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#3 Antoine Griezmann | France, Barcelona
For my 3rd pick, I have gone with one of the stars of Euro 2020 - Antoine Griezmann. I know Antoine Griezmann is a household name who played a pivotal role in France’s World Cup triumph in 2018 and their Euro 2016 campaign, but he’s an example for up and coming footballers. It’s so rare to see a world-class player, who has achieved everything in his career, work his socks off for the team.
In the game against Germany, he was absolutely perfect. He popped up everywhere and acted as the link between midfield and attack and also struck up a good partnership with Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema. I know this lad can play, but the defensive side of his game and the way he works selflessly for his team - it’s a lesson for young footballers across the globe. He was more interested in being a team player than grabbing the spotlight, I really love that about his gameplay.
I said last week that sometimes players are forced to give the ball to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for club and country. At Barcelona, Griezmann finds himself being overpowered by the Argentine, but you can see for France at Euro 2020 that he’s a totally different player who enjoys his football a lot more.
#2 Kalvin Phillips | England, Leeds United
I like Kalvin Phillips as a player, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t see his performance against Croatia coming. Leeds United play like no other team in the world and their games almost feel like a training session at times. They are not afraid regardless of who the opposition is and they play the same way against everyone.
I remember when they got absolutely battered 6-1 by Manchester United, they still had a few good moments. If the scoreline wasn’t up on the telly, you’d have probably thought the game was 1-1 or something.
Against Croatia in England’s Euro 2020 opener, Phillips was outstanding, make no mistake. It was a 9/10 performance from him - he showed his industry and work rate in midfield and also provided the assist for Raheem Sterling’s goal. England's squad at Euro 2020 is filled with talented players like Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane among others, but it was Phillips who stepped up to the plate against Croatia.
You look at Gareth Southgate’s squad and wonder who is going to get left out for the games ahead, but Phillips should keep his spot for the remainder of Euro 2020 if he carries on playing like this.
#1 Andriy Yarmolenko | Ukraine, West Ham United
Andriy Yarmolenko is a known name in England, but he barely played in the 2020-21 season for West Ham due to a combination of injuries and poor form. That said, he arrived at Euro 2020 fresh as ever and has made an impact with two goals in as many games for Ukraine. He’s not got a lot of pace, but he’s very comfortable with the ball at his feet and is one of the best left-footed players in the tournament.
Ukraine were outstanding against North Macedonia and dominated the game despite the nervy ending. Yarmolenko was in the thick of the action and helped his side record three much-needed points to stay alive in the tournament. Their clash with the Netherlands has been the game of Euro 2020 so far, and Yarmolenko once again made his presence felt with a fantastic goal on the night.
I strongly believe that the best players perform on the grandest stage. That is why I think Diego Maradona is the greatest footballer I’ve seen in my life, the crème de la crème when it comes to the big games. I’ve given it a lot of thought and these are the players that I’ve gone for, but it’s important to remember that there’s a long way to go in Euro 2020, so the list could well look different in a few days.
