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Did Rodri deserve Player of the Tournament?
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Did Rodri deserve Player of the Tournament?

15/07/24 12:44

Did Rodri deserve Player of the Tournament?

After an incredible tournament, Spain were deserved winners of EURO 2024, no one can doubt that. However, does Manchester City midfielder Rodri really deserve the player of the tournament award? Many have argued that there are a few other Spanish players who played a bigger part in the success than him. Let’s take a look and compare their individual performances.

We all know how well Rodri plays game in game out for his club and nation, and when he got subbed off at half time in the final, it was a relief for every English fan. He’s the man who controls the tempo of games whilst protecting his defence and stopping the opposition from creating chances. He always does his job well, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that he stood out as the best player throughout the tournament. In fact, around half of the players in the Spain starting XI did as well as, if not better than that Man City man.

The main names on everyone’s lips are the midfield duo of Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz. Olmo has proven to come good in the important moments on multiple occasions for La Roja, scoring the winner against France in the semi-final, and opening the scoring against a hard to break down German side in the quarters. His attacking play has been exceptional, and when Pedri got injured, he was thrown into the starting lineup and was expected to step up to the challenge, and he did exactly that and more. One of his best moments turned out to be a defensive one in the final, where he clear a header from Marc Guehi off of the goal line to preserve Spain’s championship win in the dying seconds of the tournament. Nothing short of incredible.

The Leipzig player won the golden boot with three goals, alongside five others, and clearly had a massive impact for his nation, definitely a more memorable one than Rodri.

Ruiz also played a pivotal role in Spain’s title win, assisting the goal that kick started their campaign against Croatia, and later scoring in that game. He created 3 big chances throughout the tournament, scored twice and with two assists, and he has never lost a game with Spain. The man who won man of the match on the opening day is who most people are saying should have won this award, and that he isn’t getting the recognition he deserves, sitting in the shadow of his superstar teammate.

Marc Cucurella showed resilience and excellence in his defending throughout the competition, much to the surprise of many premier league fans watching on. As part of a defence which did not concede a single goal in the group stage, he was clearly standing out as one of the best performers at the tournament. Fast forward to the final of the tournament and it was his attacking that was making him shine, assisting the winner of EURO 2024 for Mikel Oyarzabal, he well and truly proved himself to be a stronghold in this fantastic team. However Cucurella’s downfall for many was how he, as well as some of his teammates, acted after they went ahead in games, spending a lot of time on the floor, wasting time and frustrating the opposition, something that should be frowned upon.

The man who scored the opener in the final, winning two man of the match awards throughout the tournament, and being a key talking point throughout the past month, Nico Williams definitely deserved a shout for the player of the tournament. From match day one he proved himself to be a very dangerous attacker, with such pace and youthful energy, he was a player to be feared by all defenders. Winning man of the match in the final just proves that he is a confident, big game player. Scoring two goals and one assist in the tournament, he has proved to be crucial for Spain to get their title, and being only 22 years would expect this to continue for years to come.

Lamine Yamal did win young player of the tournament, meaning he would not be able to win this award. However, the individual and team success that he achieved in this tournament would have been more than enough to win the award. Being so young (17) and being the star of the tournament doesn’t even begin to prove what a fantastic player he is. Arguably scoring the goal of the tournament against France, he showed exactly what he was made of, and that he wasn’t afraid of the big occasion.

He gained a man of the match award for his performance against the French, but this wasn’t the only game he stood out in. Every match he played in, he showed his flare and skill, and ended the competition with one goal and four assists, the most assists out of anyone in the tournament. It is fair to say that Yamal was the most talked about player at this tournament, and he will definitely play a big role in Spain’s major competitions in the future.

There have also been some special mentions for non-Spanish players, and while it was obvious that if Spain won the tournament, half of their team could have won best player, it would be simply unfair to not recognise the success of Cody Gakpo, Marc Guehi and Jamal Musiala.

Gakpo was one of the other five players alongside Olmo to end the tournament on three goals, picking up a golden boot award. He also grabbed an assist for Donyell Malen’s goal against Romania, and proved himself to be a strong attacker for the Dutch side that only fell short in the semi finals. He proved himself worthy again and again, and was one of the standout attackers in the EUROs.

While no one expected an English player to win this award, after so many sub-par performances, regardless of their results, it is important to recognise the sheer bravery and composure that Crystal Palace’s centre-half Marc Guehi has shown in the six matches he took part in. Being his first ever international tournament, he didn’t seem to flinch at the thought of such big games, and played consistently and professionally throughout. He was by far England’s best player this tournament, and surely will be one for the future of the English defensive lineup.

Hosts Germany were unlucky to draw Spain so early in the knockouts, and many said that that clash should’ve been the final, with the two sides arguably being the best performers. Musiala was at the forefront of the action for die Mannschaft. Being another of the players finishing on three goals, he picked up the golden boot award at only 21 years of age. He had an exceptional tournament, winning man of the match in their opening fixture against Scotland, and scoring the crucial goal against Denmark to put them through to the Quarter-finals. At the end of the group stage, many were calling for the ex-England U21 player to win this award, and if Germany had gotten further in the competition, he may well have.

While all of these names performed fantastically throughout the tournament, we can all agree that Rodri is a fantastic footballer, and any plaudits he receives are probably reasonable ones. After all, he has won four player of the tournament awards in various competitions in the last year. He really is the best of the best right now.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Lily Perrill | Writer at Football Park

Discover Lily Perrill, a Football Park writer sharing insightful football content every week. Explore his experience here.

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