No place for big stars
Europe’s biggest football party is on and while it is an open invitation, not everyone managed to make it as some national teams failed to secure their party tickets.
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Even for the national teams that managed to make it to the 2016 European Championship to be hosted by France, not all their big stars or players who shone for them in the past are going, simply because they have been sidelined by injury, or just excluded by their coaches.
The likes of Vincent Kompany (Belgium), Karim Benzema (France), Diego Costa, Fernando Torres, Juan Mata and Santi Carzola, Italy's Mario Balotelli, Germany's Marco Reus and Mamadou Sakho are a few of the well-known names who will be missing in action at the France tournament.
Through the power of television, it has been easy to pick and follow the big stars and their exploits for their clubs.
Benzema's exclusion from the France sqaud is more of controversial reasons rather than lack of form.
The Real Madrid striker was last November questioned by police in connection with an alleged blackmail attempt against France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape reportedly showing Valbuena and his partner.
Not ready to toe event that left the Les Bleus exiting their 2010 World Cup campaign with humiliation and controversy, Deschamps believed the best for his side was to do without any and thus left out the Champions League winning star, as well as Valbuena from the team.
Reus was handed a cruel exit as his 27th birthday last Tuesday was climaxed with the news that he was not going to France with the 2014 World Cup champions.
Although he has struggled with injuries recently, Reus still played 43 games for Borussia Dortmund this season and netted 23 goals.
Perhaps, his inability to fully recover from a groin injury cost him a place in Joachim Low's team.
The darling boy and standout star of Italy's Azzurris in the past, not just for his talent and skill, but inarguably being the odd one out, Mario Balotelli has no place on the Azzurri bus.
After propelling Italy to the final of Euro 2012, Balotelli has been left out completely from this year’s squad after scoring just one goal in 20 appearances during his loan move to AC Milan. Since the arrival of Antonio Conte in 2014, Balotelli has only been called up to the Italy squad once.
It’s obvious that Conte, who will be heading to Chelsea as the new manager in the new season, is not completely taken in by the entire buzz around Balotelli.
Kompany would have wished to help the Belgians repeat their 2014 World Cup exploits in France, but alas, his injury woes won't let him.
His omission from the Belgian squad only reflected his injury-plaqued season at Manchester City and it remains to be seen how the Belgians will fare without their stalwart defender.
The absence of Spain's quartet is just an indication of how coach Vicente Del Bosque is spoilt for choice when it comes to skill and talent. With such an overflow of talent in the team, some stars would have to be sacrifed and the axe unfortunately fell on Torres, Mata, Costa and Carzola, all of who had a topsy-turvy season with their respective clubs.