Euro 2012: 10 European Stars Who Didn't Qualify for the Tournament

In five days, many of Europe's best footballers will take refuge in Poland and Ukraine to partake in Euro 2012. This championship will showcase some brilliant footballers and many of the best playing styles from the continent that created the beautiful game.

But Euro 2012 will showcase just 16 nations. Though the field will be expanded to 24 states in 2016, there are plenty of brilliant footballers that will not showcase their talents in eastern Europe.

There are some obvious cases such as Belgium and Serbia where this is obvious. But there are also smaller nations such as Switzerland and Slovakia where their premier stars won't play among Europe's best.

Not appearing in the European championships has not affected every star, with players like Eden Hazard already completing transfers this summer. But there will plenty of other players that wish they could face giants such as Germany and Spain and possibly defeat them.

Many of these players can consider themselves among the best players in the world. Here are ten of those players who will be missing from Europe's biggest international football party.

Hamit Altıntop

Nation: Turkey

Club: Real Madrid

Hamit Altıntop may no longer be the star that he once was, but he is still one of the best Turkish players from this past decade.

Altıntop was named to the Team of the Tournament for Euro 2008 after he registered three assists in Turkey's stunning 3-2 win over the Czech Republic, along with a goal during a penalty shootout against Croatia in the quarterfinals.

Now with Real Madrid, Altıntop no longer finds himself as a starter like he was with Schalke and Bayern Munich when he played in Germany. But Altıntop is still capable of showing brilliance, like he did in this 2010 qualifying match against Kazakstan

Xherdan Shaqiri

Nation: Switzerland

Club: Bayern Munich

There are plenty of reasons to like Xherdan Shaqiri. He is only 20 years old, has performed well with FC Basel against the likes of Manchester United and can easily be one of the greatest footballers in Swiss history.

Shaqiri made an appearance in the 2010 World Cup as a 18-year-old, making him one of the youngest players to participate in the tournament.

This summer, Shaqiri will complete a move to Bayern Munich, where he should see some steady playing time, though Arjen Robben will probably start over the Swiss winger.

In future tournaments, Shaqiri will start for a Swiss side that is on the rise. But for now, he will have to watch the tournament like the rest of us.

Thomas Vermaelen

Nation: Belgium

Club: Arsenal

A defensive rock with Arsenal, Thomas Vermaelen has made a reputation of being a goalscoring defender who is among the best Belgian defenders of his generation.

Vermaelen has served as a captain for Belgium and will an important member of the Belgian side that will probably qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

Following the European Championships, Vermaelen will be a part of an Arsenal squad that is looking for their first trophy since 2006.

Jan Vertonghen

Nation: Belgium

Club: Ajax

Another young Belgian that is poised for stardom, Jan Vertonghen was named the 2012 Dutch Footballer of the Year. Vertonghen possesses some great attacking skills, especially for a player that is a defender.

Vertonghen is currently the captain of Ajax, but that looks like it will change rather soon. Currently, the defender is close to finalizing a move to Tottenham Hotspur, which will be a great move for both sides involved.

This transfer could be one of the best moves of the summer because Vertonghen's price drops by not participating in a major international tournament.

Neven Subotić

Nation: Serbia

Club: Borussia Dortmund

One of the top defenders in Germany, Neven Subotic is a part of the rising Borussia Dortmund side that contains many players that will star in Europe for years to come. Subotic's play was all too important this past season for the German champions, who only conceded 25 goals.

Subotic was a part of Serbia's 2010 World Cup squad, helping them in a 1-0 victory over Germany.

Though he still has a ways to go before he is an elite-level defender, Subotic is a passionate player who will only continue to get better.

Edin Dzeko

Nation: Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Club: Manchester City

The ninth highest goalscorer in the Premier League this past season, it appears that Edin Dzeko could move to Bayern Munich this summer.

Dzeko has been known for being a gifted goalscorer, but his career at Man City has not worked out in the way that it previously had when the striker played at VfL Wolfsburg.

In the last two rounds of qualification, Dzeko scored 14 goals for Bosnia & Herzegovina, but in both instances, Portugal eliminated the Balkan nation in a play-off.

Marek Hamšík

Nation: Slovakia

Club: Napoli

One of the three young stars that are the future of Napoli, Marek HamŠík was unable to lead Slovakia into their first European Championship.

That isn't to say that Slovakia's captain has not achieved international success before. In 2010, HamŠík got Slovakia into the round of 16 after defeating Italy to finish second in their group.

With time, HamŠík has only gotten better. He certainly will be viewed as one of the top midfielders in Europe for years to come.

Eden Hazard

Nation: Belgium

Club: Chelsea

Eden Hazard is viewed as one of the top talents in Europe and it is hard to argue against that point considering his fantastic campaign that he had with Lille.

Last season, Hazard finished first in Ligue 1 with 16 assists. He averaged an assist every 200 minutes, which was the second lowest total per assist in the entire league. Hazard also scored 20 goals, the second most in the French top flight.

Hazard will showcase his talents with Chelsea next season and attempt to ensure that Belgium will qualify for their first tournament since the 2002 World Cup.

Vincent Kompany

Nation: Belgium

Club: Manchester City

The captain of Manchester City and ranked among the top defenders in Europe, Vincent Kompany unfortunately will not get to continue his strong season in the coming weeks.

Kompany has been the captain of Belgium since the end of 2011 and his leadership will be critical with a golden generation of Belgian talent now coming through the national team's ranks.

Considering what he has done for Man City, it isn't far-fetched that Kompany will lead Belgium to some of their best results in any international tournament.

Nemanja Vidic

Nation: Serbia

Club: Manchester United

Though he did miss most of last season due to a horrific knee injury, Nemanja Vidic is still arguably the best defender in the world.

Vidic has been part of four Premier League-winning sides with Manchester United, along with a Champions League title. Vidic was also the captain of United before he suffered that knee injury.

Even though Vidic is currently retired from the international game, he could easily return to play for Serbia during the upcoming 2014 World Cup qualifiers. 

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