Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament Power Ranking: Spanish & Germans dominate ahead of QF…
We’re now past the Round of 16 stage of Euro 2024 and into the last eight. It’s at this stage of any major tournament where we’ll really find out what the big names are made of. It’s these high-pressure clashes that will prove decisive in who is eventually crowned Player of the Tournament.
Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Player of the Tournament award last time out, following in the footsteps of Antoine Griezmann, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Theodore Zagorakis, Zinedine Zidane and Matthias Sammer since the award officially being set up in 1996. But who will win it this year?
After the conclusion of the Round of 16, we’ve updated our power ranking of 10 contenders for the Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament award, which were lasted updated following the end of the group stage.
We’ve taken into account the performances so far but also factored some educated guesses on what might happen next.
10. Diogo Costa (NEW)
We persevered with Cristiano Ronaldo throughout the group stages – our logic being his status (have heard the pundits and commentators when he takes to the pitch?) and expectation he’d start putting away chances for an otherwise decent Portugal side – but we couldn’t include him any longer after his disasterclass against Slovenia.
Ronaldo may yet come good for his final farewell, but it just doesn’t look like happening, does it?
Instead we’ve gone for the guy who actually was the hero for Portugal in their Round of 16 clash, producing an Emiliano Martinez-esque stop in the closing stages to deny Benjamin Sesko before becoming the first goalkeeper in history to save three penalties in a European Championships shootout.
Gianluigi Donnarumma won the award last time out, so it’s not without precedent for a goalkeeper to be named best player. But Costa will likely need to repeat his spectacular shootout display at least one more time if he’s to go from outsider to genuine contender.
READ: Euro 2024 Power Ranking: England on the rise as sorry Italy sink to bottom…
9. Antonio Rudiger (NEW)
Standing tall and saving his best performances for white-hot European knockout matches has become Rudiger’s calling card in recent years, having lifted the Champions League with both Chelsea and Real Madrid.
There was always a sense that we were waiting for the centre-back to reproduce those performances on the biggest stage for his country, but perhaps that wait is over. Rudiger was a rock at the back in the 2-0 victory over Denmark.
Bigger tests await, such as Euro 2024’s most fluid and formidable attack in the quarter-final. But Rudiger does possess experience of playing against each member of Spain’s front three in La Liga and will no doubt back himself to come out on top.
8. Kylian Mbappe (↓4)
Widely regarded as the best player at the tournament, in all honesty we’re still waiting for Euro 2024’s biggest superstar to produce performances worthy of his billing.
France’s talisman suffered a broken nose in the opener, missed the second match, and returned with a mask against Poland, where he scored his first-ever European Championship goal from the penalty spot.
We’d have hoped the first knockout clash against Belgium was where he’d spark into life, but we’re still waiting. Les Bleus have been misfiring in the final third and Mbappe has been as guilty as anyone when it comes to spurning chances.
Still, he undoubtedly possesses the ability to decide the business-end matches that will live longest in the memory. He scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final, for pete’s sake.
France might be awaiting their first proper goal from open play, but as long as they’re in it we’re not writing off Mbappe in the Golden Boot and Best Player races.
7. Granit Xhaka (NEW)
Coming into Euro 2024 off the back of an unbeaten domestic season in which he was surely the best midfielder in the Bundesliga, Xhaka’s astoundingly unflappable displays in the centre of German pitches continue unabated.
He’s recently been passed fit to start the quarter-final against England, following a scan on an adductor problem, which is a massive boost for Switzerland given the manner in which he took control and swatted Italy aside as if they were Luxembourg in the last round.
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6. Cody Gakpo (NEW)
The Dutch forward had his fair share of critics last season at Liverpool, but he’s enjoying himself a fine Euro 2024 in the Netherlands’ otherwise up-and-down run to the quarter-finals so far.
Gakpo is the joint top scorer and would be the outright Golden Boot leader had a VAR offside call not denied him a second against Romania.
Arguably more impressive than any of his three goals so far was his assist for Donyell Malen’s first goal against Romania, having done superbly to keep the ball in play, doing the otherwise-excellent Radu Dragusin like a kipper in the process.
5. Jude Bellingham (=)
It feels wrong to leave Bellingham where he was prior to scoring one of the most dramatic, vitally important, late goals in England’s history. And an inspired overhead kick, at that.
But where do you start with the rest of the Slovakia match?
Let’s be honest; Bellingham was categorically Not Good for 94 minutes against Slovakia. He’d looked similarly sluggish and underwhelming in the Three Lions’ prior group-stage draws against Denmark and Slovenia.
England, with a favourable draw, have every chance of finding themselves in the Berlin final. All the while looking the worst they’ve ever looked in the Gareth Southgate era. Figure that one out.
If they do go far, or even win the thing, lethargic performances will quickly be forgotten. Football is all about moments, and Bellingham has already provided us with an all-timer.
Crop up with a couple more in the quarters, semis and final and he’ll be in line for the Ballon d’Or, let alone the Player of the Tournament.
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4. Nico Williams (↑5)
The Athletic Bilbao winger gave us what was arguably the performance of the tournament so far with an eclectic display in Spain’s 1-0 victory over Italy, which secured top spot with a game to spare.
With such a direct and dynamic attacker in their forward line, plus young Lamine Yamal on the opposite flank, Spain look to have unlocked a new dimension.
The two youngsters earned a well-earned rest for Spain’s dead rubber 1-0 win over Albania but returned to the line-up in scintillating style in the 4-1 thrashing of Georgia.
It’s impossible to look at the way he ripped apart Italy and Georgia and accuse La Roja of playing a sterile possession game any longer.
Chairmen across Europe’s elite clubs are surely taking a look at Williams and licking their lips over the 21-year-old’s reported €50million release clause.
3. Jamal Musiala (↑1)
Musiala might just be Euro 2024’s most entertaining player and remains in the race for the Golden Boot.
After an excellent start with goals and excellent all-round displays against Scotland and Hungary, his shine faded a little as Germany toiled to a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in their last group stage match, subbed off while they were still chasing the equaliser.
He subsequently looked back to his best in the Round of 16 against Denmark, with a fine finish for Germany’s second, booking a mouth-watering clash with Spain in the next round. We’re kind of gutted that one of Musiala and Williams won’t be lighting up the semis.
2. Rodri (=)
Pulling the strings in midfield as he’s done throughout Euro 2024 so far, it’s no wonder that Rodri (almost) never loses. He’s probably Spain’s most important player and the one inarguably world-class, best-in-his-position individual that they’ve got in their squad.
The one question mark over Rodri is the minutes in his legs, having barely had a rest over the course of another gruelling campaign under Pep Guardiola. But he sat out their last group match and looked fresh as a daisy when he returned to the starting XI against Georgia.
Fabian Ruiz, alongside the aforementioned Nico Williams, has also been outstanding. But we can’t look past Rodri as the key pillar of Spain’s best-in-class displays so far.
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1. Toni Kroos (=)
The era-defining midfielder boasts an irresistible narrative element that few players in the tournament can compete with. Kroos already enjoyed the perfect send-off to his club career by winning yet another Champions League and it could yet get even better.
Germany looking a completely different proposition with the 34-year-old back dictating the tempo. Julian Nagelsmann’s decision to convince him to come back for one last job could be the masterstroke of Euro 2024.
He comfortably leads the tournament for touches, passes completed and passes into the final third. Germany have a supremely tricky route to glory but if there’s one player that’s shown himself capable of stepping up on the big occasion – having done so in no fewer than six Champions League finals – it’s Kroos.