A neutral view of Euro 2020 - Lucas Moura

Born and raised in Sao Paulo, 35 caps for Brazil - nevertheless, Lucas Moura’s eyes will be fixed on Euro 2020 over the next month.

The tournament kicks-off this evening when Italy take on Turkey in Rome.

Approaching eight years in Europe after initially moving from Sao Paulo to PSG, and now over three years and 157 appearances for us, including his never-to-be-forgotten Champions League semi-final hat-trick against Ajax, Lucas is well aware of a tournament seen second only to the World Cup.

“The Euros are amazing to watch,” said Lucas, who weighed in with another 50 appearances for us in 2020/21. “Big teams, big players... it’s difficult to say who I will support, but I love football and it doesn’t matter what the game is, I love to watch. We have a lot of players in their national teams playing in this competition and that is good for the Club as well.”

Lucas was a member of Brazil’s squad for South America’s version of the Euros, the Copa America, in 2011.

How did he see the obvious comparison between the tournaments? “It’s very, very different, because we cannot compare the structure that we have here in Europe to the structure that we have in South America," he explained.

“In South America, we have a lot of quality players, but as everyone knows, here in Europe is the best of the football in the world - amazing stadiums, amazing players and, of course, if we speak about financial points, here is the best level in football.

“In Brazil, we have a lot of players who play here in Europe, but the Euros is different - it’s like a World Cup but without Brazil, Argentina and some of the good national teams in South America, but especially Brazil and Argentina.”

So, the big question. Who does Lucas think will win? “For me, the favourites are France, Belgium and England, but we all know that once you get on the pitch, favouritism doesn’t matter,” he added. “There are a lot of teams capable of winning it. I will just enjoy watching it all!”