On this model : The best players of Euro 2000 (@comme started other threads like this one ofc, 1982 etc.). There is also already this thread in another section of the forum : MVP Euro 2008 started by @Rubinhogoal. --------- Euro 2008 FF ratings and stats : THE FINAL : GER ------------------Lehmann----------------- -----------------------6----------------------- ------------Mertesacker--Metzelder----- Friedrich--------4----------4--------Lahm ----5--------------------------------------4--- ------------Frings-------Hitzlesperger---- ---------------6---------------------5--------- ---------------------Ballack------------------ -------------------------5---------------------- Schweinseiger------------------Podolski ---------5-------------------------------5----- ---------------------Klose-------------------- ------------------------5-----------------------54 coach : Löw. SPA --------------------Torres--------------------73 coach : Aragones. -----------------------8------------------------ Silva----------------------------------Iniesta --6----------------------------------------7--- ------------Xavi------------Fabregas------- --------------7-------------------6------------- ---------------------Senna-------------------- -------------------------7----------------------- Capdevilla--------------------------Ramos ----6--------------------------------------7---- ------------Marchena----Puyol------------- ------------------6------------6----------------- --------------------Casillas------------------- -------------------------7----------------------- From the bench : Lahm by Jansen (46th min.). Jansen 5. Kuranyi for Hitzlsperger (58). Gomez for Klose (79). Xabi Alonso for Fabregas (63). Cazorla for Silva (66). Güiza for Torres (78). referee : Rosetti 7. Match : 16/20. (1-0 for Spain, Torres). Team Stats : Shots : 4 - 13 On target : 3 - 7 CK. : 4 - 7 Fouls : 22 - 19 Off-sides : 5 - 4 Poss. : 33'15'' - 33'12'' Highlighted player : Senna. The short comment refers to Aragones at the same time as the one who had the good idea to naturalize him. On Senna, in gross : wonderful combination of finesse and power. In the semi-finals RUS-SPA, the highlighted player was Fabregas. He entered the pitch after 35 min of play instead of Villa and gave 2 assists (2-0 by Güiza then 3-0 by Silva, final score. Xavi had scored the opener at the 50th). Fabregas had the best rating with 7 étoiles, like his teammates Iniesta and Ramos. The best-rated Russian player was Zhirkov with 6 étoiles. Totals : 58 against 73. ETOILES (outfield players) : 1. Podolski 37 2. Iniesta 36 3. Ballack 35 4. Lahm, Senna 34 6. Zhirkov 33 7. Torres, Xavi, Pavlyuchenko 32 10. Klose, Silva, Semak, Zyrianov, Altintop 31 15. Metzelder 30 ETOILES (goalkeepers) : 1. Lehmann, Casillas 32 3. Buffon 27 4. Akinfeev 26 5. Ricardo 22 6. Sar, Boruc, Lobont, Isaksson 29 10. Pletikosa 17 FF TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT : -------------------------Casillas------------------------- ---Ramos------Puyol-----------Pepe--------Zhirkov --------------------------Senna--------------------------- -----------Altintop--------------------Modric------------ ----Schweinsteiger----Villa---------Silva------------- "Team made by taking in account the classement des étoiles as well as our special reporters' observations at pages...". A next post will be about these pages were FF ranks the players by position (top 5) and also lists the disappointments.
The Dutch players are completely overlooked somehow? OK, VDS only played 3 games and scores fine here among the goalkeepers (average grade of 7; higher than Casillas and Buffon). Seems like the global media had enough of them, a theme that would reappear in later tournaments. Oh wait, see now almost all top rated players played at least the semi final.
Yes of course that's the totals and they stop at 30 étoiles for the outfield players in this issue. It's strongly possible that not a single player who was absent from the semi-finals was able to totalize 30 points. Btw I made a typo in the top 10 goalkeepers' section : It's 19 ofc. Not 29.
