The overall list of Euro 2008's best players reflects exactly what UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh said after the 2004 tournament: "the team is based on the tournament and not on reputation." Heading into the tournament, it would have been a wise choice to select Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo or Germany's Michael Ballack as probable Players of the Tournament, but as the tournament progressed they were overshadowed by emerging talents such as Croatia's Luka Modric and Russia's Roman Pavlyuchenko in their respective positions. If a manager could free-willingly choose their starting eleven, here is what their team would most likely look like:
GK: Iker Casillas (Spain)
After leading his club side Real Madrid to a La Liga-record thirty-first league title, the 27-year-old goalkeeper capped off his 2007-2008 season by helping Spain earn their first major tournament victory in 44 years. His most impressive performance came in Spain’s semi-final clash with Italy where he held the world champions scoreless for 120 minutes and then eliminated them by saving two penalties.
Runner-up: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
LB: Philipp Lahm (Germany)
As the lone standout in Germany’s defence, Lahm helped fuel Die Mannschaft’s attack with constant forays into the opposing half. Though he can be criticized for sometimes abandoning his defensive responsibilities, he did no worse than centre-backs Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder. He remains amongst the world’s elite fullbacks.
Runner-up: Yury Zhirkov (Russia)
CB: Pepe (Portugal)
The Brazilian-born Real Madrid defender solidified his reputation as a world-class centre-back during Euro 2008 after only appearing in two games for his country prior to the tournament. He controlled the Portuguese backline and was tied for top scoring honours on the team with one goal.
Runner-up: Carlos Marchena (Spain)
CB: Carles Puyol (Spain)
Puyol commanded a seemingly impenetrable Spanish defence that also featured rising Madrid star Sergio Ramos and Valencia standout Carlos Marchena. His performance prompted Italian legend Franco Baresi to compare him with the likes of former AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini after the tournament.
Runner-up: Giorgio Chiellini (Italy)
RB: Bosingwa (Portugal)
Just prior to Euro 2008, the Zairian-born right-back was rewarded with a €21-million move to Chelsea after 105 appearances with FC Porto. He lived up to expectations, replacing Miguel on the right side of Portugal’s defence and attacking when needed. He will now feature in Chelsea’s Portuguese tandem that also includes summer additions Deco and coach Luis Felipe Scolari.
Runner-up: Hamit Altintop (Turkey)
ML: Lukas Podolski (Germany)
Podolski added an attacking flare to the midfield of runners-up Germany as he played somewhat out of position on the left side of midfield. He was directly involved in five of Germany’s 10 goals, scoring three and setting up two for Bayern Munich teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger. He finished the tournament tied for second amongst scoring leaders with three goals.
Runner-up: Andres Iniesta (Spain)
MC: Marcos Senna (Spain)
While Cesc Fabregas and Iniesta impressed audiences with technical ability and style, Senna provided the Spanish team with a defensive midfield presence that had always been missing. Much like Italy’s Gennaro Gattuso, the 31-year-old Villareal midfielder was given the task of shutting down opposing attacking midfielders.
Runner-up: Michael Ballack (Germany)
MC: Luka Modric (Croatia)
At 22, Modric has already been capped 29 times by his country and represents the future of Croatian football. He was the creative genius in Croatia’s midfield and possesses a strong ability to easily outplay opposing midfielders despite his size. Following Croatia’s defeat of Germany in Group B, Croatian coach Slaven Bilic regarded him as the best player in Europe.
Runner-up: Xavi Hernandez (Spain)
MR: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
With the exception of a mild outburst that earned him a straight red card in group play, Bastian Schweinsteiger had a tremendous tournament on the right side of the German midfield. His creativity posed many problems for opposing defenders and he also showed a deadly finishing touch with two superb goals. He provided energy in the German midfield when Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings didn’t.
Runner-up: Wesley Sneijder (Holland)
FW: Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia)
Pavlyuchenko finished the tournament tied for second amongst scoring leaders with three goals and will attract great interest from big European clubs trying to lure him away from Spartak Moscow after his Euro 2008 performance. The 26-year-old thrived in Russia’s counter-attack style and was unlucky not to have finished the tournament as top scorer.
Runner-up: Semih Senturk (Turkey)
FW: David Villa (Spain)
As usual top strikers Miroslav Klose, Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy underachieved during the tournament, the 26-year-old Valencia striker didn’t fail to impress. He always remained dangerous infront of goal and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals despite missing the final with an injury.
Runner-up: Fernando Torres (Spain)
