The Polish national team could not compete with the giants in the Euro 2024 tournament, exiting early after finishing last in Group D, which included Austria, France, and the Netherlands. Poland was the only team from the group to be eliminated, while the other three advanced to the round of 16, with the Netherlands progressing after earning 4 points, qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams. Interestingly, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski was unable to lead his team past the obstacles of this group, particularly after missing the first match against the Netherlands, where he remained on the bench throughout.
In the second round, Lewandowski was on the field for half an hour against Austria, but could not prevent his team's 1-3 loss. After playing the entire match against France, Lewandowski scored a penalty during the draw with the French team.
Lewandowski's international career began in 2008, but he has not achieved any significant success with the Polish team, which is not among the European elite, leading many to categorize him among the stars who have been disadvantaged by their nationalities. Poland has not surpassed the group stage in most major tournaments during Lewandowski's international career, except for Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup. Nevertheless, Lewandowski remains one of the top historical scorers on the international stage, having netted 82 goals and assisted 33 others over 151 matches.
Ryan Giggs, the British and Manchester United football legend, also faced issues due to his Welsh nationality, which did not contribute much to his footballing career. Despite his historic achievements with Manchester United, he could not replicate any of that success with the Welsh national team, ending his international career without any accolades.
Giggs's international journey began in 1991 and ended in 2007, during which he scored 12 goals and provided 7 assists in 64 matches but failed to lead Wales to any major tournaments.
Zlatan Ibrahimović has represented Sweden at the international level for over 20 years, yet he has not won any significant titles. He has scored 62 goals and assisted 25 for the Swedish national team, but this has not been enough for any meaningful achievements at the continental or global levels. In the European Championship, Sweden, with Ibrahimović, only reached the knockout stages once, in 2004, before bowing out in the quarter-finals to the Netherlands. At the World Cup, he participated in 2002 and 2006, but Sweden exited in the round of 16 on both occasions and was not present during the team’s quarter-final run in 2018.
Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard are the latest victims of the list of players underserved due to their nationalities, as they wear the colors of the Norwegian national team. Haaland's international journey began in 2019, but he has yet to participate in any major tournament. Despite scoring 31 goals and providing 3 assists, Norway has failed to qualify for the World Cup or the European Championship since Haaland's debut.
The same applies to Ødegaard, who is experiencing the same struggle as Haaland, although he began his international career five years earlier. The 25-year-old has only scored 3 goals and made 11 assists with Norway, all coming in qualifiers, friendlies, and the UEFA Nations League.