FF TOP 5 by POSITION (using quotation marks will not mean that it will be always exact or complete quotes from the article. As for the translation of the main terms employed I don't even know if the word 'hard-wearing' works anyway for instance, as in the comments about the gk's... but let's go) : KEEPERS : "Casillas and the others" 1. Casillas 2. Van der Sar 3. Buffon 4. Boruc 5. Akinfeev "Casillas never looked as strong as now at 27 years old. If he could have done better against Sweden on the Ibrahimovic's goal, the Spanish captain has dominated the rest of the competition reassuring his team with his catchings of the ball and his astonishing reflexes. In the Q-F's he won by 2 saves to 1 in the pso against Buffon. He always dives on the right side. Then against Russia he made a spectacular horizontal save on a Pavlyuchenko's attempt. Behind him, it has to be the experienced and hard-wearing Van der Sar always solid and assured like against Italy of Toni and France of Benzema. Buffon knew a little alert on a shot by Senna by releasing the ball onto his post but Italy would have probably not go through the first round if he had not saved a pk of Mutu with the hand and the foot against Romania. Boruc, then, was the winner of a dozen of face-to-face with German, Austrian or Croatian strikers. At last the Russian Akinfeev, in spite of 7 goals conceded against Spain has contributed to the good tournament of his team. The old Turkish goalkeeper Rüstü, sub at the start of the tourney could have featured in this ranking thanks to his Q-F against Croatia during which he gave an assist for the Semih Sentürk's equalizer at the last second before to stop the pk of Petric. But his failed aerial intervention in front of Klose in the next round broke the magic." The disappointments : "If Germany reached the final, it's not thanks to Lehmann who is not beyond reproach on the two goals conceded to Turkey. But the biggest blow in the tournament shall go to Cech who precipitated the Czech Republic's elimination by releasing a slippery ball in the feet of the Turk Nihat." SIDE-BACKS : "Huge Zhirkov" 1. Zhirkov 2. Sabri 3. Pranjic 4. Lahm 5. Sergio Ramos "He's the other Russian revelation of the tournament and given his age (25 years in August) he may have as much or even more offers than Arshavin. Lined-up at left-back by Hiddink, Zhirkov has rolled over the Greeks, Swedes and Dutches by his incessant courses, his calls for the ball, his dribbles, his crosses. Always in the right tempo, always pin-point technically and physically huge. But his big defensive difficulties against Spain underlined the obviousness : he is not a real left back. The Turk Sabri makes the ranking almost for one single match (Ger-Tur 3-2), but his defensive and offensive performance in the S-F's was so huge that it is impossible to forget him. The Croatian Pranjic, partner of Modric in the combinations also made his name by his finesse and his accelerations though he often had trouble to finish his matches. The German Lahm, filled his role with determination. He has suffered against the Turks but his mental made the difference at the end of the match and his goal saved his team. However, his responsabilty is involved on the goal of Torres in the final. At last, the Spanish Sergio Ramos has made talk his experience, his solidity but also his talent by having a nice offensive match against Russia. We could have cited Corluka as well, the twin of Pranjic on the right side or the Lyonnais Fabio Grosso, one of the few Italians who did not disappoint." Disappointments : "Marcell Jansen struggled completely. Sagnol did not have the physique to play such a competition and Abidal never entered the competition. Seitaridis was far from his level of 2004. Bosingwa was not the announced star. The Czech leader of Milan AC Jankulovski could not avoid the mental explosion of his team against the Turks." Next : CB's and DM's then at last, AM's and ST's.
CENTRAL DEFENDERS : "The class of Pepe" 1. Pepe 2. Puyol 3. Chiellini 4. Marchena 5. R. Kovac "Amongst the favorites, Portugal stopped in the quarter-finals. One player was not unworthy though. Cristiano Ronaldo? No, Pepe, the Real Madrid's defender. Always well positioned, intransigent in the duels, reassuring and precise in the first pass, the Portuguese was one of the rare of his team, with Deco, to hold his own. Difficult to not talk in this ranking about the complementarity and efficiency of the Spanish Pair Puyol-Marchena. Combavity and ardour of the first and rigor and sobriety of the second. Together they muzzled the Italian Toni and closed the Russians Pavlyuchenko and Arshavin down. The Italian Chiellini features in the revelations of this Euro as well. The young defender of Juve, who plays lateal in club, has benifited from the injury of the captain Cannavaro - of which he is inadvertendly responsible - and of the Materazzi's fail against The Nethelands in order to imose himself in the Italian back-line. With him, Italy took only one goal against Romania, France and Spain. The two Croatian central defenders, Kovac and Simunic equally rocked, in spite of some slowness whereas the Russian Kolodine, redoubtable against The Netherlands, missed a lot to his team in the semi-finals". Disappointments : Finalists of the last World Cup, the italian Materazzi and the French Thuram swallowed water against the Dutch strikers' liveliness. Both began the tournament as starters and ended it on the bench. Without being catastrophic, the Greeks Dellas and Kyrgiakos did not provide to the outgoing champion the same defensive serenity as in 2004. DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS : "Senna, the cornerstone" 1. Senna 2. Altintop 3. Semak 4. De Rossi 5. Frings "The Spanish Makelele, positionned before the defense, was the cornerstone of the system Aragones. Tireless cleaner, bringing up the ball, he's the man of the first impulse. A big heart, a beautiful vision of the game, a resistance that often made him finish the games better than he started it : the Villareal player reaveled himself at this level. The Turk Altintop is the true playmaker of his team. Elegant, able to switch from right back to defensive midfielder, and to finish the games as a playmaker, his work-rate, his vision of the game, his tactical sense and his technique have impressed. The Russian Semak, former PSG player, for his part has played with sense of positionning, with anticipation, the quality of the first pass and his ability to efficiently participate in the offensives in order to realize a great tourney. De Rossi brang coherence and solidity to the Italian game. At last Torsten Frings, protector of Ballack in the first games, then absent during 2 games and half through injury, came back at the end of the race in order to hold an essential role. We could have cited the tall Dutch man Orlando Engelaar as well, magnificient of power and of combativness in the first round, but he sank in front of the Russians. At last the Greek Angelos Basinas, fluid player and combative, is the only representant from the champions 2004 who was able to extricate himself". Disappointments : Firstly, obviously Patrick Vieira, who did not play a single minute and cruelly missed to "Les Bleus". Toulalan was for his part a bit just physically so he could not avoid that his game looked muddled. Pirlo had no more fuel. Lining up Chivu, the Romanian captain, at a midfielder position, it's spoiling the goods of a superb central defender. Tobias Linderoth, the Swede, announced as the leader of his team, did not play. Hardly more terrible appraisal than the one of the Lyonnais Källström.
