Four years is a hell of a long time in football, as some of Euro 2016’s biggest stars prove.
Here’s what some of Euro 2016’s biggest stars were doing back in 2012 – some weren’t even getting regular first team football in the lower league…
N’golo Kante:
Had only made his senior professional debut for Boulogne on 18 May 2012 – the team were relegated from the French second tier, and for latter half of 2012 Kante played his football in the French third tier.
Eric Dier:
Had just finished up a loan spell from Sporting to Everton (where he played for their Under 18 team), and was still yet to even make his debut for the Sporting B team.
He later made his debut for the Sporting B team in August 2012.
Will Grigg:
Grigg was playing for Walsall in League Two, scoring four goals in 29 appearances. He earned his first cap for Northern Ireland against Netherlands a few days before Euro 2012. Netherlands beat N. Ireland 6-0.
Graziano Pelle:
Was surplus to requirements at Serie A mid-table club Parma, so was loaned out to Italian second-tier side Sampdoria in January 2012, where he scored four goals in 16 appearances and helped them find their way back into Serie A.
Lorenzo Insigne:
Much like Pelle, Insigne was loaned from a Serie A side (Napoli) to a Serie B (Pescara) side in 2012. The Italian forward netted a whopping 28 goals for Pescara in Serie B, winning them promotion back to the top tier of Italian football.
Romelu Lukaku:
Had refused to hold the Champions League trophy when Chelsea won the competition at the end of the 2012 season because he didn’t “feel like a winner” after his lack of involvement throughout the year. Was later loaned to West Brom.
Kingsley Coman:
In 2012 Coman was the hottest prospect in the PSG youth academy. By February 2013 he had become the youngest person ever to play for the club, making his debut at the age of 16 years, eight months, and four days.
Paul Pogba:
He had recently made his debut for Manchester United, but during Euro 2012 (which he played no part in) Alex Ferguson let Pogba go from the club, and the Frenchman signed a contract with Juventus.
Anthony Martial:
Was yet to even make his professional debut for Lyon – his first senior club. But at the age of 16 he was already being mentored by Patrice Evra, who saw potential in the youngster and even lent him his boots for a match.
Aaron Ramsey:
Finally seemed to be getting back into the sort of form that saw him tipped as one of the future best players in the world before his broken leg in 2010. He had scored a crucial late minute goal against Marseille in the Champions League.
Gareth Bale:
Had just signed a new contract at Tottenham Hotspur – committing his future to the club until 2016.
He was still playing with the squad No.3, which he changed for the next season.
A lot can change in four years!
