Heading into Euro 2024, there was much speculation surrounding the performance of players who had transferred to the Saudi Pro League (SPL). Concerns were raised about the level of competition and intensity in the league, leading to doubts about how these players would fare at the tournament. Notably, players like Cristiano Ronaldo, N'Golo Kanté, and Georginio Wijnaldum were closely scrutinized for their performances.
As the tournament unfolded, it became evident that the SPL players had varying degrees of success. Cristiano Ronaldo, despite playing a significant amount, struggled to find the back of the net and underperformed in terms of expected goals. Scotland's Hendry faced challenges in a struggling team, while Milinkovic-Savic's strong start fizzled out quickly.
Brozovic, a stalwart in Croatia's midfield, had a tough time as his team crashed out in the group stage. Mitrovic, who had raised concerns about the SPL, failed to make a significant impact on the field. Kvirkvelia played a role in Georgia's historic tournament appearance, while Neves and Wijnaldum had limited playing time for Portugal and the Netherlands, respectively.
Romania's Dragusin and Stanciu made notable contributions, with Stanciu scoring a memorable goal. Turkey's Demiral stood out with a stellar performance against Austria but was later banned from the quarterfinal due to a controversial celebration. Kanté's tournament started strong but saw a decline in later stages, while Laporte emerged as a standout performer for Spain, showcasing consistency throughout.
Overall, the performance of SPL players at Euro 2024 highlighted a trend of strong starts followed by varying degrees of decline. Laporte stood out as the most consistent performer, culminating in Spain's triumph at the tournament. The small sample size of 14 players emphasizes the unpredictable nature of knockout competitions, where individual performances can fluctuate significantly.