This one surprises me. I thought he was excellent in midfield, particularly against France in a very dull game. Given the nature of their group Romania did very well and he was the key to that I thought.
I agree with you that he was good (I think, because I can't pretend that I remember that much). Then as for FF, maybe that they wanted to say that any midfielder could have make the job against that Italy and most of all that terrible France thus consider that he would have been way more outstanding at the hour of the individual rankings as a cb. For he was better there and because there was not much technical CB's like him during that competition too, maybe. If it's that, I agree as well. Now from my vague memories, I believe that he was good at midfield indeed but shown in some places that it was not his natural position though. And once again it was against Italian and French midfields (especially, and teams in their globality) which were in poor form indeed. We'll never know how better or worse Romania and Chivu would have perform with this one as CB but his performance as a midfielder have to be looked at in the context for sure. In the facts, he has adapted rather well or even very well to that position in this tournament in any case certainly too. But the remark by FF is not very clear it's true (I have putted it entirely). Not on this point about Chivu, but in the AM's and ST's parts they make a last couple of remarks which can explain/ confirm some previous observations in the article. I'll finish this tomorrow or during the w-end.
OFFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS : "Modric, brilliant artist" 1. Modric 2. Schweinsteiger 3. Silva 4. Podolski 5. Sneijder "Contrarly to Arshvin, the Cruyff of the Balkans managed to have a series of games. Big presence, perfect tehnique, Modric always plays frontwards, makes the good choices and bring some speed to the game of a team that sometimes lacks of it a bit. He's the only Croatian to play most of the time in one touch. Difficult to dissociate the two German players of sides, the buddies "Poldi" and "Schweini", as percussive as efficient as much as the other. Both were the big men of the Mannschaft's run in the competition. With them, David Silva, the will-o-the-wisp on the left side, percussive and combative. Wesley Sneijder, for his part, has embodied the great Dutch first round thanks to his technique, his presence, his art of the set-pieces. We could have considered that the great performance of Deco in the first half against Germany could have been rewarded better. He's still the mastermind of Portugal. The Russian Zyrianov is the accomplice of Arshavin in national team as at Zenit St.-Petersburgh, but he get busted against Spain in the semi-finals. The Turk Tuncay realized high-leveled performances, physically it's a player who makes his opponent suffer. Rafael van der Vaart has also shown his class and his sense of the game. At last, we have to meention the case Ballack, who became a mental leader, and moral, but who is less influent on the pitch in spite of his important goals". Disappointments : "The Italian Perrotta traversed the tournament like a shadow. A bit like the Greek Karagounis, so good in 2004. The Portuguese Simao doesn't play the essential role that could his. The austrian Ivanschitz is not the half of the announced star. We did not find back the the Malouda of 2006 and Franck Ribéry - best French - was ill-fated". STRIKERS : "Villa, the most consistent" 1. Villa 2. Pavlyuchenko 3. Torres 4. Arshavin 5. Klose "In Spain, one striker can hide another. Whilst Europe was expecting Torres, she has most of all seen , before the final, David Villa. The scorer of Valencia began spectacularly the tourney. 4 goals in 2 matches : a hat-trick against Russia and the winner against Sweden. Beyond that? An incessant pressing on the opponents' defenses, a real complicity with Torres, some gestures of class, but an unfortunate injury against Russia... The Russian pavlyuchenko, him, has scored one goal less than Villa, but he has weighted as much on the defenses. In spite of his big carcass, that makes him looking clumsy, the Spartak player shined with his deflections with the head, his technique with both feet, his dribbles and his shots en force or in finesse. If Torres was discreet during a long time, he was on the other hand decisive in the final, riding roughshod over Lahm and Lehmann in order to scor the only goal of the game. The Russian Arshavin has proven in two games, against Sweden and -most of all - The Netherlands, that he was maybe intrinsically the best of all. But if the new star of St.-Petersburgh had real screen presence in the quarter-finals (1 goal, 1 assist), he has completely missed his semi-final against Spain. Some valued assets like Klose, van Nistelrooy or even Irahimovic, the authors of 2 goals each, were true to their reputation. Special bonus, at last, for the Turks Nihat and Semih Sentürk. The doble of the first against the Czech Republic has propulsed his team in the quarter-finals and the goal of the second against Croatia has allowed them to qualify to the semi-finals. Disppointments : We were expecting Toni and Benzema, the top scorers of the German and French leagues. They finished up with 0 goals and a boatload of missed chances, most of all the Italian. Cristiano Ronaldo, who's amongst the favorites in the course for the next Ballon d'Or FF, has disappointed him too. The Portuguese has not played badly, he was just ordinary, which, for a player like him, comes to the same thing.
