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This year’s Euros will see some players put themselves in the shop window for a big move, wither abroad to a foreign club, or within their own league to a more established team.
Some of the world’s best – and not so good players – have been signed following their displays for their national teams at the European Championships. In a four part series, Footie Central looks at some of those who arte best remembered.
Savo Milošević
The former Partizan Belgrade striker had already had one big money move behind him, joining Aston Villa for a club record fee of £3.5 million in 1995. However, in three seasons in England he became better known for his misses than his goals, and was sold to Zaragoza in Spain in 1998.
In 2000 though, playing for Yugoslavia, he scored five goals in their run to the quarter-finals of the tournament and finished as joint winner of the Golden Boot.
That persuaded Parma to buy him for €25 million (£21.4 million), but he only managed 9 goals in hs only season in Serie A, and soon returned to Zaragoza.
Karel Poborksy
Czech winger Karel Poborsky caught the public imagination with a brilliant lob in the Euro 96 quarter-final match against Portugal (12 years later it was voted the best individual goal in a European championship.
So impressed were Manchester United with him that it earned him a move to England from Slava Prague. Unfortunately, he was eclipsed by the rise of David Beckham, and he only lasted one and a half seasons at Old Trafford, scoring just five goals.
He left for Benfica, where he had a much better time of it, finding some of his best form.
John Jensen
Famously Denmark came off the beaches to win the competition In 1992. Having originally not qualified, they joined the competition as late replacements for Yugoslavia, who were suspended by UEFA because of outbreak of civil war there.
One of the stars of the team was central midfielder John Jensen, who scored a screamer in the fianl against Germany, convincing Arsenal to buy him in place of David Rocastle, who was sold to Leeds United.
Unfortunately, Arsenal fans hoping for a repeat of that goal were disappointed as fans of Danish football could have told them. He hardly ever scored, and, in 138 appearances for the Gunners, would find the net only once.
Jensen returned to Denmark after five seasons in England. He only managed 8 goals in the whole of his senior career.
Theo Zagorakis
In 2004, Greece produced one of the biggest surprises of all-time by winning the Euros, defying the odds, and exceeding the expectations of even their most passionate fans.
The captain of their side was midfielder Theo Zagarakis, who had played for Leicester between 1998 and 2000 but returned to Greek football after several average years in England.
By the time that the Euros came around he was approaching the veteran stage, but after he was named Player of the Tournament, he left his homeland once more for Italy and Bologna. He played regularly for them in his one season in Italy, but was released after the club was relegated and they could no longer afford his wages.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.