Where are they now? The Euro 2016 Team of the Tournament
Euro 2016 was a fairly disastrous summer tournament for those of an English persuasion. For England’s neighbours to the west, however, it was one of the ages.
The Three Lions slid out of the tournament at the Round of 16, following defeat at the hands of relative minnows Iceland, whilst the might dragons of Wales flew all the way to the semis, where they lost to eventual champions Portugal.
The team of the tournament, as chosen by a panel of UEFA ‘technical observers’ which included Alex Ferguson, exclusively featured players who reached at least the Semifinals. Let’s take a look at who made it to that elite team and what they’re up to in 2024.
GK: Rui Patricio
Portugal’s number 1 was still playing his club football in his homeland in 2016, in Lisbon with Sporting Club.
Two years after winning the Euros, he joined Wolves in the Premier League, becoming their number 11 (but still their goalkeeper), where he played 127 games in just three seasons.
These days, you’ll catch him in Rome, hopefully on the carbonara and gelato since he lost his place in the Roma team to young Mile Svilar.
RB: Joshua Kimmich
The German skeleton key had been at Bayern Munich for one season when Euro 2016 came around. Kimmich is still in Bavaria now despite perennial rumours of his departure seemingly every summer for the past few years.
Pep Guardiola was the manager when Kimmich signed for Bayern, and Pep loved him to bits. The Catalan told reporters, “He’s got the desire, the will, the passion. He’s got absolutely everything.”
Kimmich is still at Bayern for now, but there are more rumours of a reunion with his old boss at Manchester City doing the rounds as we speak.
CB: Pepe
The sh*thouse’s sh*thouse was 33 when he won Euro 2016 with Portugal, so if you went back in time and asked us what he’d be doing in 2024 as he lifted that trophy, we’d probably suggest he’d be on a beach somewhere in the Algarve, or pursuing a post-football career in dodgy Youtube backyard unlicensed MMA.
He’s not, though. He’s playing for Porto in the Champions League at 41, the same age as three current Premier League managers. The man is just built different.
READ NEXT: Euro 2024 Power Ranking: England 3rd as every team ranked from worst to best…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every member of England’s squad for Euro 2016?
CB: Jerome Boateng
One year after being sat down flat on his arse in front of the chuckling eyes of the entire footballing world by Lionel Messi, Boateng reached the Semifinals of Euro 2016 with Germany.
He was at the midpoint of his Bayern career in 2016, and has since had spells with Lyon and Salernitana. The big centre-back will be joining LASK in the Austrian Bundesliga come July, following Salernitana’s relegation to Serie B.
LB: Raphael Guerreiro
The longtime Dortmund left-back/wingback/winger made walked a path trodden by so many before him in 2023. A path so well-worn that, if it were a real physical path, angry residents would be taking to Facebook groups to petition their local council to fill in the potholes and fix the cracks.
That is to say, he signed for Bayern Munich.
Portugal’s long-serving left-sided specialist is still at Bayern in 2024.
CM: Toni Kroos
One of the greatest midfielders of his generation is finally hanging up his AdiPUREs after this summer’s Euros, on home turf for his native Germany.
He’ll be going out at the top, following a truly magnificent decade at Real Madrid, where he will, no doubt, be remembered as a club legend.
CM: Joe Allen
The Welsh Xavi was about to make the switch from Liverpool to Stoke City when he was named in the Euro 2016 Team of the Tournament. Six years and 221 appearances later, Allen moved to Swansea City where he still plies his trade today, aged 34.
He also adopts hens who can’t lay eggs anymore to give them a nice life. Just a wholesome sidenote.
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Wales’ XI from their 3-1 win over Belgium at Euro 2016?
CAM: Aaron Ramsey
Following relatively short stays at Nice, Rangers, and Juventus, ex-Arsenal hero Ramsey is back in Wales, where it all started for him, with Cardiff City.
Ramsey might be one of the quintessential he’d-be-one-of-the-all-time-greats-if-he-could-just-stay-fit players of all time. Ramsey, Callum Wilson, Darren Anderton, Jack Wilshere…
In fact. Put a pin in that. We’ve got a lot of content voids to fill before Euro 24 begins.
RW: Antoine Griezmann
Griezmann is the perfect player to stick in a Team of the Tournament because nobody really knows what position he plays.
Just plays football and is good at it. He was actually named Player of the Tournament at Euro 2016 despite not even winning the thing. Some boy.
He’s back at Atletico now, he’s still absolutely mint, and his hair is looking absolutely gorgeous.
LW: Dmitri Payet
Payet, arguably the best male baller to rock space buns on his noggin depending on your opinion of Taribo West’s abilities, was at peak West Ham icon status during Euro 2016, making free kicks go all wobbly and scoring goals that didn’t seem physically possible.
These days, the French enigma is with Vasco da Gama in Brazil, having departed Marseille following a predicably turbulent and insane spell back in France.
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo famously got stretchered off 25 minutes into the final but still managed to make it into the Team of the Tournament, because of course he did.
He’s been in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr for the past season-and-a-half, but you already knew that, huh?