A few complementary notes taken from the short profiles of the 23 Spaniards : in view of the said "profiles", most of the players of La Roja had their best game against Russia in the Semi-finals. Xavi and Iniesta had a difficult match against Italy in the quarter-finals so the the whole Spanish team was less good on this match. The "marathonian" David Silva, "unheralded" prior to the tournament "has shown why Aragones swear by him since several months : he's the one who energize the Spanish team's game". Cazorla, "was an intermittent of choice that Aragones launched generally in the second half instead of Xavi or Iniesta in order to brang a bit more of percussion to his team". Puyol "reigned in the Spanish penalty area".
This the official team of the tournament: Euro 2008 team of the tournament Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands). Defenders: Bosingwa (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Carlos Marchena (Spain), Pepe (Portugal), Carles Puyol (Spain), Yuri Zhirkov (Russia). Midfielders: Hamit Altintop (Turkey), Luka Modric (Croatia), Marcos Senna (Spain), Xavi Hernández (Spain), Konstantin Zyryanov (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands). Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7481108.stm
Also the BBC picked a team of the tournament, players in brackets are alternative suggestions. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/euro2008/2008/06/team_of_the_tournament.html Goalkeeper: Buffon (Casillas, Volkan) Defenders: Ramos, Marchena, Chiellini, Van Bronckhorst (Pepe, Lahm, Capdevila) Midfield: Iniesta, Sneijder, Senna, Arda Turan (Sionko, Rakitic, Ballack, Frings) Forwards: Villa, Arshavin (Van Nistelrooy, Pavlyuchenko, Nihat)
This was the selection of World Soccer: Casillas Hamit Altintop Marchena Chiellini Van Bronckhorst Senna Ballack Arshavin Sneijder Silva Pavlyuchenko Alternatives: Goalkeeper: Van der Sar, Boruc, Pletikosa, Buffon, Lobont Right-back: Bosingwa, Anyukov, Corluka Centre-back: Sergei Iganshevich, Ooijer, Pepe Left-back: Rat, Lahm, Zhirkov DM: De Jong, Chivu, Semak Midfielders: Xavi, Deco, Modric, Schweinsteiger, Sionko, Zyryanov Forwards: Villa, Van Nistelrooy, Podolski
Euro 2008 7,02: Villa (Esp) 7,00: Ibrahimović (Swe), Modrić & Klasnić (Cro), Sneijder (Nld) 6,96: Buffon (Ita) 6,90: Senna (Esp) 6,89: Boruc (Pol) 6,83: De Rossi (Ita), Arshavin (Rus) 6,78: Chiellini (Ita) 6,70: Xavi (Esp) 6,67: Arda (Tur), Silva (Esp) 6,63: Fernando Torres (Esp) 6,61: Sionko (Cze), Srna (Cro), Cristiano Ronaldo (Por), Van Nistelrooy (Nld) 6,58: Pranjić (Cro) 6,53: Lobonţ (Rum), Casillas (Esp) 6,50: H. Yakın (Sui), Guerreiro (Pol), Robben & Van der Sar (Nld), Fàbregas (Esp), Zhirkov & Zyryanov (Rus) From Football Ratings.
