Euro 2024 ended on Sunday night with England falling just short again as Gareth Southgate’s men lost 2-1 to Spain in Berlin.
In truth, the Three Lions took a very long time to get going in Germany and arguably never showed their true potential, waiting until the semi-finals against the Netherlands to put in a truly fluid performance.
They then impressed in flashes against Spain but were firmly second best in Sunday’s final.
Spain duo Rodri and Lamine Yamal ended Euro 2024 with the Player of the Tournament and Best Young Player awards.
But who were England’s star men? We have ranked Southgate’s top boys, starting with Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham in fifth place.
5. Jude Bellingham
Like Harry Kane, Bellingham was often criticised during the tournament and appeared at times to be playing with the brakes on.
And yet, it was Bellingham’s powerful header that got the Three Lions going in their 1-0 opening win over Serbia a month ago. And without his ridiculous overhead kick — seriously, who tries a bicycle kick under those circumstances?! — England would have suffered a round-of-16 humiliation on par with that of Euro 2016, when they crashed out to Iceland.
England simply would not have made it to the final without Bellingham’s genius, which ultimately saved them from embarrassment.
Jude Bellingham saved England from embarrassment against Slovakia
4. Kobbie Mainoo
Mainoo played just four minutes across England’s first two games and was named as a substitute in their third group game against Slovenia.
However, since coming on at half-time in that match, he proved himself a crucial player for Southgate.
The 19-year-old provided composure, stability and quality in midfield at a time when things seemed to be unravelling in that area, with the Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment failing and Conor Gallagher not really doing anything of note.
That’s an incredible thought considering Mainoo entered the tournament with just three senior caps to his name, while he’s still only played 25 Premier League games for Manchester United.
Mainoo posted a pass completion rate of 91.92% at Euro 2024, along with 16.05 final third passes completed per 90 minutes. The youngster…
Source link : https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/07/15/englands-best-players-from-euro-2024-ranked/
Author : CJ
Publish date : 2024-07-15 04:45:00
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