Thiago Alcantara named MVP of the U-21 European Championships

Thiago exults after scoring his first goal at the final

Spain U-21 captain and Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alacantara has been named as the Player of the Tournament in the European Championships in Israel.

Thiago, who is reportedly being targeted by Manchester United, was hugely influential throughout the tournament, scoring a first-half hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Italy in the final.

A statement on UEFA’s official website read: “As captain of the title winners, Thiago displayed leadership qualities on and off the pitch and, throughout the tournament, was an influential figure in his team’s performance with impressive box-to-box work; exceptional ball control even in the tightest of situations; ability to dictate the tempo of play; intelligent ball-winning based on anticipation rather than tackling; and outstanding playmaking skills based on a wide variety of short and long passing.”

“His three goals in the final represented a unique individual achievement and reward for his contributions to his team’s success.”

He was also named in the 23-man squad of the tournament, alongside 10 of his Spanish team-mates, including United goalkeeper David de Gea, Manchester City and Real Madrid target Isco and Golden Boot winner Alvaro Morata.