Euro 2020 has certainly lived up to the hype and been one of the most captivating international tournaments of the century. We have seen outstanding individual and team performances, shocking upsets, penalty shootouts and lots more.
Plenty of players have stood up for their respective nations under the biggest stage, and here is our Man’s Life Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament.
GK: Yann Sommer (Switzerland)
Yann Sommer was the standout goalkeeper of Euro 2020, and the 32-year-old made the most saves (22) in the entire tournament. Sommer took Switzerland to the last eight with his save off Kylian Mbappe’s spot-kick in the shootout before putting in one of the best performances of the tournament against Spain in the quarter-finals, making ten saves to take the game to penalties.
RB: Joakim Maehle (Denmark)
Although Joakim Maehle played most of the tournament at left-back, the Danish defender has played at right-back for both club and country and is incredibly deserving of a place in our team of the tournament. Maehle is only one of two outfield players for Denmark to have played every minute of the Championships, and the wing-back has scored two goals and bagged one assist for Denmark at Euro 2020.
CB: Aymeric Laporte (Italy)
Aymeric Laporte was drafted into the Spain squad just weeks before the tournament, and the centre-back has assumed the senior role in the Spanish backline in the absence of Sergio Ramos. In terms of playing the ball out from the back, Laporte has been head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. The Manchester City defender has completed the most progressive carries and most progressive passes in the tournament and is only behind Spanish team-mate Pedri for passes into the final third.
CB: Harry Maguire (England)
While Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane have taken all the headlines for England, the glue that has held the team together in the knockout stages has been Harry Maguire. England have been the best defensive team at the tournament – conceding only once in 6 games – and Maguire’s presence at the back has been one of the key factors in their run to the final. The Manchester United centre-back scored the crucial 2nd goal in the quarter-final against Ukraine, and his leadership and ball-carrying abilities have been invaluable to Gareth Southgate and England at Euro 2020.
LB: Leonardo Spinazzola (Italy)
Leonardo Spinazzola was one of the surprise packages this summer and proved to be a crucial part of Italy’s run to the final. Spinazzola’s driving runs from left-back provided a crucial outlet to the Azzurri, and the AS Roma defender registered two assists and produced 17 shot-creating actions (the two-offensive actions leading to a shot) throughout the tournament.
CM: Paul Pogba (France)
Paul Pogba is one of the contenders for the player of the tournament and reminded the world of his abilities with his stunning performances for France. Paired with the more defensively minded Kante, Pogba was given the freedom to attack and roam forwards and the Frenchman finished with the most through-balls in the competition. Pogba’s luxurious passing range was on show throughout the tournament, and the Manchester United midfielder also scored one of the goals of Euro 2020 – a stunning 30-yard curler straight into the top corner in the last 16.
CM: Jorginho (Italy)
Jorginho has been one of the unsung heroes for Italy at Euro 2020, dictating the tempo of their play both with and without the ball. The Chelsea midfielder has made the most progressive passes in the Italy squad (30) and has also completed 391 of his 416 attempted passes in the tournament with a pass completion percentage of 94%.
CM: Pedri (Spain)
In Pedri, Spain have finally found the true heir to Xavi and Andres Iniesta’s throne, and the 18-year-old wonderkid has been THE young player of the tournament. Pedri played virtually every minute of Spain’s run to the semi-finals and was the conductor of their midfield orchestra. The Barcelona midfielder finished the tournament with the most shot-creating actions (27) and showed a level of maturity that is unheard of for someone of his age.
RW: Emil Forsberg (Sweden)
Emil Forsberg had an outstanding summer for Sweden and narrowly edges out his RB Leipzig team-mate Dani Olmo and Lorenzo Insigne for a spot in our team of the tournament. Forsberg carried the hopes of Sweden in the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and scored four goals in four games at Euro 2020 which helped them top their group and reach the knockout stages.
ST: Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
Despite scoring one goal fewer than Patrik Schick and Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku finds a place in our team of the tournament thanks to his outstanding all-round play up front for Belgium. Lukaku scored 4 goals at Euro 2020 and was unplayable at times in the competition with his immense pace and power.
LW: Raheem Sterling (England)
Raheem Sterling is currently the leading candidate for the player of the tournament and has been electric for the Three Lions. The Manchester City forward has four goals and assists in the competition, and opposing defences are unable to cope with his pace and movement. Sterling played a part in both England’s goals in the semi-final against Denmark and has continuously provided the cutting edge in clutch situations at Euro 2020.
[Image Credit: UEFA EURO 2020]
Shivaan Shah