April 18, 2021 – potentially the darkest day in the history of football. Fans around the world browsed Twitter in shock at the news that a European Super League had been agreed.
12 of the self-appointed ‘biggest’ clubs in Europe broke away from the European Clubs Association, forming their own league.
In response, many of the game’s largest governing bodies threatened to ban all players from major tournaments. This includes their domestic leagues, the Champions League, and international competitions. Whether they’ll actually hold to their word is another matter.
Should UEFA actually follow through with this threat, it could have a seismic impact on this summer’s European Championships.
Here are what some of the squads could look like without European Super League players.
England
Gareth Southgate would lose a number of his top players. Captain and star man Harry Kane would be excluded, as would Jordan Henderson, Harry Maguire, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling.
If it’s any consolation, we’d get no more Eric Dier, and SURELY Southgate would have no more excuses not to play Jack Grealish?
Possible squad:
Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Sam Johnstone (West Brom);
Matty Cash (Aston Villa), James Tavernier (Rangers), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Conor Coady (Wolves), Michael Keane (Everton), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Matt Targett (Aston Villa), Aaron Cresswell (West Ham);
Declan Rice (West Ham), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), James Maddison (Leicester);
Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Patrick Bamford (Leeds), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) Harvey Barnes (Leicester).
Possible starting XI: Pickford; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Rice, Bellingham, Maddison; Sancho, Calvert-Lewin, Grealish.
Notable absentees: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Mason Mount.
France
France get the luxury of knowing that none of the clubs in Ligue 1 have signed up for the European Super League (yet). This will be a massive boost to them, allowing them to keep Kylian Mbappe in the squad.
From their World Cup-winning starting XI, four players would be allowed to stay.
Possible Squad:
Alphonse Areola (PSG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Mike Maignan (Lille);
Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), Leo Dubois (Lyon), Presnel Kimpembe (PSG), Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich), Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig/Bayern Munich), Jules Kounde (Sevilla), Lucas Digne (Everton), Jerome Roussillon (Wolfsburg);
Steven Nzonzi (Rennes), Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes), Houssem Aouar (Lyon), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich), Nabil Fekir (Real Betis);
Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Florian Thauvin (Marseille) Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonathan Ikone (Lille).
Possible starting XI: Areola; Pavard, Kimpembe, Hernandez, Digne; Camavinga, Aouar, Tolisso; Mbappe, Ben Yedder, Coman.
Notable absentees: Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Raphael Varane, Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele, Ferland Mendy.
Germany
Much like France, the German national team would benefit hugely from knowing that no Bundesliga clubs have agreed to the European Super League. In fact, out of every player to have been called up to Die Mannschaft in the last year, only seven play for ESL clubs.
This will give Joachim Low another excuse to ignore Thomas Muller again.
Possible squad:
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Kevin Trapp (Frankfurt), Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim);
Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), Thilo Kehrer (PSG), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen), Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Marcel Halstenberg (RB Leipzig), Robin Gosens (Atalanta);
Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Monchengladbach), Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Julian Draxler (PSG), Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Dortmund);
Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Amin Younes (Napoli), Luca Waldschmidt (Benfica), Kevin Volland (Monaco), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich).
Possible starting XI: Neuer; Klostermann, Sule, Tah, Gosens; Kimmich, Goretzka, Neuhaus; Sane, Volland, Gnabry.
Notable absentees: Toni Kroos, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ilkay Gundogan, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner.
Spain
There would be huge trouble for Luis Enrique, given that a large chunk of his squad play for La Liga’s elite clubs. The captain, vice-captain and third captain would all be gone, for example, and several other top players.
Possible squad:
Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Sanchez (Brighton), Pau Lopez (Roma);
Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Diego Llorente (Leeds), Inigo Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Raul Albiol (Villarreal), Marc Bartra (Real Betis), Jose Gaya (Valencia), Marc Cucurella (Getafe);
Asier Illarramendi (Real Sociedad), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Jose Campana (Levante), Fabian Ruiz (Napoli), Sergio Canales (Real Betis), Luis Alberto (Napoli);
Adama Traore (Wolves), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad).
Possible starting XI: Simon; Navas, Martinez, Torres, Gaya; Merino, Ruiz, Canales; G Moreno, Rodrigo, Oyarzabal.
Notable Absentees: Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, David de Gea, Sergio Busquets, Thiago Alcantara, Koke, Saul Niguez, Alvaro Morata, Marcos Llorente, Rodri, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Sergi Roberto, Marco Asensio, Isco, Ansu Fati, Sergio Reguilon, Dani Carvajal.
Italy
With Serie A’s last three title winners all agreeing to the European Super League, there could be consequences for the Italian national team. Clubs like Napoli and Atalanta would be relied on to provide for the Azzurri.
Possible squad:
Salvatore Sirigu (Torino), Alex Meret (Napoli), Alessio Cragno (Cagliari);
Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Manuel Lazzari (Lazio), Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Gian Marco Ferrari (Sassuolo), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina);
Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Marco Verratti (PSG), Nicolo Zaniolo (Roma), Rolando Mandragora (Torino);
Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Andrea Belotti (Torino), Moise Kean (Everton), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma).
Possible starting XI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Acerbi, Toloi, Mancini, Spinazzola; Locatelli, Verratti, Pellegrini; Immobile, Insigne.
Notable absentees: Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Jorginho, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nicolo Barella, Stefano Sensi, Federico Chiesa, Federico Bernardeschi.
Other notable absentees
Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Diogo Jota.
Belgium: Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Toby Alderweireld, Yannick Carrasco.
Netherlands: Frenkie de Jong, Georginio Wijnaldum, Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek, Stefan de Vrij, Steven Bergwijn.
Wales: Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey.
Denmark: Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Croatia: Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Ante Rebic.
Scotland: Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney.
Sweden: Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Read also: The European Super League drama and what it means for football.
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