Best Euros XI of the last 40 years
The summer of 2020 was due to feature the 16th edition of the European Championship, more popularly known as the Euros. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has meant that the quadrennial tournament had to be pushed back by a year.
During its rich 60-year history, ten different teams have won the quadrennial tournament, with Spain (3), Germany (3) and France (2) being the only ones to win multiple Euros.
Many fine players have graced the Euros over the years. On that note, let us have a look at the all-time XI of the Euros in the last forty years. The first five editions of the Euros have been excluded from our consideration as they were only 4-team tournaments.
Best Euros XI in the last 40 years:
Goalkeeper - Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas has been a long-time servant of Spanish football. King Iker, as he is affectionately called, has had plenty of success with La Furia Roja.He is the only goalkeeper in the history of the Euros, and one of 13 players - 12 of whom are from Spain, to have lifted multiple titles in the competition. Casillas also won the 2010 FIFA World Cup interspersed between his two Euros triumphs in 2008 and 2012.
Over 14 games at the Euros, Casillas kept an impressive nine clean sheets. At Euro 2012, he incredibly, conceded only one goal during the tournament, doing so in Spain's 1-1 draw with Italy in a group-stage game in Gdansk.
Casillas never lost a penalty shootout for Spain, one of them being against Italy in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Euros. He also did not concede more than one goal in a match at the quadrennial tournament.
These records are a testament to Casillas' dominance at the Euros. Thus it is a no-brainer that the best goalkeeper ever at the Euros finds a place in the competition's all-time team.
Notable Mention: Edwin van der Sar. He went nine games without conceding at the Euros, doing so from 1996-2008 before Casillas tied his record.
Right Back: Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram is one of the most underrated French defenders. He was especially key during France's victory at the 2000 Euros where he made the team of the tournament.
He played in four editions of the Euros, doing so from 1996-2008. Thuram played as a right back in the 1996 and 2000 Euros before moving to the centre of defence in his next two appearances in the competition.
Thuram's 142 international caps are the most by a French player, making the last of those appearances in the 0-2 loss to Italy that eliminated the two-time Euros winners at the group-stage. During the tournament, Thuram became the first player to play 15 matches at the Euros, a record that was later equalled by Netherlands' keeper Edwin Van der Saar.
Notable Mention : Gianluca Zambrotta. He played as a right wing-back in Italy's five-man defensive formation at the 2004 Euros where he was selected in the team of the tournament.
Centre-Back - Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc is one of the great players to have played in the Euros and arguably one of the best defenders to have featured in the quadrennial tournament. Blanc has been in the UEFA Team of the Tournament on all three occasions when he played the Euros, which is a remarkable feat.
At the 1992 Euros, even though France did not make it past the group stage, Blanc's performances earned him a spot in the team of the tournament. At Euro 2000, Blanc was one of the key players for France as they beat the likes of Spain, Portugal and Italy on their way to their second Euros title.
Blanc has also scored two goals at the Euros. He also exhibited remarkable composure to score the winning penalty in a quarterfinal matchup with Netherlands at the1996 Euros. Renowned for his reliability and dependability, Blanc was a leader in his team, which is why he makes the all-time Euros list as the first centre-back.
Centre-back - Sergio Ramos
The second centre-back position in the all-time Euros team sees a tight tussle between Sergio Ramos. Though both players have won the Euros, it is Ramos who gets the nod as he has won the competition twice while playing in two different positions.
Ramos played as a right-back in Spain's victorious Euro 2008 campaign where La Furia Roja did not concede a goal in the group-stage.
Four years later, he was the only returning member of the Spanish defence, this time featuring a centre-back alongside Gerard Pique. Spain fared even better at the 2012 Euros, conceding just one goal in the tournament en route to becoming the first team to win consecutive Euros.
In 11 combined matches at the 2008 and 2012 Euros, Ramos and the Spanish defence conceded three goals, which is a ridiculous statistic.
The Real Madrid captain, despite his infamous penchant to get sent off, has been remarkably disciplined at the Euros. In 15 games at the tournament, Ramos has only been cautioned thrice while he has never been sent off.
