With Euro 2024 now reaching the knockout phase, the tournament has provided its fair share of thrills from some of the continent's biggest stars.
However, for all the star names gracing the pitches across Germany, this break in proceedings is a chance to remember those who are not in action. That might be because their respective country didn't qualify or, if it did, then they missed out through injury or simply due to the fact that they weren't selected.
The list of absentees include some of the biggest stars in the Premier League and several players who, if things had gone a little differently, could have been part of the squads for tournament heavyweights like England and Germany .
Many have eased the anguish of not being at the Euros by finding other ways to stay occupied over the summer. And, after a hectic and demanding club campaign, it's no surprise that they are enjoying luxurious holidays and getaways before another gruelling preseason begins.
Thankfully for us, those players can't help but share their vacations through posts on social media for us all to enjoy, use as inspiration for future vacations or have to light up our timelines just a little as we doomscroll.
With Norway failing to qualify for Euro 2024, Haaland has had to make do with spending his summer on vacation in Europe instead. The Manchester City striker, who ended the season with a Premier League winners' medal and the Golden Boot award for the second year in a row, has shared photos of his voyage which included a jet-skiing excursion in St Tropez and a luxury yacht trip along the idyllic Italian coast with friend and international teammate Erik Botheim .
In much the same vein, Haaland's fellow Norway star Ødegaard has been holidaying with his partner in a picturesque town by the harbour. The Arsenal captain shared a few choice snaps of him exploring the local streets, swimming in the ocean and darting about town in his hire car.
After missing out on a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad through injury, Maguire instead opted for a family break in Turkey. Nevertheless, the centre-back made sure to cheer the Three Lions on from afar accompanied by his children, both of whom were wearing replica shirts with their father's name and number on the back.
However, Maguire's Manchester United teammate Marcus Rashford , who was also not selected for England, posted after his team's FA Cup final win last month that he planned to " come off socials for a few weeks " so hasn't been sharing any details of his summer break.
Another England veteran to have missed the cut, Sterling flew out to the Caribbean for some rest and relaxation in Jamaica, where he was born and spent his early years. The Chelsea forward, who scored three goals for England at the last Euros, spent time chilling by the pool and even enjoyed a casual kickabout on the lawn with his kids.
Omitted from England's Euro 2024 squad after playing only a bit-part role in Man City's season, Grealish didn't hang around before jetting off for a post-season break in Dubai. He then travelled to Sardinia for a brief jaunt before dropping in at Juventus ' training facilities for a spot of warm-weather conditioning. As if to prove just how dedicated he is to maintaining his fitness, Grealish has since revealed that he cut his summer vacation short in order to return to his club's Etihad Campus and get a head start on pre-season training.
White is not in Germany after requesting that he not be considered for international selection by Southgate earlier in the year. To be honest, the Three Lions looked to be the last thing on the Arsenal defender's mind as he gazed out to sea from beneath a parasol on his tropical summer getaway.
Snubbed by Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann despite helping Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League final, Hummels instead whisked himself away to Ibiza in a bid to leave football far behind him for a while. After being spotted partying in Ibiza, the 35-year-old defender shared a raft of holiday snaps on social media which revealed he has been entertaining himself by playing basketball, lounging around poolside, hanging at the beach and even enjoying a cheeky ice cream.
A hamstring tear suffered in the latter stages of the Champions League was enough to rule Gnabry out of representing host nation Germany at Euro 2024. The Bayern Munich forward has consoled himself with a trip to Colombia, where he appears to have had a go at horse-riding and bubble football, among other things.
Another Germany international to have missed out taking part at a home tournament, Werner is instead in Rome where he did the tourist bit by visiting the Colosseum and Vatican City before finding himself a nice, quiet spot to play on his phone for a while.
Courtois sat out the majority of the 2023-24 season with multiple knee injuries, before returning to play in Real Madrid 's Champions League final victory, but the goalkeeper ultimately missed out on a place in Belgium 's Euro 2024 squad due to a falling out with coach Dominic Tedesco. Rather than wallow, Courtois has been spending the summer frolicking on a private yacht off the coast of Sardinia, soaking up the sunshine with his wife, Mishel.
De Roon saw his season curtailed by an injury that robbed him of the chance of playing in the Europa League final with Atalanta and then Euro 2024 with Netherlands . So instead of limbering up to represent his country, the affable midfielder found himself loading up and ferrying his family's inflatables down to the beach.
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