After almost a month of intriguing action, the 2024 European Championship has ended with Spain crowned as champions.
As always, several players were impressive on the big stage. Here are a few of the very best:
🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal (RW, 2007)
Lamine Yamal was the breakout star of the tournament as he smashed a whole host of records and nailed down a starting spot on Spain’s right-wing well before his 17th birthday.
The Barcelona starlet showcased his already exceptional attacking qualities by troubling opposition defences in multiple ways.
He is a dangerous dribbler with good skill and quick direction changes and he can cut inside and shoot or whip in a wicked ball into the box with his left foot.
Lamine Yamal’s link-up play with his teammates and off-ball movement was also quietly impressive helping him register a tournament-high four assists.
After helping Spain become the latest European champions, we are guaranteed to see a lot more of Yamal in years to come.
🇪🇸 Fabián Ruiz (CM, 1996)
Rodri was named the Player of the Tournament, but he owes much of his success to his midfield partner Fabián Ruiz.
Opponents were naturally wary of the Manchester City midfielder’s quality on the ball, so many sides opted to try and mark him out of the match.
At such times, Fabián’s ability to drop back and support the build-up proved invaluable for Spain as they could continue their possession play without any hiccups.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder did much more than that, as he also got forward and posed a significant threat in the final third when Spain faced staunch defensive blocks.
He returned with two goals and as many assists from the tournament, placing him joint-third at the tournament in terms of goal involvements.
🏴 Bukayo Saka (RW, 2001)
England had several off-days in attack at the Euros, but the one constant bright spark in their side was Bukayo Saka.
The Arsenal winger consistently posed a threat on the right, even if the only support he got was in the shape of passes to his feet.
His 14 successful take-ons place him among the top five players in the tournament by that metric. He may only have registered two goal involvements, but they were both crucial as the first was an assist for the sole goal in England’s only group stage win and the other was the late equaliser against Switzerland.
Saka’s dynamic dribbling and ability to go either way kept all opposition full-backs on their toes, ensuring England posed at least some attacking threat at all times.
He could almost certainly have done better with better support from a full-back, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, but his performances were quite impressive.
🇵🇹 Vitinha (CM, 2000)
Portugal had a somewhat underwhelming tournament as they failed to score in each of their last three games and exited at the quarter-final stage.
There were clear problems with their attack, with Cristiano Ronaldo past his best, but they largely seemed a pretty solid team.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha was the star of the show in the middle of the park as he was given the freedom to drift around and get the ball forward.
He averaged eight passes into the final third per 90 minutes while maintaining a very high completion rate of 91 percent. He also moved well with the ball, completing over 65 carries per game.
The 24-year-old former Porto man showed the best of his on-ball qualities, which PSG fans should be familiar with by now.
🇩🇪 Jamal Musiala (LW/AM, 2003)
Germany will have been disappointed not to go the way, but they certainly put together some solid performances and could bow out with their heads held high.
Jamal Musiala was one of the key figures in the side and should remain so for many years to come. Starting on the left of their attack, he was asked to drift inside and effectively operate as a number 10, which is his favoured role.
The Bayern Munich starlet showcased his exceptional close control between the lines after moving into the right areas to receive incisive passes.
His slaloming dribbles got the better of a fair few defenders, and he capped it all off with three well-taken goals.
Stats courtesy Transfermarkt, and Opta via Fbref and FotMob.
