Spain won Euro 2024 and are featured in BeSoccer’s Team of the Tournament, where we look back at the best individual performances throughout the tournament.
Euro 2024 has come to an end after 30 days of thrills and spills. Spain won the European title for the fourth time in their history with a consolidated squad that overcame all their rivals with authority and the playfulness of their very young wingers. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal were key players for La Roja throughout the tournament in Germany.
In total we have seen 51 matches with more than 4,700 minutes of football – including extra-time – in which we have seen great players shine, disappoint and surprise the fans. Arda Guler’s step forward, Musiala’s tournament, Kroos’ farewell in Germany, Mamardashvili’s saves, Kvaratskhelia’s and Mikautdze’s moves, Jude Bellingham’s bicycle kick, Stanciu’s wonderstrike, among other spectacular moments.
And we also saw the criticism of Kylian Mbappe, the few flashes of brilliance in Italy and Belgium’s failures and Portugal’s umpteenth defeat, with Cristiano Ronaldo leaving without being able to extend his scoring record.
Here we round up all those great performances in our Team of the Tournament. As always, places are limited and opinions are subjective. As a result, the BeSoccer comments section is always open to suggestions.
The Spanish National Team tops most positions not only because they are champions, but also because individually their players were at a high level and won the individual awards. This is the best possible line-up at Euro 2024 for us.
GOALKEEPER: Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia)
His presence in this line-up is statistical. Without him, Georgia would not have reached the last 16 and he finished the tournament as the goalkeeper with the most saves. He saved 29 of the 37 shots he conceded (78.38%), performing up to ten times more than Dutch goalkeeper Verbruggen. Goalkeepers such as Jan Oblak, Jordan Pickford and Mike Maignan also deserve special mention.
RIGHT-BACK: Dani Carvajal (Spain)
The Real Madrid player’s dream is to be among the candidates for the Ballon d’Or and he could make the list of contenders. After winning the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga and the Champions League, he has also won the European Championship in a bestial form. He captained the Spanish national team without an armband and also played a key role with the goal against Croatia before half-time that won the game for his country. A couple of weeks earlier he had also netted in the Champions League final.
CENTRE-BACKS: Kyle Walker (England) and William Saliba (France)
We allow ourselves this position because during the tournament, the English full-back also played two games as a centre-back in a three-man defence – in the quarter-final against Switzerland and the semi-final against the Netherlands. His average level has been very high, especially against the Dutch and in the opener against Serbia. He showed speed and strength against players like Memphis Depay, Gakpo, Kostic and Ruben Vargas.
Until they were eliminated in the semi-final, France had conceded just one goal in the entire European Championship and kept four clean sheets. One of the culprits was the Arsenal centre-back, who also showed his strength and firmness in marking in Germany. Numerically he was one of the centre-backs with the most interceptions and recoveries, and on the ball he was far more accurate than his teammate Dayot Upamecano. He made more successful short and long passes and lost fewer balls.
LEFT-BACK: Marc Cucurella (Spain)
He arrived at the European Championship with doubts after an irregular year and everyone expected Grimaldo to be the starting left-back, but De la Fuente bet on him and got it right. Among the keys to Cucurella’s success are his speed, agility and insistence, which made him a very difficult full-back to beat during the tournament. In his position, he is the player with the most aerial duels won, with the most recoveries, interceptions and steals both in the opposition half and after a loss. He also provided Oyarzabal with the assist for the title-winning goal against England.
MIDFIELDERS: Dani Olmo (Spain), Rodri Hernandez (Spain) and Fabian Ruiz (Spain)
Now we come to the midfield, where we have had to place Spain’s midfield. Dani Olmo started as a substitute, with very few minutes against Croatia, and against Italy he didn’t even play. But he was in the rotational eleven against Albania and assisted Ferran Torres, and then helped change the game from the bench with two goals and another delivery against Georgia and Germany. After Pedri’s injury, he was instrumental in the comeback against France and in the final, ‘La Roja’ were better when he was able to appear between the lines and behind the full-backs.
The Ballon d’Or of Euro 2024 was not to be missed. In the most complicated situations, Spain’s football was tempered and resurfaced when Rodri had the ball in his boots. He is the one who decides the pace at which the game is played with brutal precision. Statistically he has been one of the best passers and he is also the pivot with the second most recoveries, interceptions and steals, and the one who has won the most balls after a loss.
Fabian Ruiz is another of those who have been vindicated after a few years out of the spotlight in his country. De la Fuente brought him back after being sentenced in the Euro 2021-World Cup 2022 cycle and without Gavi, he took the lead of the team along with Rodri. With his driving, he escaped all kinds of pressures and broke lines to give a lot of fluidity to Spain’s football. He scored and assisted against Croatia and Georgia in important moments.
RIGHT WINGER: Lamine Yamal (Spain)
16 years old, 17 years old just before the final, he is a European champion and a starter and key player for the Spanish national team. After his first season as a professional at Barcelona, he showed all his talent at a major international tournament. In it he was the top assist man, equalling the all-time record for assists in a single edition with four. Against France he started the comeback with a superb goal from the edge of the area and unblocked the final with the pass for Nico to score the first against England.
STRIKER: Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
While Memphis Depay was more misfiring, Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons were the two big names for the Netherlands. The winger scored three goals and dished out an assist over the course of the Euro, in which he exploited opponents with his pace in space and dribbling ability. He scored and shared one of his deliveries in the 3-0 win over Romania. Already at Liverpool he showed signs of what he is and will be a key player for Arne Slot.
LEFT WINGER: Nico Williams (Spain)
A bullet, a key player along with Yamal for Spain to have become a much more vertiginous and efficient team than that of Luis Enrique. In fact, without him and the Barcelona winger, the national team let themselves go against Germany. After an average debut against Croatia, he drove Italy crazy and forced Calafiori’s own goal with his cross. He set up Rodri for his wonderstrike against Georgia and almost put the game to bed with a break into space to make it 1-3. In the final, he moved left and right trying to unbalance and finally succeeded in opening the scoring.
