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Euro 2020 is heating up and the group stage will draw to a close on Wednesday. The knockout stages will provide plenty of excitement as it is a do-or-die situation for all teams involved. We've already seen some sensational individual performances at Euro 2020 and the tournament is only two and a half matchdays old.
Some of the most high-profile players on the continent have already made their mark at Euro 2020. Top footballing nations like France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Italy, among others, are slowly getting into their groove ahead of the knockout stages.
Euro 2020 has already featured some masterful midfield performances
There is no shortage of world-class midfielders at Euro 2020. The majority of the best midfielders plying their trade in Europe's top 5 leagues are strutting their stuff at Euro 2020. We've already seen a handful of enthralling midfield battles and it's only going to get better in the knockout stages.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five best midfielders in the tournament so far.
#5 Paul Pogba (France)
We've come to accept the fact that Paul Pogba's game is lacking in certain departments. His defensive attributes are not very praiseworthy and he can be a little careless in possession. But there are certain things the Manchester United midfielder does on the pitch which are nearly impossible to emulate.
Pogba produced a masterclass of a performance in France's opening game against Germany. He exhibited his incredible vision and passing range and played a sensational outside-of-the-boot pass which led to France's only goal of the game.
The World Cup winner's ball control and dribbling ability has been of great service to France at Euro 2020. He failed to produce the final ball in France's second game but did just about enough against a determined Hungarian unit.
France are yet to lose a game where N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba have started together. It goes to show how Pogba needs a tireless worker alongside him to fully showcase his bag of tricks.
#4 Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark)
Hojbjerg had a slow start to Euro 2020. He failed to assert himself against Finland and it was a rather forgettable outing for the Danes altogether. But Hojbjerg sprang into action from the get-go against Belgium. They took the game to the Red Devils and dominated them in the first half.
Hojbjerg showed great awareness and latched onto a stray ball from Jason Denayer to set up Youssuf Poulsen for Denmark's only goal of the game. It came in the second minute. He subsequently settled into midfield and absolutely bossed it against Belgium who were exposed until Kevin De Bruyne was brought on.
Hojbjerg kicked on in the same vein against Russia in Denmark's final game of the group stage. Needing to win by a good margin to ensure their qualification to the knockout stages, the Danes put four past Russia and shipped in just one goal.
The Tottenham Hotspur man was excellent in midfield and even provided two assists. He was unlucky not to have scored himself.
#3 Manuel Locatelli (Italy)
Italy have more or less cruised into the knockout stages. Manuel Locatelli has been one of the stars of the group stage. He produced a solid performance in Italy's Euro 2020 opener against Turkey. Locatelli kept things ticking in midfield and linked up well with his teammates in the game against the Turks.
But the Sassuolo man truly announced his arrival in the second game against Switzerland. He scored two goals in a game for the first time in his career. Locatelli started the move that led to his side's first goal with a wonderful pass to Domenico Berardi before storming into the box for a tap-in.
His second was a brilliant left-footed strike from right outside the box. He was also clean in possession, hardly ever misplacing a pass. Locatelli has staked his claim in Italy's starting lineup despite the return of Marco Verratti. It will be interesting to see how Roberto Mancini picks his team in the knockout stage.
#2 Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands)
Paris Saint-Germain will be chuffed about having hijacked Barcelona's move for Georginio Wijnaldum. The Dutchman has been in fine form for the Netherlands and has played a major role in their clean sweep in the group stage.
Wijnaldum was excellent in the Netherlands' opening fixture against Ukraine. He scored a brilliant goal opening goal and his progressive style of play proved vital to his team's forays into the final third. His footwork and passing ability has already garnered a lot of praise.
The former Liverpool midfielder was once again the best player on the pitch for Frank De Boer's side in the game against Austria. He did well to navigate tight spaces throughout the game and made several driving runs in an attempt to force the issue.
But his best performance at Euro 2020 so far came on Monday against North Macedonia. It was yet another tireless display and his reading of the game and knack for being in the right place at the right time fetched him two goals as well.
Wijnaldum is currently the joint top scorer in the tournament with three goals to his name.
#1 Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
After suffering a facial injury in the UEFA Champions League final against Chelsea, De Bruyne was forced to sit out Belgium's Euro 2020 opener against Russia. But he made up for it with two absolutely classy performances against Denmark and Finland.
Belgium were struggling to find a foothold against Denmark and were losing 1-0 when De Bruyne was introduced at half-time. He immediately restored some control in the midfield realms for Roberto Martinez's men. The Manchester City man then showed great presence of mind inside the box to set up Thorgan Hazard for Belgium's equalizer.
If that wasn't enough, De Bruyne scored an absolute peach with his left-foot from outside the box to win the game for Belgium. It was a 45-minute cameo that proved just how important KDB is to Belgium's chances at Euro 2020.
He was the best player on the pitch in Belgium's final game of the group stage against Finland. De Bruyne created several chances out of nothing and ran the show from midfield. He created as many as seven chances and showcased incredible fitness levels.
De Bruyne played two brilliant through balls to Romelu Lukaku. He earned an assist for the second as the Inter Milan striker finished off to make it 2-0 in Belgium's favour. He has only played a game and a half but he has shown us why he is a class apart.