Ramos, who was in the Team of the Tournament at the 2012 Euros, captained Spain in the 2016 edition of the competition where the three-time winners bowed out to Italy. Nevertheless, his remarkable performances at the Euros sees him take the second centre-back spot in our all-time Euros team.
Notable Mention: Pepe could have easily made the all-time Euros team because of his stellar record at the tournament. Like Blanc, Pepe has played at the Euros thrice and been in the Team of the Tournament on all three occasions. Pepe's best performance at the Euros came in 2016 where he was one of eventual champions Portugal's best players in the competition.
Left-Back - Paolo Maldini
One of the best defenders to have ever played the game, Paolo Maldini was also fabulous at the Euros. He may not have won the Euros but his performances at the tournament were nothing short of outstanding.
Although he predominantly played as a left-back, he was versatile enough to slot in at centre-back when the need arose. Maldini captained Italy at Euro 1996 and at the 2000 Euros where he led the Azzurri all the way to the final.
Maldini was part of a famed five-man Italian defence that conceded only two goals till the Euro 2000 final. In the title match, though, they conceded two goals to France as they lost 1-2 despite opening the scoring.
Like Blanc and Pepe, Maldini played in three Euros, making the Team of the Tournament on all three occasions, which is a reflection of the solidity he provided to the Italian defence.
Notable Mention - Andreas Brehme. Scorer of the winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final against Argentina, his performances at the Euros were not too shabby either. He captained Germany to the final at 1992 Euros where the two-time winners lost to unfancied Denmark.
Right Midfielder - Luis Figo
There were not many right midfielders who have lit up the Euros but Figo was an exception. The former Ballon D' Or player played in three editions of the quadrennial tournament, doing so in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
Figo was in the Team of the Tournament at the 2000 and 2004 Euros. In the 14 games he played in the Euros, he scored twice and assisted five goals. His performances were key to Portugal's success at the Euros.
The former Real Madrid player captained Portugal to the 2004 Euros final on home soil where they went down to Greece. Portugal got past teams like Spain, England and the Netherlands, only to be upset by a stoic Greek team in the final.
One criticism of Figo has been that he didn't perform against the big sides, which is reflected in his stats as well, but out of all the right midfielders to have featured at the Euros, Figo was the best as he led Portugal from the front.
Notable Mention: David Beckham. He may have not scored any goals at the Euros but his five assists in seven games is an impressive contribution from right midfield. He did miss a crucial penalty against Portugal at the 2004 Euros, though.
Central Midfield - Michel Platini
MichelvPlatini only played one appearance at the Euros, doing so in the 1984 edition of the tournament. But such was his impact that he finds a place in the all-time Euros lineup.
It may be perplexing to see Platini in central midfield in the all-time Euros XI as he operated in an attacking midfield role. Nevertheless, his nine goals at Euro 1984 still remains a record for most goals at a single edition of the Euros.
Platini started his campaign by scoring the only goal against Denmark in a 1-0 win, followed by a hattrick in a 5-0 demolition of Belgium. The Frenchman followed up with another hat-trick, this time scoring all three goals in the 3-2 win over Yugoslavia.
In the process Platini became the first, and remains the only, player to score multiple hat-tricks at the Euros; that he did so in consecutive games makes his feat more praiseworthy.
In the semifinal, hosts France looked to be on their way out of the tournament when they trailed 1-2 to Portugal after eight minutes of extra time. However, Jean-Francois Domergue scored his second of the night to level proceedings before Platini scored a 119th minute winner when a penalty shootout looked imminent.
In the final, Platini scored for a record fifth consecutive game at the Euros as France beat Spain 2-0 in the final in Paris to win their first major international trophy.
The Frenchman's nine goals at the 1984 Euros is one of the all-time best performances at any major tournament and certainly the best at the Euros. Scoring that many goals from an advanced midfield role deserves the highest of praise, and undoubtedly a place in the all-time Euros XI.
Central Midfield - Xavi Hernandez
Xavi Hernandez featured in two editions of the Euros, making the Team of the Tournament on both occasions. Although Xavi was part of Spain's team at Euro 2004, he did not come off the bench in any of the matches.
