Europe’s big domestic leagues are done and dusted and the Champions League and Europa Conference finals will be decided this week; and then we turn our attention to international matters…and cricket of course!
But in the world of football the UEFA Nations League is back next week and, at the semi-final stage we have two fantastic clashes to get stuck into, with Germany facing Portugal and Euro 2024 Champions Spain meeting France. There will be an array of top world stars on show for the nations who are all currently in the top ten of the World FIFA Rankings, Spain and France in second and third, and Portugal and Germany seventh and tenth.
With so many stars to choose from, we won’t all agree on the most influential five, but here are my SBOTOP picks for the men who can write the UEFA Nations League 2025 news headlines.
Florian Wirtz: Germany
Bayer Leverkusen’s22 years old attacking midfielder is one of the hottest properties in world football after starring in Die Werkself’s Bundesliga winning campaign in 2024. This year the title has gone back to Bayern Munich but Wirtz’ value has continued to skyrocket and he looks increasingly likely to move to English champions Liverpool after going cold on a switch to Munich. Wirtz is said to be impressed by the Reds’ ambition and strategy for success and he’ll be an asset to the Premier League if that’s where he ends up.
In the meantime, he’ll be keen to add to his six goals in 29 games for Germany and will look to dominate their clash with Portugal.
Bernardo Silva: Portugal
Manchester has been a great source of players for Portugal in recent years and, in the squad to complete the Nations League, there are four players from the northern English city. Fullback Diego Dalot and midfielder Bruno Fernandes are part of Manchester United’s core which reached the Europa Cup final while Ruben Dias sits at the heart of Manchester City’s defence. But my vote goes to the mercurial Silva who, at 30 years of age, is still one of the games most influential attacking midfielders as he showed as the Sky Blues completed their league campaign with a visit to Fulham.
At 30 years of age he is still in his prime and, alongside Fernandes, Silva is the man who can open up an opposition defence with a mazy run or an incisive pass.
Kylian Mbappe: France
France versus Spain is a game awash with superstars and none bigger than Real Madrid’s Mbappe who, at 26 years of age, arguably has his best years ahead of him and, with 48 goals in 88 appearances, that is quite a thought. His electrifying pace and lethal finishing can turn a game in seconds and he has finished his first La Liga campaign as top scorer with 31 goals from 34 games for Los Blancos, putting him four ahead of the prolific Robert Lewandowski. Mbappe finished the season with a brace in Los Blancos’ 2-0 win over Real Sociedad and will be ready to fire when Les Bleus meet La Roja.
Pedri: Spain
Barcelona fans will tell you one of the biggest factors in the Blaugrana’s title-winning campaign was the return from injury of 22-year-old midfield ace Pedri. With 32 caps already, he is a figure of authority and is the all round midfield general, with exceptional dribbling and passing abilities, a creative eye and a willingness to do defensive duties. He often plays in a free-roaming role in midfield and that allows Pedri to dictate play on his own terms; and when that happens, his club or country invariably wins.
Lamine Yamal: Spain
La Roja are the highest ranked nation in the competition and the UEFA Nations League 2025 betting odds back Spain as the favourites, so I’ve picked a second Spanish player to make up my five, and that is the 17-year-old sensation Yamal. It’s quite unbelievable that the young winger is yet to reach his 18th birthday, though he is less than a month away, as Yamal has made 73 appearances, often alongside Pedri, for the Blaugrana, scoring 14 goals; and he has 19 caps for La Roja, scoring four goals.
Yamal is the top assist maker in La Liga this season with 13 to add to his nine goals, four ahead of his team-mate Raphinha, and he has the eye for a spectacular goal, curling in a beauty in the Euro 2024 semi-final win over France, so Les Bleus know what to expect when they meet again next week.
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