So that's an average from multiple sources probably since that's the principle on this blog. Probably bewteen Guerin and La Gazzetta though we cn't be sure since the sources are not specified. It should be kept separated imo and the sources should be precised each time otherwise it doesn't tell much. Or I don't understand the thing. Edit : In a post which is only about the Spanish players it is specified that it's an average bewteen Gazzetta dello Sport - France Football - Kicker - Corriere della Sera - Marca. But it's not the same grades then : Villa (7,32), Senna (7,10)...
Converting this into average ratings for the players selected: Outfielders Senna 6.8 Zhirkov 6.6 Xavi 6.4 Pavlyuchenko 6.4 Torres 6.4 Silva 6.2 Semak 6.2 Zyryanov 6.2 Altintop 6.2 Podolski 6.17 Iniesta 6.0 Ballack 5.83 Lahm 5.67 Klose 5.17 Metzelder 5 Goalkeepers Buffon 6.75 Casillas 6.40 Boruc 6.33 Van der Sar 6.33 Lobont 6.33 Isaakson 6.33 Akinfeev 6.2 Pletikosa 5.8 Ricardo 5.4 Lehmann 5.33
The best XI from the Times was: Casillas; Altintop, Marchena, Pepe, Zhirkov; Senna; Arshavin, Ballack, Sneijder, Turan; Villa
I find it peculiar (but predictable in a few ways) that Van Nistelrooij gets totally overlooked. I remember he received some praise by the foreign analists (in particular BBC) for his games and how he had evolved into a more complete striker (youtube has a couple compilations I see). He scored against Italy (from open play), was with a 'Zidane pirouette' involved in the build-up to the 2-0 against France and also scored a not too easy goal against the 'blue tongues' [sic] of Russia in the quarter finals (diving header). With maybe the exception of a possible goal against France, he did his individual job. Not saying he's a surefire inclusion but some have been (in other tournaments) praised for less.
Nice write-up, although personally, I a very distinct memory I have from that tournament was the downgrade in Deco's performance in the tournament relative to Euro 2004 & World Cup 2006. He was no longer his Porto/prime-Barca self. Regarding Pepe, I wrote a post shortly after the Euro 2016 final, specifically in reference to Pepe and how his emotive outbursts and physical assaults of days past cast such a dark shadow that it caused all of football to basically overlook his ability and, more importantly, achievements. We're talking about a player who was arguably more important than CR7 to Portugal's sole tournament win, and was largely, and officially, considered the best player in the Euro 2016 final. How many defenders can boast such an impact in their careers? Not many, this not even considering his other achievements. The thing about Pepe is that he offers the rare blend of high quality and high consistency. That would get muddied every now and then with the occasional Chuck Norris impersonation, but Pepe has always been more or less the best defender on the field, for the most part, for most of his career. And Euro 2008 was his first in three great tournament performances, placing in three Team of the Tournaments (2008, 2012, 2016). Thankfully he's calmed down now and more people are starting to see his real value.
(We agree that the write-ups are taken from France football?) Yes it is true. I can say that, for my part, I didn't rate him much before. He was arguably the most important defender for Real too over the recent past years. In defense. By the way, I think that Bruno Alves was completely underrated in 2012. I was particularly struck by this.
Add some things I found. The basic stats for euro 2008 were: Topscorers: Villa 4; Pavlyuchenko, Yakin, Podolski, Senturk 3 (Sneijder, Nistelrooij, Persie 2) Assists: Sneijder, Fabregas 3; Kuijt, Podolski, Klose, Schweinsteiger, Iniesta, Semak, Anyokov, Pranjic, Derdiyok 2 Shots on goal per game: Villa 3.0; Cristiano Ronaldo 2.7; Nistelrooij, Yakin, Klasnic, Mutu 2 Successful dribbles per game: Benzema 5.5; Modric 3.7; Henry 3.0; Sneijder 2.7 Chances created per game: Deco 5.3; Ribery 3.3; Guerreiro 3.3; Van der Vaart 3.0 Saves percentage: Casillas 83.3%; Pletikosa 83.3%; Van der Sar 81.0% Pass accuracy: Moutinho 96.7%; Gallas 95.2%; Xavi 94.9%; De Zeeuw 93.1% Personal duels: Kyrgiakos 80.8%; Lahm 74.2%; Pepe 72.7% (Kuijt 59.5%) Winning of possession per match: Garics 11; Modric 9; Thuram 8 (Sneijder, De Jong 4) Fouls per game: Villa 4; Karagounis 3.7; Ballack 3.5 (Van Bronckhorst 3.3) The Castrol/OPTA index had this after the quarter finals, the first four matches: Edwin Van der Sar (Ned) - Pepe (Por), Giorgio Chiellini (Ita), Petter Hansson (Swe) and Olof Mellberg (Swe) - Tranquilo Barnetta (Swi), Michael Ballack (Ger), Wesley Sneijder (Ned) and Hakan Yakin (Swi) - David Villa (Spain) and Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Ned) For after the final, I can only see who were the top per line: Villa (SPA) Barnetta (ZWI) Pepe (POR) Chiellini (ITA) Van der Sar (NED) Nine members of the Goal.com team have tallied up their votes for the Euro 2008 awards. Find out the results and offer your own selections below... Best Goalkeeper 1. Iker Casillas (Spain) Was the most convincing winner in any category, racking up 25 points, and it's not hard to see why. San Iker continues to go from strength to strength as a player and with over 80 caps and just 27 years of age, the sky is the limit for Spain's captain. He was the hero that broke Spain's curse of June 22 - when they have been eliminated from major tournaments three times on penalties - by being the hero in the shootout against world champions Italy. Put in a commanding performance in the final and rarely looked rattled. Deservedly lifted the trophy as captain last night in Vienna. 2. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) It says something for Gigi's pedigree that he still comes second considering Italy's 3-0 drubbing at the hands of the Netherlands, but even after a colliding with team-mate Christian Panucci in what turned out to be one of the talking points of the tournament, Buffon was a hero for his side, pulling off a heroic penalty save to eventually qualify Italy from the Group of Death and another in the shootout, albeit in vain. Came second to Casillas in Euro 2008, but there is little separating the two best goalkeepers in the world. 3. Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands) Edged Artur Boruc by one point into third place, largely due to his heroics leading to team success. A distance behind numbers one and two in third, van der Sar was at his best for the majority of the Dutch campaign, compensating for what always looked like a shaky rearguard and made some fantastic saves. Certainly did not deserve to be on the losing side in their extra time elimination against Russia - having kept them in the game as he did - but bowed out of international football on a high note following his Champions League win with Manchester United. Best Defender 1. Carles Puyol (Spain) Few would have backed the shaggy-haired stopper to top this list going into the tournament, but being compared to the legendary Paolo Maldini by the quite possibly even more legendary Franco Baresi does not happen without good reason. While he may not have been quite that good, he did take us back to him at his best, following a rocky season with Barcelona. Rallied his troops at the back fairly well; had a few shaky moments but was so solid in the crucial challenges. A comfortable winner. 2. Giorgio Chiellini (Italy) The worry over the past year or two for Italy has been the lack of emerging defensive stars. Blessed as they are, the Azzurri tend to produce one or two undisputed world class stoppers per generation at a minimum, but since the generation of Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta, no heir apparent truly staked their claim until this summer. Still less technically adept than his more experienced compatriots, Chiellini has the energy, physicality and discipline to go on to achieve great things for Italy. Was omitted in the opening game - which Italy lost 3-0 to the Dutch - came in and conceded just one goal in the next three games, with that being a freak goal following a horrific error from the otherwise solid Gianluca Zambrotta. 3. Yuri Zhirkov (Russia) Some may contest his inclusion as a defender considering most of his contribution was going forward down the left hand side, but Zhirkov certainly proved one of a handful of Russian surprises at Austria-Switzerland. The CSKA Moscow wing-back was tireless down his flank, always serving as a good outlet and quick to get back as well - though he did have some defensive lapses from time to time. Ultimately, this was not a tournament in which defenders covered themselves in glory. Best Midfielder 1. Marcos Senna (Spain) The general concensus has been that Senna is what Spain have always been missing. He has served as a shield for the back for and a man-marker of opposition danger-men and done so brilliantly. There have been moments where he looked somewhat off the pace - and at 31, he has admitted as much - but the Brazilian-born Villarreal captain was simply invaluable to the balance of Spain's midfield and the difference between a good and great Roja - that alone was enough to see him edge his way to the award for best midfielder, this despite the fact he is not afforded the box-to-box freedom he is at club level, proving much more of an offensive threat than given credit for. 2. Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) Despite having moved to Real Madrid less than a year ago and winning La Liga in his first season as the highest scoring midfielder in Spain, Wesley Sneijder still had a fairly low profile going into this tournament. Compared to other players of his position such as Michael Ballack, Deco, Andres Iniesta and even João Moutinho - his name was not as well-known or as highly regarded - but it will be now. Having turned 24 during the tournament, time is on his side, and his versatility as well as defensive work-rate made him something of an all-rounder for the Dutch - being the star performer of an outstanding unit - with two spectacular goals capping his contribution to the tournament. 