Euro 2020: 5 best midfielders in the tournament so far
Euro 2020 is heating up and the group stage will draw to a close on Wednesday. The knockout stages will provide plenty of excitement as it is a do-or-die situation for all teams involved. We've already seen some sensational individual performances at Euro 2020 and the tournament is only two and a half matchdays old.
Some of the most high-profile players on the continent have already made their mark at Euro 2020. Top footballing nations like France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Italy, among others, are slowly getting into their groove ahead of the knockout stages.
Euro 2020 has already featured some masterful midfield performances
There is no shortage of world-class midfielders at Euro 2020. The majority of the best midfielders plying their trade in Europe's top 5 leagues are strutting their stuff at Euro 2020. We've already seen a handful of enthralling midfield battles and it's only going to get better in the knockout stages.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five best midfielders in the tournament so far.
#5 Paul Pogba (France)
We've come to accept the fact that Paul Pogba's game is lacking in certain departments. His defensive attributes are not very praiseworthy and he can be a little careless in possession. But there are certain things the Manchester United midfielder does on the pitch which are nearly impossible to emulate.
Pogba produced a masterclass of a performance in France's opening game against Germany. He exhibited his incredible vision and passing range and played a sensational outside-of-the-boot pass which led to France's only goal of the game.
The World Cup winner's ball control and dribbling ability has been of great service to France at Euro 2020. He failed to produce the final ball in France's second game but did just about enough against a determined Hungarian unit.
France are yet to lose a game where N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba have started together. It goes to show how Pogba needs a tireless worker alongside him to fully showcase his bag of tricks.
#4 Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark)
Hojbjerg had a slow start to Euro 2020. He failed to assert himself against Finland and it was a rather forgettable outing for the Danes altogether. But Hojbjerg sprang into action from the get-go against Belgium. They took the game to the Red Devils and dominated them in the first half.
Hojbjerg showed great awareness and latched onto a stray ball from Jason Denayer to set up Youssuf Poulsen for Denmark's only goal of the game. It came in the second minute. He subsequently settled into midfield and absolutely bossed it against Belgium who were exposed until Kevin De Bruyne was brought on.
Hojbjerg kicked on in the same vein against Russia in Denmark's final game of the group stage. Needing to win by a good margin to ensure their qualification to the knockout stages, the Danes put four past Russia and shipped in just one goal.
The Tottenham Hotspur man was excellent in midfield and even provided two assists. He was unlucky not to have scored himself.