The Top 11 Shining Stars of the Euro 2008

June 29th 2008 saw the curtains fall on an eventful and enthralling Euro 2008. The excitement was ignited in the group stage itself with the shock upset of Germany at the hands of Croatia. The intrigue, twists and turns intensified as we headed into the quarterfinals and semi-finals and finally reached a crescendo with the engaging Spain-Germany finals that took place on last Sunday.

A while back just before the start of the quarterfinals I had rated my top 10 of the Euros as follows (in no specific order).

1. Luka Modric - Croatia
2. David Villa - Spain
3. Lukas Podolski - Germany
4. Wesley Schneider - Holland
5. Nihat Kahveci - Turkey
6. Christiano Ronaldo - Portugal
7. Adrian Mutu - Romania
8. Ajjren Robben - Holland
9. Zaltan Ibhramovic - Sweden
10. The Coaches

With it's nearly been a week since the Euros were done and dusted with .So it's time to reassess the stars that shone the brightest in the tournament thiis year. Hence, in no specific order here is the finalized list of my 10 best players.

1. Fernando Torres - Spain

   The "El Nino" storm took some time to gather but when it did no one was left standing. Scoring the only goal in the final of a Euro is good enough to get you into any super 11 team. Torres came into the tournament with a big reputation and was destined to be tied down with some eagle eyed marking. With sheer strength and quickness of mind he switched to the role of a shadow striker and hence provided acres of running space to the talented David Villa. With his confidence at an all time it looks like good times ahead if you support the team from Anfield.
   

2. Cesc Fabregas - Spain

   The Arsenal midfielder won the "Super Sub Of the Tournament" tag hands down. In spite of making it to the starting 11 only once, Fabregas advertised why he is one of the brightest young talents around every time he came onto the pitch. His vision, intelligence and sense of player movement are exquisite. Some of the passes he was able to execute were breath taking. If he continues at this rate he is sure to play a big part in Spain's world Cup challenge.
   

3. Marcos Senna - Spain

   The Brazilian born mid fielder gave an absolutely enthralling performance. Some of his one-twos in the middle of the field were eye candy. At 31, Senna some might say is well past his prime but he was the lynchpin on whom Spain built some of those waves like attacks. He has the ability to switch from defense into attack within seconds. In the near about 450 minutes he clocked he rarely looked tired and out of breath. Not surprisingly as per a lot of pundits he was the "working man"s' player of the tournament.
   

4. Jans Lehman - Germany

   There are few who would argue that St.Iker of Spain was the goalkeeper of the tournament but spare a thought for the grumpy ex-Arsenal goalkeeper. At 38 some of the saves he made would have made any youngster worth his goalkeeping gloves a bit threatened. I lost count of the number of saves he made in the knock out stages through to the finals. A triumph at the Euros would have been a fitting end to the grit and determination he showed. But that was not to be. Farewell Jens - from an Arsenal fan.
   

5. Lukas Podolski - Germany

   He had a dream start to the tournament scoring 3 goals in the first two matches.Unfortunatley; a problem in his left foot slowed him down during the knockout stages. His incisive runs through the left hand side in combination with Philip Lahm caused major problems for most of the opponents the Germans played. He looked a bit lackluster in the finals but considering he played more than 500 minutes at blistering place through the tournament he can be forgiven.

6. Wesley Schnider - Holland

   The 23 year Old Dutch number 10 looked all set to have a great tournament until the Dutch were outfoxed by a brilliant Russian side. Schneider fitted right into the attractive total football that Van Basten brought in which, had most of the football lovers round the globe excited. His excellent temperament, presence of mind and unselfish play was wonderful to see. This midfield dynamo will definitely be the one to watch in the La liga this season.

7. Andrei Arshavin - Russia

   Russia's challenge looked to be done and dusted in the first match itself when they were absolutely bamboozled by the free flowing Spanish.Arshavin joined the squad two games late in the make or break game against Sweden. As if it was written in the script the new guy scored. He was also responsible for scoring the final nail in the coffin against the Dutch. Arshavin gets a mention purely on how his introduction into a side that was nearly out of the tournament in the group stages itself galvanized itself into a semi finalist.

8. Luka Modric - Croatia

   Tottenham Hotspurs fans the world over will be excited about seeing this player at White Hart Lane this season. Scorer of the fastest goal in the Euros (though it was via a penalty), Modric's "maradonaesqe" play is what made him stand out. He has a low centre of gravity and is slightly built but he has learnt to cleverly use this as an advantage. The way he was weaving past the bulky German and Polish defense was almost as if he always had a few extra seconds on him in comparison to his opponenst.In my opinion, Modric was one of the few players who lived upto their pre-tournament hype.

9. The Coaches

   Bilic, Low, Fatih Terim, Scolari, Aragones, Van Basten and many more. This year was almost like an all-star coach confrontation. Thanks to TV replays, the close ups of their reactions after a missed penalty, scored goal or bad decision added to the flavor of watching the games. Perhaps the only no shows in the coaching department were Domenech (France) and Donadoni (Italy).

10. Deco - Portugal

    Another player whose probably played his last Euros (he'll be 34 next time round).The unsung hero of Portuguese football had just an average tournament some might say but a closer investigation will reveal that this is just a "taken-for-granted" type syndrome. Deco is one of those quiet footballers who are neither glamorous nor scandalous. He plays the game with his head down and feet moving. The number of passes and untiring runs he has made in all parts of the field were credible. A hardworking, efficient and wonderful passer of the ball Deco is sure to be a hit in Scolari's version of the Chelsea brigade this season.

11. Carlos Puyol - Spain

    For some reason, I felt that a majority of the matches this year were won by smart midfielders. The defenders in my opinion had precious little to do in comparison to the midfielders. In terms of defenders Puyol's selection is purely a reflection of the number of goals that the Spanish defense let through to the tournament. Since Puyol was the driving force and additionally the captain of a team that went on to lift the trophy, he gets a mention.Pepe and Lahm were the other defenders who caught my eye.

All and all a wonderful tournament and it proved to be a great advertisement for the most beautiful game in the world. While we slowly return to the normalcy of every day life, here a few tips to keep you going before the football season begins.

Cheers