EURO 2008
Firstly hats off to the stylish Spanish who brought a breath of fresh air to a major Championships and fully deserved to win on the big stage for the first time since 1964.
While striker Fernando Torres of Liverpool was the hero last night in the final against Germany Spain boast an entire squad of gifted players who for
once all pulled in the one direction for the benefit of their country.Today the 28 year old Barcelona midfielder Xavi (pictured right) was voted player of the tournament though I have to say I disagree with UEFA's panel on that decision.
Certainly he played a major role in Spain's return to the big time and his goal against Russia opened the floodgates for his side but at least two of his fellow countrymen stood out for me.
Here are the other Getminted contenders for EURO 2008 player of the tournament:
1. Cesc Fabregas (Spain)
The Arsenal Captain is a rare breed in modern day football as a wonderfully talented player who is also a team player. While he was exclusively used as an impact sub by Spanish manager Luis Aragones the gaffer finally saw sense and started the Gunner for the final. His contribution was crucial and he played his part in depriving Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings consistent possession. Fabregas was also fantastic in the semi-final against the then high-flying Russians setting up two of Spain's three goals. Aged just 21 this midfield playmaker will grace many more tournaments before his career ends and after a wonderful Euro Championships his impact on the World Cup in South Africa (should Spain qualify) could be massive.
2. Marcos Senna (Spain)
For me this was the player of the Euro 2008 Championships though many arm chair viewers may not have even noticed him. The 31 year old Brazilian who was only granted Spanish citizenship in 2006 was simply rock-like from start to finish in these Championships. Sitting just in front of the defenders he resembled the likes of Roy Keane in the hole and kept running until the bitter end in last night's final. Its hardly suprising that Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was interested in signing Senna two seasons ago. Now at Villareal he's shown just how important it is to have someone so strong, so assured and so calm on the big stage.
3. Lukas Podolski (Germany)
After Germany's first game in this year's Euros the name on everyone's lips was that of 23 year old Lukas Podolski. The Bayern Munich hitman fired two past Artur Boruc between the Polish posts to hand Germany the perfect start. Intriguingly though Podolski was born in the Industrial city of Gliwice in Poland and most of his family still lives there. Against Croatia the deceptively tall striker was on target again though his side ended up on the losing side. Ironically though his finest contribution of the tournament came in the quarter final against the fancied Portuguese. After a spell of pressure from Ronaldo and company Podolski picked up the ball on the left wing and left his marker for dust as he approached the end line before he swept in a superb cross which his club mate Sebastien Schweinsteiger crashed home.
4. Wesley Sneijder (The Netherlands)
With one eye on being crowned European Champions Marco Van Basten's Holland famously crashed out of this year's tournament at the hands of Russia. It was a sad night for a team brimming with confidence and class but how many times have we said that about the Dutch in the past? One man who may feel particularly hard done by is Real Madrid's Wesley Snejder who had a fine run of games for the men in Orange. In the 3-0 win over World Champions Italy Sneijder scored a cracking goal to break Italian hearts and confirm that Holland were serious contenders to get back the trophy they last won in 1988. He was up to his tricks again in the 4-1 demolition of the French netting from well outside the box with one of the goals of the tournament.
5. Michael Ballack (Germany)
You get the feeling that nothing was going to stop the Chelsea midfielder playing in last night's final so vital is he to Germany's cause.It's amazing that with one of the weakest defences in the competition Germany could still make it all the way to the final but it's fair to say that without Ballack they would have been back over the border alot earlier. This may have been the 31 year old's last European Championships but when the pain of losing such a major final takes a back seat he can look back with pride. Sadly though for Ballack his record in finals is a poor one. He now has a Euro Final losers medal to add to his loser's medals from the World Cup final of 2002 and the Champions League finals of 2002 and 2008. The highlight of Ballack's tournament came in the Group stages against Austria when the big man's thunderous free almost broke the back of the host's net. A giant of a performer he contribution to these games was surely as significant as Xavis and many more besides.
this was a really good euro cup, unlike the world cup where the Euro teams played very defensively