Twenty-nine different names, only THREE players are chosen unanimously… and which TWO England stars are included? Our experts name their best Euro 2024 XI
Spain were crowned winners of Euro 2024 on Sunday evening after breaking English hearts in Berlin with a 2-1 victory in the final.
Luis de la Fuente’s team won all seven matches of the tournament, meaning Spain became European champions for the fourth time, a record.
Midfielder Rodri and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal were among the Spanish stars who shone on their way to glory.
During the month-long tournament, several other players also stood out in Germany for their country.
Mail Sport’s experts reveal their teams for the tournament, with only three players being unanimously chosen by our writers.
Spain were crowned winners of Euro 2024 after beating England 2-1 in Berlin on Sunday night
The Three Lions have now finished second in consecutive European Championships
Spain became a record four-time winner of the European Championship, with many of their players starring
TOGETHER MOKBEL
4-2-3-1: Jordan Pickford; Jules Kounde, Virgil van Dijk, Marc Guehi, Ricardo Rodriguez; Granit Xhaka, Rodri; Nico Williams, Jamal Musiala, Lamine Yamal; Dani Olmo.
Playing with Dani Olmo as a false nine is a bit of an odd one out, but we move. I like this team and the defenses can’t handle the movement.
Pickford and Guehi are the only England players to make the team, and both leave Germany with their reputations enhanced.
Sami Mokbel believes Jordan Pickford and Marc Guehi have improved their reputations in Germany
CRAIG HOPE
4-3-3: Jordan Pickford; Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Akanji, William Saliba, Theo Hernandez; Dani Olmo, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Jamal Musiala, Nico Williams
Five of the first six are Spanish, and rightly so, as they were the winners and the best team, aesthetically and cohesively. Olmo was too good for England in the final.
Musiala was a star and deserved to go beyond the quarter-finals, while Yamal and Williams electrified from the start, while Rodri showed he is the best in the world at his position.
Pickford is the only English choice, due to his consistency and great saves at key moments.
Five of the Spanish front six are part of Craig Hope’s team, with Germany’s Jamal Musiala also included
IAN LADYMAN
4-2-3-1: Mert Gunok; Kimmich, Rudiger, Saliba, Cucurella; Rodri, Xhaka; Yamal, Musiala, Williams; Full back
Some controversial choices and some positional changes to get players into this team.
Gunok saved the tournament in the last minute of Turkey’s draw against Austria. A true national hero.
The back four picks themselves. Saliba and Rudiger were giants for their country, defenders you could rely on to stop a bank robbery, while Cucurella tolerated all sorts of nonsense to do a great job for his country and shut a few people up.
Rodri and Xhaka are football’s version of a dead end. And they can play too. Whereas the only way Musiala gets into this team is by putting him between Spain’s two flying wingers. He’s just too good to leave out.
Finally, in a tournament without a great striker, the German number nine substitute is allowed to enter the field. Every time Fullkrug came on, he made the difference.
Ian Ladyman believes Jamal Musiala was too good to pass up as Niclas Fullkrug takes the lead
OLIVER HOLT
4-3-3: Jordan Pickford; Dani Carvajal, Aymeric Laporte, Pepe, Nuno Mendes; Jamal Musiala, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Nico Williams, Cody Gakpo, Lamine Yamal.
Spain were by far the best team of the tournament, so it’s no surprise that their players feature so prominently in this team.
I thought Rodri was the best player of the tournament. At the Euros, where many people were saying how tired the teams were, it was a joy to watch the energy and enthusiasm of Nuno Mendes and the ingenuity and sharpness of Jamal Musiala.
Chief sports journalist Oliver Holt praised Spanish star Rodri as the best player of the tournament
AADAM PATEL
4-1-4-1: Giorgi Mamardashvili; Joshua Kimmich, Aymeric Laporte, Pepe, Marc Cucurella; Rodri; Lamine Yamal, Xavi Simons, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams; Jamal Musiala.
Out of 51 games I managed to cover 18 and ended up covering 17 of the 24 teams, but I still had six Spanish players in my team. Luis de la Fuente’s team was by far the best football team in Germany and a joy to watch.
It wasn’t a tournament where strikers stood out, so I went with Jamal Musiala up front. I had to play him or Cody Gakpo, because Musiala was the star of the tournament in the early stages and Gakpo was an absolute force on the left. But you just can’t ignore Nico Williams on that flank.
He and Lamine Yamal on either wing were integral to the Spanish style, causing constant chaos. You only had to look at Spain’s lack of attacking threat when De La Fuente subbed them both off against Germany to realise how much they relied on these two young stars.
Both Rodri and Fabian Ruiz were class, but there is only room for one in my team. In net there is no escaping Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was influential in Georgia and reached the last 16. That night they beat Portugal in Gelsenkirchen will live long in the memory. Thanks to Oliver Holt (we swapped games at the last minute).
No England player stands out for me, but a word to Jordan Pickford and Marc Guehi, who have both played solid tournaments. Pickford in an England shirt is a different kit and Guehi can be so proud, even though he will be the first to tell you he should have been in front of Mikel Oyarzabal on Sunday.
Spanish star Nico Williams beats Cody Gakpo on the left wing in Aadam Patel’s team
MATT BARLOW
4-2-3-1: Diogo Costa; Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams; Georges Mikautadze
Impossible to get far from the Spanish team. They were by far the best team and worthy champions, balanced with quality players in a system that suited them.
Costa was excellent for Portugal, including a clean sheet in a penalty shootout, which takes some effort. Mikautadze was an example of the Georgian spirit.
Seven members of the Spanish winning team make Matt Barlow’s team of the tournament