C. Ronaldo, Pepe, Toni Kroos said goodbye in the quarter-finals while Luka Modric and Lewandowski stopped right in the group stage of Euro 2024.

After the first two quarter-final matches on the night of June 5 and the early morning of July 6, football fans had to say goodbye to five veteran names. Euro 2024 is also their last major tournament. The oldest of these is center-back Pepe after Portugal lost 3-5 to France in the penalty shootout. He is the ‘oldest’ player to compete not only in Euro 2024 but in the history of the Euro finals. After the match ended, Pepe cried on the shoulder of his close teammate C. Ronaldo. The center-back born in 1983 showed that age is just a number when he played the entire 120 minutes with precise tackles and solid defense.

Portuguese superstar C. Ronaldo holds the record for most goals, most assists and also the most Euro finals appearances. In the win over Slovenia in the round of 16, C. Ronaldo experienced many emotions from crying to smiling, but he calmly accepted the loss to France this morning. Legendary CR7 bid farewell to Euro 2024 and also the last Euro of his career in an incomplete way when he stopped in the quarter-finals and for the first time failed to score a goal in a major tournament.

Before Euro 2024 began, German midfielder Toni Kroos announced his retirement and said his home tournament would be the last. After Germany lost to Spain in the first quarter-final last night, the flamboyant midfielder officially ended a nearly 20-year glorious career that included three Bundesliga titles, four La Liga titles and six Champions League titles. He won the 2014 World Cup with his country.

‘This will probably be my last international match,’ Kroos’ Germany teammate Thomas Muller shared in tears after Germany lost to Spain. Having spent his entire career with Bayern Munich, the striker born in 1989 has won 12 Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues. For Germany, Muller scored 45 goals in 131 appearances, won the 2014 World Cup and was the top scorer at the 2010 World Cup.

At the age of 38, Euro 2024 is also the last tournament for German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. He has played 124 matches for the national team, is a legend of Bayern Munich and the German national team. Twice voted Germany’s best player, Neuer is famous as a ‘sweeper’ goalkeeper with good footwork and a stable mentality.

Croatia’s famous midfielder Luka Modric said goodbye to Euro 2024 in the group stage in a cruel way. He and his teammates only had two points after two matches were equalized in extra time. Speaking after the 1-1 draw with Italy in the final round of the group stage, Modric said ‘football is cruel’. The famous player born in 1985 won the Golden Ball 2018 and contributed greatly to Croatia’s runner-up position at the 2018 World Cup and third place at the 2022 World Cup.

Poland were eliminated from Euro 2024 after losing their first two matches, forcing captain Robert Lewandowski, who had not fully recovered from his injury, to leave the tournament early. The legendary Polish player born in 1988 has won the FIFA The Best award for best player of the year twice, the Best Striker of the Year twice and the European Golden Shoe twice.