Euro 2024: Team of the tournament

These players stood out with their performances at Euro 2024.

After 51 matches played by 24 different teams across 10 cities, four weeks, 4650 minutes of action, countless sleepless nights and infinite emotions, Euro 2024 concluded with Spain clinching their fourth title, the most by any team, after defeating England in the final.

This edition of the Euros saw a lot of thrilling encounters and upsets. While some of the greatest football icons in the world bid adieu and played their last Euro, many debutants grabbed a lot of eyeballs—some teenagers, some dark-horses and some surprise packages. Euro 2024 witnessed underdogs pulling off the biggest upsets in the competition and nail-biting finishes, often accompanied by penalty shootouts.

As we draw the curtains on Euro 2024, the time has finally come to take a close look at the standout players at this competition who have been inducted into our elite playing XI, etched in golden letters in the Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia)

Georgian custodian Giorgi Mamardashvili was unarguably the best goalkeeper at the tournament. He played a crucial role in propelling the Crusaders into the knockout rounds after being drawn in a competitive group alongside Turkey, Czechia and Euro 2016 winners Portugal. He made the most saves in the competition, with 29 saves from four matches.

Mamardashvili unleashed his inner beast against Portugal in a must-win fixture, managing to get a clean-sheet against a team that boasts some of the best goalscorers in the world, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota, Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes. His heroics led Georgia into the Round of 16 at their first major international tournament.

Right-Back: Joshua Kimmich (Germany)

The hosts, Germany, may have still not recovered from that 119th-minute goal from Mikel Merino, but Joshua Kimmich gave them a lot of reasons to be proud of their valorous fight. The Bayern Munich right-back played every single minute for Julian Nagelsmann’s side in the competition, while also maintaining a high passing accuracy of 91.4% and covering an average distance of over 11km every single match.

Kimmich’s impressive performances saw the hosts topping their group and getting the better of Denmark in their Round of 16 fixture. He also provided two important assists and his pace on the right flank posed a major threat to opposition defenders, as he easily made those dangerous overlapping runs.

Also read: UEFA Euro 2024: List of all award winners

Centre-Back: Marc Guehi (England)

Amidst speculation over England’s best defender at the previous Euro edition, Harry Maguire’s inclusion in the main squad, Gareth Southgate gave his nod to Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi to complement John Stones in the centre-back position. Guehi, who had made fewer than 20 appearances for the English side before the start of the tournament, stood out as their best defender in the competition. He was a rock-solid presence for the English side, keeping clean-sheets against Serbia and Slovenia in their group fixtures.

Former English custodian Joe Hart heaped praise on Guehi, describing him as “exceptional and England’s standout performer.”

Centre-Back: Jaka Bijol (Slovenia)

The 6 feet 3-inch towering presence of Jaka Bijol saw Slovenia qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time in the country’s history. He fought tooth and nail to ensure that his side registered clean-sheets against two of the best attacking teams in the competition—England and Portugal. He attempted the most clearances (42) in the competition.

The clean-sheet against the Three Lions saw them advance to the Round of 16, where they faced formidable opponents in the form of Portugal. His heroics saw Slovenia hold Roberto Martínez’s men goalless for 120 minutes before going down on penalties, bringing an end to their most successful Euro campaign.

Also read: Top five players who may get big-money moves after impressing at Euro 2024

Left-Back: Marc Cucurella (Spain)

The 25-year-old Spanish left-back redeemed himself at Euro 2024 as one of the best defenders at the competition. His stellar display of football saw La Roja create history by reaching the Euro final after winning every single one of their previous six encounters. Cucurella, who had featured in fewer than 10 matches for La Roja previously, instantly became a Spanish sensation after his heroics propelled España into the final, in pursuit of their fourth Euro title.

Catalonian-born, Spanish sensation Marc Cucurella can make those quick overlapping runs on the left flank. He clocked an average speed of 32 km/h every single match and also possessed a high passing accuracy of 91.2%. He never shies away from putting in extra miles on the pitch, as his energetic gameplay makes him cover an average of 8.5 kilometers per match.

Central Midfielder: Rodri (Spain)

If you are wondering why so many Spanish footballers are featuring in our elite list, it is because of the quality of football the four-time European champions exhibited, which took the continent by storm. Rodri, the Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024, had a high passing accuracy of 92.8% and covered an average of 11 kilometers every single match.

The Manchester City midfielder completed over 411 passes and scored for España in their Round of 16 clash against Georgia in Cologne. He was the guiding force in the middle of the park throughout the competition and was instrumental in Spain’s dominance at Euro 2024.

Central Midfielder: Fabian Ruiz (Spain)

The inclusion of Fabian Ruiz in this elite list over Declan Rice and Ngolo Kante was a no-brainer, as the midfield maestro was one of the standout performers at the competition. At the heart of Luis de la Fuente’s swashbuckling Spanish team, Ruiz thrived, producing moments of brilliance on the pitch.

Ruiz averaged 4.6 progressive passes per 90 minutes, the second most of any Spanish player in the competition, leaving him just behind centre-back Aymeric Laporte. The Spanish poster-boy also contributed two goals and two assists for his side.

Right Winger: Lamine Yamal (Spain)

Well, the list of Spanish internationals doesn’t seem to end soon, as we present to you the Best Young Player at Euro 2024. Lamine Yamal’s equalizer against France in the semi-finals after going a goal down, will forever be etched in the hearts of La Roja loyalists. Born to a Moroccan father and Guinean mother, the 17-year-old was the standout player for España in this competition.

Apart from that sensational goal, he also contributed the most assists, four, in the tournament. All we can say is—remember the name, Lamine Yamal.

Central Attacking Midfielder: Dani Olmo (Spain)

Dani Olmo, another Spaniard. We promise you, he is the last Spanish player to be included in our Team of the Tournament. One of Luis De La Fuente’s most trusted generals, Olmo was key to Spain’s attacking dominance. The attacking midfielder, who was chosen in this lineup over English poster-boy Jude Bellingham, created havoc with his excellent supply of the ball to the wings and the forward.

This attacking prowess saw Spain net 15 goals—the most by any team in the competition, with three of them scored by Olmo himself.

Left Winger: Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)

Cody Gakpo, one of the joint-highest goalscorers at Euro 2024, netted three goals for the Oranje and contributed one assist. The Dutch sensation was a livewire on the left flank for Holland, who went on to reach the semi-finals, before going down to England via a 90th-minute strike from Ollie Watkins.

Gakpo also has one assist to his name and played a crucial part in Holland’s voyage to the semi-finals after smashing group-toppers Romania 3-0 in the Round of 16 and beating Turkey 2-1. The 25-year-old, who plays for Liverpool, was a pleasure to watch for fans all across the globe in this competition.

Striker: Harry Kane (England)

It is never easy to be Harry Kane. There has hardly been any tournament where Kane has not won the Golden Boot. From the Premier League, Euros to the Bundesliga, Kane has single-handedly carried his teams by scoring the most goals. But, it was never about individual laurels, rather team victories, which he has been very much denied after England went down in the final—not once, but twice at two consecutive editions in 2020 and 2024.

Kane struck for the Three Lions at the most crucial moments. After that goal against Denmark, he scored a goal against Slovakia to propel his side into the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals against Holland, after Xavi Simons gave the Dutch an early lead, it was Kane who netted an all-important penalty to equalize.

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