Euro 2024: Lamine Yamal, Rodri feature as Spain dominate Team of the Tournament, Kyle Walker included
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Published 16/07/2024 at 16:02 GMT
UEFA have released their Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament, which is littered with Spanish talent following their 2-1 victory over England in the final. Lamine Yamal and Rodri feature for Spain, while only Kyle Walker made the cut for The Three Lions. Premier League stars Willliam Saliba and Manuel Akanji are also included, while Jamal Musiala is the only representative from the host nation.
Euro 2024 champions Spain parade trophy through Madrid in front of huge crowd
Kyle Walker has been included in the UEFA Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament, as six Spanish players including Lamine Yamal and Rodri feature following their title success.
Despite reaching the final, Walker is the only player from The Three Lions squad to make the cut, which has been carefully selected by UEFA’s technical observers.
Former England manager Fabio Capello was among the 12 observers for the tournament, as were David Moyes, Rafael Benitez, Frank de Boer and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Walker played every minute of England’s campaign as they advanced all the way to the final in Berlin, which included an unbeaten group stage run and narrow victories over Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands in the knockout rounds.
England conceded six goals across the seven games and kept two clean sheets as the Manchester City defender notched his 90th international cap.
France had the joint-best defensive record, with Didier Deschamps' side conceding just three goals - the same amount as their quarter-final opponents Portugal who they eliminated on penalties.
goalkeeper
Mike Maignan (France)
The AC Milan shot-stopper was chosen between the sticks, fending off competition from England’s Jordan Pickford and Portuguese penalty hero Diogo Costa - who saved all three penalties in a shoot-out win over Slovenia.
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Mike Maignan, France, Euro 2024
Image credit: Getty Images
Defence
Walker (England), Saliba (France), Akanji (Switzerland), Cucurella (Spain)
Maignan’s France team-mate William Saliba rounded off an impressive season with club and country at the Euros and was selected in defence, alongside Walker's City colleague Manuel Akanji.
Saliba played a vital role in France’s stubborn defence following his emergence into the side at Euro 2024, where he helped keep three clean sheets.
Battling with Saliba at club level all season in the Premier League, Switzerland’s Akanji partners the Arsenal defender at the back following the Swiss' impressive run, which saw them knock out holders Italy.
Akanji missed the first penalty in the shoot-out loss against England, but he had still done enough, according to the observers, to warrant a place in the team.
The defence is rounded off by the excellent Marc Cucurella, who surprised many with his impressive form at left-back.
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Marc Cucurella, Spain, Euro 2024
Image credit: Getty Images
The Chelsea defender was picked to start ahead of Alejandro Grimaldo - who had an exceptional season with 29 goal contributions for Bayer Leverkusen - and played all but one game when Luis de la Fuente heavily rotated the side in the final group game.
Cucuerella capped off his memorable campaign with an assist in the final against England when he set up Mikel Oyarzabel’s 86th-minute winner.
Midfield
Rodri (Spain), Dani Olmo (Spain), Fabian Ruiz (Spain)
The midfield is a trio of Spanish excellence, with Rodri, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz all selected following sparkling tournaments.
Rodri was his usual brilliant self as he played every game except the third group game for which he was suspended, and even scored in the 4-1 win over Georgia.
Olmo was one of the standout stars in Germany and was one of six players to finish on three goals, tied for the Golden Boot, while he also registered two assists.
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Rodri, Dani Olmo, Spain, Euro 2024
Image credit: Getty Images
All of the 26-year-old’s goals came in the knockout stages, as he struck crucial efforts against Georgia, Germany and France - the latter being a brilliant winner to put Spain in the final.
Ruiz is another player who stood out for Spain. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder impressed with goals against Croatia in the group stage and Georgia in the last 16, while he also grabbed two assists which came in the same games.
Forwards
Lamine Yamal (Spain), Jamal Musiala (Germany), Nico Williams (Spain)
On the flanks, Yamal and Williams were unsurprisingly picked after phenomenal showings throughout the campaign.
Yamal, 17, was a constant threat on the Spanish right flank and before his birthday the day before the final, became the competition’s youngest-ever goalscorer with an emphatic strike against France in the semi-final.
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Yamal and Spain power into Euro 2024 final following a 2-1 victory over France
He also got an assist in the final to set up Williams - who has been similarly as electric on the opposite flank - to put Spain ahead against England.
In the striker position, Germany’s Jamal Musiala earned a spot for his exciting performances earlier on in the tournament.
He was another player who notched a tournament-leading three goals, with strikes against Scotland, Hungary and Denmark.
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