The European Championships are done and dusted and know once the dust has settled it’s time to reflect on a tournament where 142 goals were scored across 51 matches spread over 11 cities.
Italy was crowned as the champions after a 3-2 victory on penalties against England in the final at Wembley Stadium. The match ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time after goals from England’s Luke Shaw and Italy’s Leonardo Bonucci.
Picking a team of the tournament is never an easy task especially if numerous players excel at one position in the duration of the tournament.
This team of tournament XI will feature 4 England players, 5 Italian players, one Dutch player as well as one player from the Czech Republic.
I have also chosen a bench made up of 7 players to complement the starting line-up.
The formation I am using for this line-up is 4-2-2-2.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
The Italian keeper had a stellar tournament and made numerous crucial saves to keep his side in the tournament. His penalty heroics in the final also helped his side take their second European crown. At 22 he has a bright career ahead of him.
RB: Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands)
Denzel Dumfries was one of the outstanding players in an average Dutch team who bowed out in the round of 16 at the European Championships. Dumfries was electric on the right-hand side of the park also contributing goals whilst staying solid in defence.
CB: Leonardi Bonucci (Italy)
Bonnuci formed a solid brick wall in defence with Italian captain and Juventus centre-back partner, Giorgio Chiellini for the duration of the tournament. Their combined 70 years of experience was invaluable to the Azzuri and showcased that solid defending is an artform.
CB: Giorgio Chiellini (Italy)
Chiellini captain his team to glory at Euro 2020 – with a constant smile on his face. He really enjoyed being in the thick of the action and was proud to lead his team to victory. He had a superb tournament and has aged like a fine wine.
LB: Luke Shaw (England)
Luke Shaw will always look bac at Euro 2020 as the tournament where he made is mark on world football. He has always had the talent, but injuries and bad luck has hampered him – now even with a rib injury he managed to assist a couple of goals as well as score in the final. Has established himself as England’s first choice left-back.
CM: Declan Rice (England)
Rice was one of the underrate players at Euro 2020, but without him England would not have dominated the middle of the park that often. Rice was dynamic in partnership with Kalvin Phillips and their hard work created opportunities for Sterling and Kane in the tournament.
CM: Jorginho (Italy)
Mr. Cool, calm and collected. Jorginho’s penalty against Spain in the semi-final with a hop, skip and jump perfectly encapsules his nature. He pulled the strings in the midfield and created numerous chances for his team-mates, whilst being solid in defence.
RW: Federico Chiesa (Italy)
A revelation at Euro 2020, with superb goals – one in the semi-final against Spain being the standout strike. His ability to keep possession and ball control during defensive pressure was also an important aspect of his game. Gave defenders nightmares, throughout the tournament.
LW: Raheem Sterling (England)
Sterling was not a certainty to start in the England line-up but his goals in the group stage and against Germany kept his country in the championships. One of the most dangerous players in the wing during the tournament – with his pace and trickery resulting in numerous chances.
ST: Harry Kane (England)
England’s captain fantastic took some time to get into the swing of things in the group phase of the competition, but he showed his class when it mattered most during the knockout stages. His goals against Germany, Ukraine and Denmark were invaluable as well as his leadership, vision, and creative ability on the ball.
ST: Patrik Schik (Czech Republic)
Shick will always be remembered for his wonder goal against Scotland that was named as the goal of the tournament at the European Championships. Schik bagged 5 goals during the tournament and his accuracy and deadly finishing took the Czech Republic to a quarter-final spot.
Substitutes:
GK: Jordan Pickford (England)
The England keeper silenced his doubters with 5 clean sheets during the tournament, only conceding in the final and semi-final. His work rate was solid, and he proved that he has what it takes to wear the number 1 for England.
CB: Simon Kjaer (Denmark)
Simon Kjaer was a top defender for Denmark during a campaign filled with emotion due to Christian Eriksen’s collapse on the park in the first group match. He marshaled his troops effectively and was a true leader on the park.
LB: Leonardo Spinazzola (Italy)
Spinazzola could have easily made it into the starting XI, but an injury halted his tournament in the quarter-final against Belgium. His attacking prowess on the left was something to see, especially when he linked up with Lorenzo Insigne.
CM: Pedri (Spain)
Pedri is a phenomenon at only 18 years of age. The Barcelona youngster did not put a foot wrong at the Euro’s with insanely accurate passing and a tactical vision that belies his age. A passing accuracy of 92% just showcases his talent. One for the future.
LW: Lorenzo Insigne (Italy)
One of the trademark images of Euro 2020 is most certainly with cut back from Lorenzo Insigne before a shot gets fired into the top corner of the net from the left-hand side. An educated right foot and a superb center of gravity are just some of the trademarks that this attacking winger possesses.
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
A team of the tournament wouldn’t be complete without Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo scored 5 times for Portugal during the tournament, where they reached the last 16. They could not win the tournament like they did in 2016, but Ronaldo still had a great tournament scoring vital goals and creating numerous chances for team-mates.
CAM: Emil Forsberg (Sweden)
Emil Forsberg was the creative and attacking heartbeat of the Sweden team at Euro 2020 and hit 4 superb goals. He could’ve had more had he not hit the post twice in the round of 16 loss against Ukraine. Superb on the ball and a real nose for goal.
The Sport Escort 