Goalie
There was debate after the quarter-finals, as
Yann Sommer
had kept Switzerland alive.
The Mönchengladbach goalkeeper made 21 saves in 5 matches and postponed Kylian Mbappé's shot on goal to eliminate France in the round of 16.
Kasper Schmeichel
has been worthy of his father, Peter, with Denmark, and
Jordan Pickford
has long watched over the English cages.
But they bow to
Gianluigi Donnarumma
, voted best player of Euro 2020. Only 9 saves in 7 matches, but disgusting reflexes, impressive horizontal dives and many successful aerial exits.
The Italian took the last two shots on goal of the competition, those of Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, to bring the Nazionale to the roof of Europe.
"
We are very lucky to have him, we knew he would stop because he is the best goalkeeper in the world,
" complimented his coach Roberto Mancini.
A prisoner at only 22 years old.
To read also: Last bulwark of Italy, and soon of PSG, Donnarumma has (already) everything of a great
Defenders
After an excellent season at AC Milan,
Simon Kjaer lived
up to his role as captain with semi-finalist Denmark. But in the central hinge, we preferred two Euro finalists. First the Italian champion
Giorgio Chiellini
. At almost 37, he muzzled Burak Yilmaz, stood up to Romelu Lukaku and resisted the English, like his return to the box on Raheem Sterling in overtime. We could have accompanied him in this typical team of his teammate and scorer in the final,
Leonardo Bonucci
. But we opted for the vice-champion of Europe,
Harry Maguire
.
Uncompromising in the air (84% of duels won), clean in second blade on the left side, he embodied the strength of the “Three Lions” who conceded 2 goals in 7 matches.
After the victory at Euro 2020, Bonucci says he was motivated by the “It's coming home” of the English
On the sides we went for
Kyle Walker
on the right. In a three or four defense, the Manchester City player made his law. Its top speed limited many German, Danish or Italian overflows. On the left side, his compatriot
Luke Shaw
(1 goal, 3 assists) would have amply deserved his place. We preferred
Leonardo Spinazzola to him
. Its activity launched Italy in the opening match of the Euro against Turkey (3-0). He equally enjoyed the round of 16 against Austria with an assist (2-1 after extra time). Always dashing against Belgium until a rupture of the Achilles tendon at the end of the match. Without playing the last four, we consider him the best right side of this Euro.
Midfielders
The Italian environment shone throughout the competition by its complementarity and its organization, so it is only logical that we find two of its pillars in our eleven.
Starting with
Jorginho
.
Chelsea's defensive midfielder isn't necessarily the one you notice the most, but his ability to dictate the tempo has kept Italy in perfect balance.
“
With Jorginho, everything seems simple.
He is essential to this untouchable team,
”assured
Marco Verratti
.
It must be said that the middle of PSG has greatly helped him.
Mancini after the victory at Euro 2020: "We are happy for all Italians in the world"
Author of a gigantic final, the “Little Owl” carried the Nazionale in the role of a starved “regista”, always ready to make the efforts in the pressing to scratch a few balls and then redistribute them wonderfully.
A boss Euro that
La Repubblica
sums up as follows: "You do
n't need centimeters to be a giant
."
Another little one who grew up during this Euro:
Pedri
.
The young 18-year-old Spanish midfielder will be dazzled by his class on the ball and his vision of the game reminiscent of a certain Andres Iniesta.
For his first season at the top level, the Barcelonan has become an essential holder of La Roja, missing only two minutes of play (against Switzerland in the quarterfinals).
He was also named best young player of the Euro.
Forwards
The Juventus tifosi understood, last season, that they found a rare pearl in Fiorentina. After Euro 2020, all of Europe knows
Federico Chiesa
, and not only because of his father, Enrico, former international and scorer at Euro 1996. The elusive Italian scored against Austria in the round of 16 ( 2-1) and against Spain in the semi-final (1-1 ap, 4-3 tab). He kept hope on his own in the final against England. To support him, we select
Mikkel Damsgaard
. His distant strike against Russia in the group stage (4-1) was only the aperitif before his free kick against England in the semi-final (1-2). He donned the costume of blaster at surprising Danish, while he celebrated his 21 years on the day of the round of 16 against the Czech Republic (2-1).
Finally, for the center-forward position, we appreciated the rise of
Harry Kane
(4 goals), transparent in the group stage. A better final would have won him his place. We chose
Patrik Schick
, co-top scorer of the Euro with
Cristiano Ronaldo
(5 goals). The Portuguese, beaming in Group F, did not weigh against Belgium in the round of 16 (0-1). The Czech, he scored in eighth against the Netherlands (2-0) then in the quarter against Denmark (1-2). Above all, he signed the most beautiful goal of the Euro in his first match against Scotland with a lob of more than 40 meters (2-0).