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- Manuel Neuer has not been at his best despite Germany’s progress at the 2024 European Championship
- He is in Sofascore’s worst XI in the group stage, but who will go with him?
After all the excitement and excitement surrounding the group stage of Euro 2024, it is a good time to look ahead to the business conclusion of the tournament.
Which players impressed in their first three games and who will want to avert their eyes from the Worst XI?
Sofascore’s statistics experts have delved into the data and listed the best and worst performers based on an algorithm. So there is no subjectivity here.
There are some big names in the worst side, with German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer continuing his shaky pre-tournament form on the big stage despite the home side progressing to the knockout stages as group winners.
And he wasn’t the only major casualty of the group stages: Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund (£72m) also struggled for Denmark.
Manuel Neuer is in the worst team of the group stage, despite Germany advancing
Danish and Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund (above) is yet to score
The striker has yet to get off the ground and his score of 6.47 out of 10 is jointly the fourth lowest in the league.
He will be looking to boost that in the knockout match against Germany on Saturday.
Another Premier League player joins Hojlund in the Worst XI, with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez rated 6.57 in the opening three games for Hungary, who went down despite beating Scotland in the last match.
He is at the back together with teammate Attila Fiola, who plays together with the Czech Robin Hranac.
The Scots are also represented at defenders, with Celtic’s Anthony Ralston having the lowest rating of 6.33, and in midfield Italy’s David Frattesi may be a surprise.
In the middle he is joined by the Swiss Silvan Widmer and the Pole Przemysław Frankowski.
Albanian Jasir Asani and Slovenian Jan Mlakar are on either side of Hojlund.
Scotland’s Anthony Ralston (right) is another unfortunate inclusion in the Worst XI
Kylian Mbappe makes the best team despite missing a large chunk of playing time
Sofascore’s worst XI of the group stage is compiled by an algorithm
On the plus side, the best team of the group stage consists of some of the best talent in the world and even includes a few surprising players.
Of course, Kylian Mbappé leads the line, who has been a constant threat for France despite missing the second leg against the Netherlands after breaking his nose in the opening win.
Cody Gakpo played a starring role in that match and the Liverpool man’s rating of 7.83 is enough to see him take the left wing spot.
Kevin De Bruyne has been Belgium’s main man and plays in attacking midfield alongside fellow Manchester City star Bernardo Silva.
The highest rated player of the tournament so far comes from Spain, something few would have predicted before a ball was kicked.
Fabian Ruiz has played superbly for La Roja, who have won every game so far. The PSG all-rounder has 8.60 points, crushing all others.
He works together with Toni Kroos in the engine room and the German is performing excellently in his last tournament before he retires.
There are some surprises at the back, including Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella, rated at 7.95.
He never quite nailed down the shirt for the Blues but reminded everyone of his quality on the big stage so far and will be vital for the side in the tough half of the draw.
Fabian Ruiz is the highest-rated player in the competition so far after starring for Spain
Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo (left) and retiring German star Toni Kroos (right) are included in the Best XI
Marc Cucurella (right) is another standout player and is performing well for La Roja
Fabian Ruiz is the highest-rated player in the Best XI after the first three matches for his team
Slovenian Jaka Bijol takes his place at centre-back after holding England to a 0-0 draw in the final group match and lines up with Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni.
There is another experienced German at right back: Joshua Kimmich. But the Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili surprised us in goal.
The Valencia goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in the final group match against Portugal and made some fantastic saves. His rating is 8.17.