3. Michael Ballack (Germany) The German captain grabs third place in what was the most tightly contested category, with very few points separating the majority of nominees. Ballack bossed the opening game against Poland and scored a searing free-kick to settle affairs against Austria, but could not pull his side through as he has so often when they were down against Croatia, and eventually, Spain. He did score a crucial goal against Portugal, but the contentious issue of the push on Paulo Ferreira in the build-up does denegrate that somewhat. A world class player and undeserved losing finalist (again!) and he makes third on our list. Best Forward 1. David Villa (Spain) Was there ever any doubt? Scored one point less than Casillas did in the goalkeeping stakes, and though his impact was only well and truly felt in two games, it cannot be underestimated how important it was. He was the difference against both Russia and Sweden - scoring the tournament's only hat-trick and finishing top scorer - and put in great performances as well as a goal return to match. Four goals is not exceptional, but when considering he was rested for one game and tragically injured for most of the semi as well as the final, he grabbed four goals in three and a bit games - there was little more he could have done barring score against an impregnable Italian defence. Has become Europe's most wanted striker off the back of his performances and it remains to be seen where he will end up come the start of the season - or whether he will even choose to leave Valencia after all. 2. Lukas Podolski (Germany) A fairly distant second despite being just one goal behind Villa in the race for the Golden Boot. Podolski's three goals - all in the group stage - were as cleanly struck as you could hope for, but in the case of all three, they fell fairly fortunately for the Polish-born striker, who was in the right place at the right time to hammer them home. That was the difference between he and Villa, and though his goals may not have been quite as spectacular, his all-round play was invaluable to the Germans. Much of their play came down the left-hand side - where he was deputising - and he provided Bastian Schweinsteiger with an assist each against Portugal and Turkey in the quarter and semi-finals. His performances have alerted new Bayern Munich boss Jürgen Klinsmann, who is now more eager than ever to hold onto him, but he may have a job on his hands... 3. Andrei Arshavin (Russia) Like Villa, only had two truly impressive games - playing just three in total - but he well and truly wowed spectators worldwide in the small window he was afforded. Missing the first two group games through suspension, he was the driving force behind securing qualification against Sweden and was electric against the Netherlands. His creative influence was incredible and the fact he also chipped in with two goals made him a dead certainty for the list. Almost certainly would have finished higher had it not been for the hype and the stage all becoming a bit too much for the emerging star from Zenit St Petersburg, as he was outclassed by the likes of Puyol and Senna during Russia's 3-0 semi-final elimination at the hands of the champions. Biggest Flop 1. Luca Toni (Italy) So we have awarded the best, now it is time for the one award nobody wants to win, and Luca Toni is top. He had a monumental debut season with Bayern Munich but well and truly failed to replicate that form for his country when it mattered this summer. To his credit, he did score one goal which was wrongly disallowed against Romania, and his plethora of misses against France, though embarrassing, did not ultimately cost his side. Against Spain he was left isolated and played little part in the proceedings and the same can be said for the opener, in which the Azzurri were mauled by the Oranje. Ultimately, dubbed as one of the best strikers, he simply wasn't good enough. 2. Mario Gomez (Germany) Just one point behind Toni is another target-man who has come off the back of an incredible season in Germany. The youngster's reputation is not quite on the same level of Toni, yet he was everybody's outside bet to take the tournament by storm. Scored none and missed an absolute sitter from all of two yards against Austria, but will count himself unlucky at getting dropped when strike partner Miroslav Klose - who, while they played together, was no better - had not scored in several months leading into the tournament. 3. Karim Benzema (France) Perhaps could have finished higher on the list given the hype surrounding him being greater than either of the two above him. Benzema has been compared to many of the greats and has had two great seasons with Lyon in Ligue 1 and even impressing in the Champions League, but he looked lost for les Bleus for the entire tournament. Was axed by Raymond Domenech, which says it all, and the closest he came to making his mark was a well-hit effort heading for the top corner against Italy that was brilliantly kept out by Buffon. Having said he didn't want to leave Lyon this summer, it is likely there will now be far less interest than he anticipated. https://www.goal.com/en/news/476/euro-2008/2008/06/30/757413/european-championship-2008-awards https://www.goal.com/en/news/476/euro-2008/2008/06/30/757586/euro-2008-team-of-the-tournament EURO 2008 TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT: IKER CASILLAS (SPAIN): OFTEN Spain's forgotten man given the quality of the players in front of him, but absolutely vital to their progress this month. His athletic quarterfinal save from Mauro Camoranesi was fantastic, but it was trumped by two wonderful stops in the subsequent penalty-shoot out. JOSE BOSINGWA (PORTUGAL): CHELSEA'S first summer signing will be one of the stars of the Premier League if he maintains the form he displayed in Switzerland. Prodigiously athletic, his overlapping runs were a major feature of Portugal's impressive