak Yılmaz, Turkey, 35 years old. Born: 15 July 1985
- Luka Modrić, Croatia, 35 years old. Born: 9 September 1985
- Tomáš Hubočan, Slovakia, 35 years old. Born: 17 September 1985
- Andreas Ulmer, Austria, 35 years old. Born: 30 October 1985
- Thomas Vermaelen, Belgium, 35 years old. Born: 14 November 1985
Several of the oldest players are vital parts of their team’s in EURO 2020/2021, and quite a few are even captains like for example Goran Pandev, Giorgio Chiellini, Sebastian Larsson, Burak Yılmaz and Luka Modrić.
The oldest player in EURO 2020/2021 will be the Netherlands goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg, who with his 38 years is a few months older than Craig Gordon, Scotland. What they have in common, other than their age, is that they are both goalkeepers. This trend is also a common occurrence in the list of oldest players overall, as several goalkeepers make the list. Not surprising really, considering that the men between the posts usually keep a high quality longer than players in other positions.
Out of the 20 players in this list, a whole six are occupied by goalkeepers. Only two players are forwards: Goran Pandev and Burak Yilmaz. The latter is in the form of his life however and will definitely be a vital ingredient if Turkey is to succeed this summer. He is currently playing for Lille in the French Ligue 1, and he has been one of the main reasons they managed to upset PSG and win the league. With 16 goals and 6 assists during the season, Yilmaz sure doesn’t seem to be slowing down despite his age.
Oldest & Youngest in EURO 2020/2021 – Team by Team
Group A:
The Italian captain, Giorgio Chiellini, with his 36 years of age will more than likely play in his last EURO championship. In Group A he is the oldest player ahead of the mentioned Burak Yilmaz, who has reached 35. This is the list of oldest and youngest players in Group A of EURO 2020/2021:
Italy:
- Oldest Player: Giorgio Chiellini, 36 years old
- Youngest Player: Giacomo Raspadori, 21 years old
Switzerland:
- Oldest Player: Yann Sommer, 32 years old
- Youngest Player: Bećir Omeragir, 19 years old
Turkey:
- Oldest Player: Burak Yılmaz, 35 years old
- Youngest Player: Rıdvan Yılmaz, 20 years old
Wales:
- Oldest Player: Wayne Hennessey, 34 years old
- Youngest Player: Rubin Colwill, 19 years old
Group B:
In Group B the oldest player is the Russian Yuri Zhirkov with his 37 years of age. With over 100 caps on his record he isn’t just the oldest of the squad, but also the one with most experience to bring into the tournament. The youngest player in Group B of EURO 2020/2021 is Jérémy Doku, playing for Belgium. The 19-year old from Rennes is not expected to get a spot in the team, but a few minutes here and there could happen.
Belgium:
- Oldest Player: Thomas Vermaelen, 35 years old
- Youngest Player: Jérémy Doku, 19 years old
Denmark:
- Oldest Player: Kasper Schmeichel, 34 years old
- Youngest Player: Mikkel Damsgaard, 20 years old
Finland:
- Oldest Player: Tim Sparv, 34 years old
- Youngest Player: Onni Valakari, 21 years old
Russia:
- Oldest Player: Yuri Zhirkov, 37 years old
- Youngest Player: Maksim Mukhin, 19 years old
Group C:
In Group C we find the oldest player in EURO 2020/2021: Maarten Stekelenburg, 38 years old. The goalkeeper is one year older than North Macedonia’s national hero, Goran Pandev, at 37. The youngest players are the Ukranian duo of Illya Zabarnyi & Heorhiy Sudakov, who amazingly enough are born on the same day. Both players turn 19 on the 1st of September.
The Netherlands:
- Oldest Player: Maarten Stekelenburg, 38 years old
- Youngest Player: Ryan Gravenberch, 19 years old
North Macedonia:
- Oldest Player: Goran Pandev, 37 years old
- Youngest Player: Darko Churlinov, 20 years old
Ukraine:
- Oldest Player: Andriy Pyatov, 36 years old
- Youngest Player: Illya Zabarnyi & Heorhiy Sudakov, 18 years old
Austria:
- Oldest Player: Andreas Ulmer, 35 years old
- Youngest Player: Christoph Baumgartner, 21 years old
Group D:
England’s Jude Bellingham is clearly the youngest player in Group D with his 17 years of age. In fact, the talent could become the youngest player to play in EURO history. The oldest player of this group is Scotland’s goalkeeper, David Marshall, at 36.
