This article originally featured on TheSPORTbible
As seems usual these days, Euro 2016 will be slightly marred by the absence of some truly great players. We might be getting to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic bow out of the international game, but injury, loss of form, sex-tape scandals and countries being inexplicably terrible have led to it being possible to make a team out of players who won't be there that would have a chance of winning the thing.
And it was hard whittling this list down, too - it's still missing the likes of Paco Alcacer, Andrea Pirlo, Mihail Antonio and of course Charlie Adam.
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See if you think they'd have a chance of competing with France and Germany...
Goalkeeper - Jasper Cillessen
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Well, it's either him or Rob Elliot. The Netherlands being utterly hopeless means that all of their players will be absent from the tournament, but when you realise how few of them would get into this side, you start to realise why that is. Nonetheless, Cillessen was the first choice keeper when the Dutch finished third in 2014, and has been solid enough for Ajax.
Right-back - Hector Bellerin
Arsenal might have had a season to forget, although they did finish second by having some model of vague consistency rather than the usual boom-bust cycle. Their two Spanish full-backs were both a part of their good form, and Bellerin's terrifying pace should complement the more cerebral game of his fellow absentee and compatriot Juan Mata down the right.
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Centre-back - Vincent Kompany (Captain)
It's been a weird career trajectory for Vincent Kompany. He's gone from being one of the greatest centre-backs in the world, to suddenly and inexplicably being terrible, to regaining his form but becoming a crock. He certainly needs the time off, but when he's at his best, there are few better at classic centre-half play than the big Belgian, who also brings his leadership abilities to the side.
Centre-back - Kurt Zouma
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One of the most worrying things for Chelsea fans after such a disastrous season is that there isn't even a tremendous amount to build on for when Antonio Conte arrives in West London. The side will need a serious overhaul, but one player who should be sticking around and in his manager's plans is Kurt Zouma, assuming he recovers from his injury. At just 21 years old, the Frenchman is a real star in the making, and in an era when great centre-backs are increasingly rare, an invaluable asset.
Centre-back - Nacho Monreal
Again, a good and consistent season like his opposite number at right-back, Nacho Monreal doesn't quite have the pace of Bellerin, but he's been solid ever since he came to North London, and gets in ahead of the more erratic Fabio Coentrao.
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Defensive midfield - Javi Martinez
Another player beginning to toil with injury problems, Javi Martinez can excel in defensive midfield or at centre-back with his superb positional abliities and willingness to get involved in the physical side of things when necessary. Combined with his cool, calm passing, he'll be as big a miss for Spain as he has been for Bayern Munich in recent seasons.
Central midfield - Marco Verratti
Verratti's absence from the Euros is a major blow to Italy, who are a lot lighter on genuine stars these days than they used to be. The wee Italian was an obviously ludicrously talented but flawed player when he joined Paris Saint-Germain, but he's improved the defensive side of his game immeasurably since then to make him a solid and dependable performer in midfield to go along with his superb playmaking abilities. He might resemble a cross between an owl and Sinead O'Connor, but he'd have a shout at starting for any team in the Euros at his best.
Central midfield - Christian Eriksen
Denmark were another big disappointment in the qualifying campaign for the Euros, and it'll be a shame not to see Eriksen, who was a vital cog in the Spurs machine that looked seriously great at periods before totally Spursing it, not get to make an appearance. Denmark have plenty of young talent, so his time will surely come, but he is arguably the most high-profile player whose country has failed to qualify.
Right forward - Juan Mata
Juan Mata had a decent season for Manchester United in spite of, rather than due to Louis van Gaal, but it hasn't been enough for the playmaker to find his way into the Spain squad. His usual good haul of assists and goals were matched by some of them being absolutely crucial to United's season not ending up even worse than it was. With Mourinho incoming at Old Trafford, he could well be on the move again soon. Can write the team's blog.
Centre forward - Karim Benzema
Benzema will be absent from Euro 2016 for controversial reasons, as Didier Deschamps and the FFF try to avoid a repeat of the in-fighting that has dogged France in recent tournaments. Although he's not been at his best for France previously, looking not quite good enough a finisher to make the difference, he's still a superb centre-forward in the right team and system, often doing the dirty work to allow the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale to shine for Real Madrid.
Left forward- Alexandre Lacazette
Linked to a big-money move to West Ham, Lacazette is the latest star to come out of Lyon, and this summer will probably be the one where a wealthier team decides to take a punt. With a bid of £31m rejected, he won't come cheap, but whoever ends up with the Frenchman will get pace, skill, and guaranteed goals.
Substitutes:
Mattia Perin
Ah, there is an alternative to Rob Elliot. Just the one Italy cap, but still better.
Ilkay Gundogan
Injured again after finally playing his way back into form since his last one. Another big loss.
Hatem Ben Arfa
Ben Arfa has finally been able to find a place where his talent can flourish with a simply outrageous season on the south coast of France. Expect a big-money move and a total loss of form and gain of waist size next season.
Virgil van Dijk
A fine debut season in the Premier League considering he occasionally looked suspect against the likes of Josh Magennis. The essential centre-back/emergency striker role.
Robert Huth
On the form of the season just gone, could you really say there were many better options? Also a danger from set-pieces and brings (now non-problematic) banter to the table.
Mark Noble
England's eventual crushing loss at Euro 2016 will probably not be averted by the inclusion of Mark Noble in the squad, but expect to hear that several times a day on TalkSPORT in the aftermath regardless. Still, at least it's not Joey Barton.
Diego Costa
Diego Costa's transformation from a hybrid of Didier Drogba and Ruud van Nistelrooy into a hybrid of Kevin Davies and another, slightly shitter Kevin Davies has been truly bizarre, but he's still a very, very good striker on his day, and perfect for bringing on to deliver a 20-minute spell of niggly fouls when nursing a narrow lead.
WORDS BY @Callum_TH