Euro 2024: Team Of The Tournament
Plus, the results of the MTAG awards poll.
By Patric Ridge
Euro 2024 has been and gone, and More Than A Game has kept you right up to date with the goings on in Germany.
Spain were crowned champions; hosts Germany impressed; and England lost another final.
Last week, we asked you to vote for your Euros awards, but before we get to those results, here’s the MTAG Team of the Tournament!
FORMATION: 4-2-3-1
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia)
Georgia went out in the last 16 but they made a lasting impression at their maiden major tournament, and much of that was down to goalkeeper Mamardashvili.
He had the best goals prevented figure (via Opta) in the competition, and made some huge saves to help the minnows progress from Group F.
RB: Manuel Akanji (Switzerland)
Akanji’s tournament shouldn’t be remembered for the penalty shootout miss against England. The Manchester City defender was excellent at the back for Switzerland, progressing the ball out and also organising the line.
He has come on leaps and bounds under Pep Guardiola, for whom he has played right-back on plenty of occasions, and it’s there he will slot in for this team.
CB: William Saliba (France)
France’s attackers might have floundered, but defensively they were generally excellent, and Saliba more than played his part.
There was speculation Didier Deschamps might leave the dominant Arsenal centre-back out of his line-up ahead of the tournament, but Saliba instead played
CB: Marc Guehi (England)
It was not to be for England in the end, though few could argue that Spain did not deserve to win the final.
But one player who did his long-term England prospects no harm at all was Guehi. Something of a contentious pick given his injury issues in the back half of last season, Guehi proved he is an excellent defender. He still has things to learn — you could argue he was partially at fault for Mikel Oyarzabal’s trophy-clinching goal — but overall, it was an excellent tournament for the 24-year-old.
LB: Marc Cucurella (Spain)
The first Spain player to feature in this team, Cucurella was one of the surprise standout performers in Germany. After a difficult few seasons at Chelsea, the left-back was not expected to start ahead of Alejandro Garnacho, who had starred for Bayer Leverkusen last term.
Yet Cucurella ended up being crucial to Spain’s success, and capped off his brilliant tournament by supplying the assist for Oyazarbal’s winner against England.
CM: Rodri (Spain)
It’s just, inevitable, isn’t it? Rodri wins trophies. He’s the anti-Harry Kane.
And he’s brilliant. The Manchester City star might have been forced off in the final, but he still scooped UEFA’s Player of the Tournament award, and rightly so. A wonderful player, he should be a shoo-in for the Ballon d’Or.
CM: Fabian Ruiz (Spain)
Spain’s midfield excellence could not be wholly indebted to Rodri, though.
Next to him, Fabian offered a timely reminder of the form that saw Paris Saint-Germain pay huge money to sign him from Napoli. He not only kept things ticking over, but also offered a third-man runner from deep, providing another attacking threat.
RM: Lamine Yamal (Spain)
If Wayne Rooney at Euro 2004 was the benchmark for breakthrough tournaments, then Yamal’s Euro 2024 campaign has surely set a new standard.
He became the youngest scorer in Euros history with that sublime effort against France in the semi-finals, while also providing four assists. He’s just 17, and he’s incredible.
AM: Dani Olmo (Spain)
If you’ve watched RB Leipzig at all in recent seasons, then you’ll know just how good Olmo is. But for him to deliver, first as a substitute and then as a starter, in the biggest moments, with the quality and composure that he showed, proved just why he should be one of the most highly sought-after attacking midfielders in Europe.
With three goals to his name, he shared the Golden Boot with five other players, while he also provided two assists, too. What’s more, he made a clearance off the line to deny England a last-gasp equaliser in the final.
LM: Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Nico Williams will probably get in most publication’s picks here, and the Spain winger was brilliant, but let’s not forget Musiala’s contributions for Germany.
Julian Nagelsmann’s team possibly exceeded expectations and were unfortunate to come up against Spain in the quarters, only losing to a last-gasp Mikel Merino header. Musiala did not have his best game on that occasion, but the Bayern Munich youngster was a superstar in Germany’s first four matches, scoring three goals and running rings around defenders.
CF: Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
Gakpo would probably want to play on the left flank, but the only place for him in this team is up front.
The Liverpool attacker seems to come into his best form when he plays for his country, and he has scored more major tournament goals than any other European player not named Kylian Mbappe since the start of the 2022 World Cup.
With Mbappe among the big names to somewhat flop in Germany, it’s Gakpo who gets the nod, though Alvaro Morata deserves an honourable mention.
