5 world class players who first impressed at the U-21 European Championship

2) Mesut Ozil – Germany

Mesut Ozil won the U-21 Euros in 2009 with Germany

Although he was eligible to play for Turkey, Ozil chose to wear the Germany shirt when he started his international career with the U-17 national team in 2006. He was so good that he was quickly fast-tracked to the U-21 team in 2007 – he was only 19 at the time.

The 2009 U-21 Euros was where he made his mark and it made the continent sit up and take notice. He was already exceeding expectations at Werder Bremen but his performances in the Euros, especially in the final, soon saw him become one of Europe’s most coveted players.

While Neuer impressed between the sticks, Ozil was busy running things in midfield. And, boy, did he run that midfield! The final saw Ozil come into his own as he made the English team run around in circles. Germany won 4-0 after previously drawing 1-1 with the same side in the group stages.

Ozil was one of the goalscorers and he even took home the Man of the Match award for his performance in the final. A year later, he impressed at the 2010 World Cup and earned a move to Real Madrid.