early performances. Forced Paulo Ferreira on to the opposite flank and will force him on to the substitutes' bench at Stamford Bridge next season. PER MERTESACKER (GERMANY): COMPOSED on the ground and powerful in the air, the Werder Bremen centre-back has been the core of a generally impressive German defence. Hardly gave Austria's attackers a kick in the crucial final group game, and has formed a physically imposing partnership with teammate Christoph Metzelder. GIORGIO CHIELLINI (ITALY): WAS the most hated man in Italy when he injured Fabio Cannavaro in training, but ended the tournament as his nation's most successful player. Replaced Marco Materazzi after Italy were humiliated in their opening game and did not deserve to finish on the losing side after rendering the Spanish attack impotent at the quarter- final stage. ZURI ZHIRKOV (RUSSIA): NORMALLY plays midfield, but has been head and shoulders above any other left-back in the tournament. What he lacks in defensive nous, he more than makes up for in attacking talent. His overlapping runs have been a key feature of Russia's play, and his dead-ball delivery has been uniformly excellent. MARCOS SENNA (SPAIN): THE most under-rated player at Euro 2008. Spain's anchorman might not be as glamorous as some of his team-mates, but they would not have been able to attack so freely had he not been holding the fort behind them. Strong in the tackle and precise with a pass, he has successfully claimed Claude Makelele's crown as Europe's best holding midfielder. WESLEY SNEIJDER (HOLLAND): THE brightest light in a galaxy of Dutch stars that illuminated the group stage. Scored with a wonderfully athletic half-volley as Holland thrashed Italy 3-0, and crashed a long-range goal off the underside of the crossbar as France were humiliated 4-1. Always keen to get forward from midfield, and has been mentioned as a possible makeweight if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Manchester for Madrid. ANDREI ARSHAVIN (RUSSIA): PROBABLY the player of the tournament, even though tonight's semi-final against Spain will only be his third game. Suspended for his side's opening two matches, the Zenit St Petersburg playmaker pulled the strings as Russia beat Sweden in a decisive group game, and performed magnificently in the last-eight defeat of Holland. His finish through Edwin van der Sar's legs provided a fitting finale to a wonderful display. MICHAEL BALLACK (GERMANY): FINISHED the Premier League season impressively and has carried his fine form on to the international stage. His leadership qualities persuaded manager Joachim Low to change his system, and his match-winning free-kick against Austria was unstoppable. His headed goal against Portugal helped swing last weekend's quarterfinal Germany's way. LUKAS PODOLSKI (GERMANY): HAS played at centre-forward and left midfield, and has looked equally effective in either position. Started the tournament with a bang as he bagged a brace against Poland, and added another goal in Germany's defeat to Croatia. His best moment, however, was the run and cross that enabled Bastian Schweinsteiger to open the scoring against Portugal. DAVID VILLA (SPAIN): KEEPING Fernando Torres in the shade is no easy feat, but the best striker on display at Euro 2008 has managed exactly that. Became the seventh player to score a European Championships hat-trick when he single- handedly dismantled Russia in the group stage, and scored a last-minute winner in Spain's 2-1 victory over Sweden. Likely to have his pick of Europe's top clubs this summer. Substitutes: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Servet Cetin (Turkey), Deco (Portugal), Luka Modric (Croatia), Nihat Kahveci (Turkey). MANAGER: GUUS HIDDINK (RUSSIA): LOOKED to be heading for a humiliation when Russia were thrashed by Spain in their opening match, but has cemented his reputation as one of the greatest international managers of all time by reaching the semi-finals of a major tournament with a third different team. Has developed a fluid, free-flowing system that enables Russia's most talented players to express themselves freely. https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/2364887.scott-wilsons-euro-2008-team-tournament/
I'll look a bit further, but from above piece: "Despite having moved to Real Madrid less than a year ago and winning La Liga in his first season as the highest scoring midfielder in Spain, Wesley Sneijder still had a fairly low profile going into this tournament. " This is a very good illustration of how deep the tendencies run, the marketing mechanism, which then creates a snowballing effect and opens doors for staying at the top. Football as show business and marketing. Typically only one (or two at best) Oranje players make the ideal team. Totally different from e.g. England in 2004, which also got out in the quarter finals. The conspiracies run deep, and I'm sure we were shafted in the quarters, with that mysteriously retracted red card. In the semis the Russians suddenly ran 3 kilometres less, on lower speeds. Because they couldn't do the same trick against the real superpowers. Same as how Brazil in 2014 could shaft Croatia, Colombia and the likes (with bogus penalties, picking the referee you like, and a license to kick everything that moves vs Colombia), until they ran into a real superpower and got exposed.