There's nothing quite like an international football tournament to get the juices flowing. Summers without football can often leave one feeling unfulfilled, but luckily for us this summer brings us the 2016 European Championships, hosted by France.
There are so many questions heading into this competition which will all be answered in due course. Who will be the top scorer of the tournament? Who will be the next star to break out on the international stage? Who are this year's dark horses? It's undoubtedly an exciting time for football lovers everywhere, and with that in mind, here is a Ones to Watch Euro special to wet your appetite even further.
Nation to Watch
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Portugal
Portugal were once a force on the international stage, boasting the likes of Luis Figo, Deco and Rui Costa. Their last World Cup campaign ended miserably, after failing to progress from the group stages. However, the Portuguese always seem to perform admirably at the Euros. Since 1996, Portugal have at least reached the quarter finals of each tournament, finishing as runners up in 2004 and semi-finalists in 2012.
Portugal fans have every right to feel optimistic about their team's chances; in addition to their European record they also have a very promising batch of young players all blossoming at the same time. The likes of William Carvalho, Raphael Guerreiro, Andre Gomes and Bayern Munich's newly acquired starlet Renato Sanches, have all made massive strides in development in recent seasons. Add that to the world class abilities of Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Moutinho, and that's quite an interesting proposition.
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It would perhaps be a stretch to call Portugal a dark horse of the competition, but for a team not massively fancied to win it, they could conceivably go all the way.
Manager to Watch
Marc Wilmots
A new feature on Ones to Watch, fewer managers will be under more pressure to deliver than Belgium gaffer Marc Wilmots. There has been talk of a golden generation emerging for Belgium and it's easy to see why, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Yannick Carrasco, Romelu Lukaku and Axel Witsel are all players at Wilmots' disposal this summer.
Admittedly this has been the case for a while, but it hasn't quite clicked for Belgium yet for one reason or another. This year's tournament is one the Belgians are expected to perform well at, after all, they have the players. Can Wilmots create a system to get the best out of them?
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Players to Watch
Paul Pogba (France)
There's not a great deal that can be said about Pogba that hasn't already. But here's a few things you may or may not have heard about the Frenchman; he's a future Ballon d'Or winner, he's the complete midfielder, he's arguably the best free transfer in the history of the game.
Paul Pogba is simply a player you love to watch play the game. Whether he's splitting defences with an eye of the needle through ball, or launching one in the top corner from 30 yards, Pogba on song is an absolute joy to behold. He, like the rest of the French team, has the opportunity to do it in front of a home crowd at this year's Euros, expect Pogba to take centre stage.
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Jack Wilshere (England)
The Arsenal midfielder is a controversial pick to say the least. It can be argued that Wilshere shouldn't even be a part of the England squad for the Euros, but England boss Roy Hodgson has taken him at the expense of other midfielders such as Mark Noble and Danny Drinkwater, both of whom have a solid case for inclusion.
Wilshere has divided opinion amongst England fans, but his talent is undeniable. After featuring in just three Premier League games last season, only one of which he started, eyes will be on Wilshere to justify Hodgson's decision.
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Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Turkey)
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu is technically gifted and a real dead ball specialist. His free kick taking ability has been compared to the legendary Brazilian Juninho Pernambucano, that comparison alone makes him a player to keep an eye out for. Çalhanoğlu, who is only 22 years of age, already has six goals in nineteen caps for Turkey, he could very well add to that in the coming weeks.
Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
Poland surprised many with the ease in which they qualified for this summer's Euros. Poland finished second in Group D, a solitary point behind world champions Germany. Central to Poland's qualification were the goals from Lewandowski, who struck a remarkable 13 times. In the process drawing level with Northern Ireland's David Healy for most number of goals scored in a single European Championship qualifying campaign.
The 27 year old will be required to step up to the mark once more for his nation. After a sensational season for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, in which he scored 30 league goals, Lewandowski could fire Poland into an unlikely position, he's certainly capable.
Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden)
"I came like a king, left like a legend." Sweden talisman Zlatan Ibrahimović has never been short of confidence, why would he be? His record speaks for itself; the man has scored some outrageous goals. His final season for Paris Saint-Germain culminated in him being Ligue 1 top goalscorer, with a staggering 38 goals.
Sweden aren't expected to do much at the Euros, but with Ibrahimović in their team, anything is possible. In a season where Leicester were crowned Premier League champions, we'd be foolish to rule out another ultimate underdog story. Will Ibrahimović #DareToZlatan in France? He could quite possibly, in his own words he's "just warming up."
Euro 2016 Predictions:
Overachievers: Austria
Underachievers: Italy
Top scorer: Thomas Müller
Player of the Tournament: Antoine Griezmann
Words by Teejay Wedderburn
Topics: Euro 2016