CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN
Major tournaments usually reveal a rising star: The 20-year-old Enzo Scifo for Belgium and Michael Laudrup for Denmark in 1986.
Laudrup was 21 when he shone in Mexico, the same age as Christian Eriksen is now. His silky skill and quick-thinking brain has drawn comparisons to Laudrup, and Eriksen is seen as the future of Danish football.
However, being pitted in a qualifying group with Italy and the Czech Republic meant Denmark was always going to drop points, and it failed to make the playoffs as one of the best second-place teams.
Eriksen will never know if he could have emulated Laudrup.
