Team of the Tournament

Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament: Sporting Life picks out our XI of players


With Euro 2024 reaching its conclusion, Sporting Life picks out our Team of the Tournament from those who have starred in Germany.

Spain beat England in the final in Berlin to extend the Three Lions' wait for glory, although there can be no complaints about the outcome based on the two performances on Sunday night.

Luis de la Fuente's side established themselves as clearly the best team at the tournament, winning all seven contests which included triumphs over hosts Germany and then France before getting the better of England.

It's no surprise then that our XI is dominated by those who featured for La Roja throughout.

Elsewhere, France and the Netherlands see players involved despite their elimination at the semi-finals stage, while the performances of someone else saw them in even with their team out after just four matches.

Here is the 11 players we've deemed to have been the best...


GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia)

Giorgi Mamardashvili

Georgia's spot in the knockout stages was largely down to Giorgi Mamardashvili's performances in goal.

The Valencia stopper made the most saves by far (30) - 12 more than the next-best - and that's despite his side being knocked out by Spain in the round of 16.

Half of those came from inside the area too. Georgia facing an average of 2.98 xGA per game further underlines just how busy he was - for context, a penalty sits around 0.79 xG depending on the model.

Mamardashvili was the subject of some transfer talk before the tournament and he's certainly a name we'll be hearing more of before the end of August.


RB: Jules Koundé (France)

Jules Koundé

Much was made of France's attack struggling to fire but defensively they were solid, conceding just two goals from open play all tournament.

The star of that back line was Jules Koundé.

All three of his knockout games saw the Barcelona man return at least three tackles, with the performance against Portugal in the quarter-final vital in stopping their dangerous left side.

The one downside to his tournament was the lack of attacking returns but he played his part still - he averaged 1.8 chances created per game. That was the third-highest in the France squad.


CB: Pepe (Portugal)

Pepe

Portugal's chances of success at the tournament were ruined by the ego of one man, and while focus was put on Cristiano Ronaldo's age, at the back the 41-year-old Pepe continued to shine in his later years.

His 2.3 tackles per game average was the third-highest in the Portugal squad, while he was also ranked third for interceptions at 1.3.

Pepe was excellent in their quarter-final defeat to France, a game settled on penalties with neither able to find a way through.

In what is surely his last tournament, he is deserving of a spot in our XI.


CB: Aymeric Laporte (Spain)

Aymeric Laporte

The first of the Spain group which dominates our XI, Aymeric Laporte's best game was their quarter-final victory over Germany.

In truth it's not been a tournament with a number of standout defenders but Laporte fits perfectly into what this Spain team want to do - he helped to deliver the control they would often display when ahead.

He also played a key role in their build-up, connecting with both Rodri and Fabian Ruiz while also finding Marc Cucurella attacking down the left.


LB: Marc Cucurella (Spain)

Marc Cucurella

And it was Cucurella who established himself as the best left-back at the tournament.

The Chelsea man boasted the highest average amount of interceptions among Spain's regular starters while he also sat second for tackles completed.

Cucurella's contribution in attack led to the assist on the winning goal in the final - his perfectly-weighted cross finding Mikel Oyarzabal to convert from close range.

Those at Stamford Bridge will be hoping he can carry this form into the new Premier League season.


DM: Rodri (Spain)

Rodri

He was named Player of the Tournament and it's hard to disagree when we consider how they usually hand out this award.

Rodri's lower than expected attacking output highlights his role within this Spain set-up - he was there to keep things ticking over and do the work that often goes under the radar.

Against Germany, the midfielder returned a huge total of seven tackles and created two chances as they found a way through in extra-time.

It's a shame we didn't get to see him for the full final as he was forced off at half-time, but the fact he still picked up the individual accolade shows his presence throughout.


CM: Fabián Ruiz (Spain)

Fabian Ruiz

You could make the case that Fabián Ruiz was actually Spain's best midfielder across the past month.

Fabián scored twice and assisted another two as he featured in six of their seven games - he was rested for the final group game against Albania with progression already secured.

The PSG man could have had more goal involvement too. He created three chances in 103 minutes against Germany while also returning the same in the group win over Italy - neither game delivered an assist.

A vital part of this impressive Spanish side.


CM: Xavi Simons (Netherlands)

Xavi Simons

Xavi Simons started the tournament on the right wing but the shift to the centre proved a great move for both him and his Netherlands side.

The 21-year-old finished with three assists and a goal, all of which came after moving into his new role - the long range strike against England in the semi-final a particular highlight.

Simons created at least one chance in all six appearances with half of those delivering three.

The Netherlands should be looking to build their team around him in the years to come.


RW: Lamine Yamal (Spain)

Lamine Yamal

The only contender for this position if we're honest.

Lamine Yamal scooped the Young Player of the Tournament award and it became clear he was going to get the recognition as we hit the latter stages.

The now 17-year-old - who was 16 up until the day before the final - created the most chances of any player involved at the tournament. He finished with four assists.

Yamal may have only seen one goal but returned 18 shots across his six starts - under performing his xG total by -1.51.


CF: Georges Mikautadze (Georgia)

Georges Mikautadze

It's not been a tournament for the strikers. That was demonstrated by the fact that SIX players shared the Golden Boot award with a pitiful three goals on their tally.

One of those was Georgia's Georges Mikautadze and I'm having him in our Team of the Tournament based on his performances during that memorable group stage.

His three efforts were split equally across the games. Mikautadze also returned an assist on their opener in the historic victory over 2016 champions Portugal in their final Group F outing - a result that secured their spot in the round of 16.

The 23-year-old came into the tournament on the back of a campaign which delivered 13 goals in 20 Ligue 1 appearances for Metz. Perhaps his showing on the international stage shouldn't have come as a huge surprise then.


LW: Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)

Gakpo

Cody Gakpo has experienced mixed performances during his time at Liverpool but his showings for the national team have been strong - especially during this tournament.

It's clear that his preferred role is on the left side of the attack. That led to three goals and an assist during his six outings for Ronald Koeman's side.

Gakpo was named Player of the Match on two occasions - the wins over Poland in the group stage and in the round of 16 against Romania - and had the Netherlands gone the distance he would have very likely be named Player of the Tournament.

Arne Slot will have been watching with real interest. He'll be wanting similar returns when he is back at Anfield.

Our Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament

Euro 2024: More from Sporting Life


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