One phenomenal aspect about Xavi's record at the Euros is that Spain have never lost a game at the tournament when he has started. Xavi is one of 13 players, 12 of them from Spain, to have won the Euros on multiple occasions (twice).
One of the key exponents of Spain's tiki taka football, Xavi was at his best at the 2008 and 2012 Euros, orchestrating the La Furia Roja show from midfield.
He scored in the semifinal against Russia at Euro 2008 and provided the assist to Fernando Torres for the lone goal in the final against Germany. At Euro 2012, Xavi provided two assists in the final against Italy.
Big players turn up in the big games, and Xavi always did that at the Euros, which merits a place for him in the Euros all-time XI.
Notable Mention - Zinedine Zidane. He was the Player of the Tournament at the 2000 Euros where France won their second title at the competition. He also contributed seven goals in 14 games at the Euros, that include a golden goal penalty against Portugal in the Euro 2000 semifinals. However, Zidane does not get the nod over Xavi because of the latter's superior Euros record and the fact that the Spanish midfielder has won the competition twice compared to Zidane's tally of one.
Left Midfield - Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta donned the left midfield role in Spain's victorious campaigns at the 2008 and 2012 Euros.
Iniesta garnered four assists across both these campaigns, while he also receiving the Best Player of the Tournament award in the competition's 2012 edition. Iniesta's efforts were instrumental in Spain's back to back triumphs at the quadrennial tournament.
His versatility was on display at Euro 2016 where he was moved to a central midfield role. Like Ramos and Xavi, Iniesta is one of 12 Spanish players to won the Euros on multiple occasions.
Notable Mention: Lukas Podolski. He lit up the 2008 Euros with three goals and two assists in six games as Germany went all the way to the final. His good form continued at the 2012 Euros as well, but unfortunately he did not manage to win the competition.
Striker - Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo holds a plethora of records at the Euros.
With 31 goals, he is the all-time top-scorer in Euro qualifiers, while his nine goals at the Euros is the joint-most by any player in the tournament alongside Platini. Ronaldo is the only player to score in four editions of the Euros while his 21 matches at the quadrennial tournament are the most by any player.
Ronaldo made his Euros debut in 2004 where he scored a goal and provided an assist in Portugal's semifinal win over Netherlands before the hosts lost to Greece in the final.
However, 12 years and three more Euros appearances later, the pain of the 2004 final loss became a distant memory. After first captaining his team at Euro 2012, Ronaldo scored three goals and provided as many assists in the next edition of the competition as Portugal became the tenth different team to triumph at the quadrennial tournament.
With Ronaldo yet to show the effects of age catching up with him, he could have a stellar campaign at the Euros next year.
Striker - Marco Van Basten
There is a tight tussle for the second striker in the all-time Euros XI. Plenty of strikers have taken the Euros by storm, but none has quite so like Marco Van Basten did in 1988.
En route to winning the Player of the Tournament, Marco Van Basten scored a hattrick against England in the group stage before contributing an assist and scoring the winner against Germany in the semifinals.
In the final against Soviet Union, Van Basten was at it again, providing the assist for Gullit's early goal before firing in one of the best goals ever at the Euros.
Arnold Muhren's high cross went deep across the Soviet penalty area towards Marco van Basten who hit a scarcely believable top-spin volley over the then best goalkeeper in Europe and bulged the net. Van Basten also played at the 1992 Euros but remarkably made the Team of the Tournament without scoring once.
There were many other candidates for this position, but what differentiated Van Basten from the rest was how he singlehandedly led Netherlands to their only title at the Euros. He scored in the semifinal and final to cap a fine individual tournament as the Oranje became the toast of Europe.
Notable Mentions: Fernando Torres is the only forward to have netted in two Euro finals, winning both, but narrowly misses out to Van Basten.
Antoine Griezzman is another player who, in his first European Championship at Euro 2016, scored six goals in seven games.
Alan Shearer scored seven goals in just nine games at the Euros, a phenomenal goal per game ratio, but having never won the competition, he misses out as well.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored six goals in eight games at the Euros but like Shearer could never win the Euros.