England:
- Oldest Player: Kyle Walker, 31 years old
- Youngest Player: Jude Bellingham, 17 years old
Croatia:
- Oldest Player: Luka Modrić, 35 years old
- Youngest Player: Joško Gvardiol, 19 years old
Scotland:
- Oldest Player: David Marshall, 36 years old
- Youngest Player: Nathan Patterson, 19 years old
Czech Republic:
- Oldest Player: Tomáš Vaclík, 32 years old
- Youngest Player: Adam Hložek, 18 years old
Group E:
Group E is a close story for the oldest player award. Three teams have players who have turned 36, but the oldest of the bunch would be Sweden’s Andreas Granqvist. The youngest player of the group is the Polish Kacper Kozlowski, who is also the youngest of the whole championship this summer.
Poland:
- Oldest Player: Łukasz Fabiański, 36 years old
- Youngest Player: Kacper Kozłowski, 17 years old
Slovakia:
- Oldest Player: Dušan Kuciak, 36 years old
- Youngest Player: Tomáš Suslov, 19 years old
Spain:
- Oldest Player: Sergio Busquets, 32 years old
- Youngest Player: Pedri, 19 years old
Sweden:
- Oldest Player: Andreas Granqvist, 36 years old
- Youngest Player: Dejan Kulusevski, 20 years old
Group F:
In the Group of Death the oldest player is Steven Mandanda with his 36 years of age, also a goalkeeper. However it’s not likely that the French national will see any playtime this summer. The youngest player in Group F is the mentioned Jamal Musaila, who is looking for playtime in the stacked German squad.
France:
- Oldest Player: Steve Mandanda, 36 years old
- Youngest Player: Kylian Mbappé, 22 years old
Portugal:
- Oldest Player: Pepe, 38 years old
- Youngest Player: Nuno Mendes, 18 years old
Germany:
- Oldest Player: Manuel Neuer, 35 years old
- Youngest Player: Jamal Musiala, 18 years old
Hungary:
- Oldest Player: Ádám Bogdán, 33 years old
- Youngest Player: Szabolcs Schön, 20 years old
If we look at the biggest age gap in one team, then Spain and Hungary have the smallest with 13 years of difference between youngest and oldest. The “winner” is Portugal, where the age gap between Pepe and Nuno Mendes is a crazy 20 years.
Teams Average Age in EURO 2020/2021
While it’s interesting to look at the youngest and oldest players in EURO 2020/2021, a statistic that might be more telling is the average age of the squads. This is the list of each team and their respective average age:
- Belgium: 29,2 years old
- Sweden: 29,2 years old
- Slovakia: 28,2 years old
- Hungary: 28,1 years old
- Finland: 28.0 years old
- France: 27,9
- Portugal: 27,9 years old
- Austria: 27,9 years old
- Russia: 27,9 years old
- Italy: 27,8 years old
- Croatia: 27,8 years old
- Denmark: 27,7 years old
- Germany: 27,6 years old
- North Macedonia: 27,6 years old
- Czech Republic: 27,4 years old
- Scotland: 27,3 years old
- The Netherlands: 27,2 years old
- Poland: 27,1 years old
- Switzerland: 27,0 years old
- Spain: 26,5 years old
- Ukraine: 26,4 years old
- Wales: 25,6 years old
- England: 25,4 years old
- Turkey: 25,0 years old
Oldest & Youngest Players in EURO History
Who has been the youngest and oldest players in EURO throughout history? This question is often asked before it’s time to kick off the championship. We got the answers for you.
The youngest player to ever play in the EUROs is Jetro Willems for the Netherlands in EURO 2012. When he made his EURO debut he was 18 years and 71 days old. This means that two players could beat this record the upcoming summer: Kacper Kozłowski, Poland and Jude Bellingham, England. Most things point towards Bellingham being able to give us a new record, as him not playing at all would be a surprise. However, Kozlowski could without a doubt get a chance too, and if he does, then the record is his no matter what.
For the category of oldest player in a EURO match we find the Hungarian goalkeeper, Gábor Király, who was 40 years and 86 days old as he played in the round of 16 of EURO 2016. While he might be known for this fact, it’s also his choice of pants that sticks out for most people. We already know that this record won’t get beat in 2021, and realistically not for quite some time to come.