The outstanding performers at EURO 2020 this summer

It has been a thrilling tournament and football fans and audiences have witnessed a range of surprises. Some big guns have gone out, such as Germany and the favourites, France. So have the defending champions, Portugal. But the European Championships have been the scene of some unexpectedly tremendous individual performances. This post looks at some of the players who have sparkled so far

Raheem Sterling

According to the social tracker created by Betsson, Raheem Sterling is a hot topic of conversation on the internet. The winger has attracted some criticism for his performances at club side Man City this past season but this summer he’s started to silence his critics and has become quite possibly England’s player of the tournament so far. People are loving him.

Sterling gives defences a rough time by not showing the small tells, such as a drop of the shoulder that indicate which way he’s going to turn. It forces midfielders to track back to support their colleagues, leaving space for other England players to run into.

Yann Sommer

Although Switzerland have now been eliminated, their goalkeeper Yann Sommer has made an impact on the tournament and made a decisive stop against Kylian Mbappe in the round of 16 victory against France. In the dreaded penalty shootout, Mbappe had to find the back of the net to keep France in the tournament, but the glory was to be Sommer’s as he dived to his right to block the shot and ensure his side progressed.

More heroics would follow, this time against the Spaniards. Sommer reduced the Spanish attack to almost a whimper in normal time and made several saves during extra-time. The game came down to a penalty shootout to separate the two deadlocked teams and decide the result. Sommer stepped up again and denied both Sergio Busquets and Rodri from the 12-yard spot, but unfortunately for Switzerland, it was the Spaniards who would hold their nerve to go through to the next round.

Marco Verratti

The PSG midfielder had the Italian nation on tenterhooks as to whether he’d be setting foot on the pitch at all during EURO 2020. He missed the first couple of games of the tournament through injury, but then had to endure the possibility of losing his place in the team, following a strong performance from Manuel Locatelli in midfield. Verratti put in solid performances against Wales and Austria though, and it was against the Belgians that he truly arrived, setting up Barella for the opening goal. In fact, it’s in his setup play where Pescara-born Verratti has shone, having at one point created the second highest amount of chances in the tournament, according to the football publication Marca online.

Joakim Maehle

The Danish left-wing back has proven himself highly capable of playing on both flanks and was his national side’s standout performer during the tournament. His dribbling and his ability to cut inside made him a real menace in the penalty area.

In Denmark’s 4-1 victory against Russia, Maehle got on the scoresheet with the team’s final goal, one of two goals he’s scored for the side during the championship. It’s not only in attack that he has shown prowess, however. As well as finding the back of the net against Wales, he was prolific in tackling during the game and won most of his duels.

Denzel Dumfries

The Dutch might have been eliminated, but Denzel Dumfries, who has attracted the interest of Everton, has made a real name for himself during the tournament. The PSV captain has been terrorising opponents out on the wing and could be the next big thing in football.

Dumfries loves to attack on the right-hand side, although some coaches might not feel his game is as defensively sound as they’d like it to be. Against Ukraine in the Netherlands’ opener, he spent a lot of his time in the final third of the field. He enjoys nothing more than overlapping the man in front and firing tantalising crosses into the box, and was instrumental in the team’s opener.

Play like this hasn’t only made him appealing to Everton. Rumours are that Bayern Munich have also joined the hunt and that, if he were to consider joining Arsenal, he’d also receive a warm welcome.

It’s been a gripping tournament and there have been some dazzling individual performances. Above are just a few who have stood out while battling on behalf of their country. Honourable mentions also go to Donyell Malen (Netherlands), Patrik Schick (Czech Republic) and Luke Shaw (England), who have all had a superb tournament so far.