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The UEFA Euro 2016 is scheduled to be held in France next summerThe group stages of the 2016 Euro qualifiers ended this week and now nineteen more teams have secured their places for the tournament along with hosts France. Eight of the nine teams which finished third in their respective groups will be engaged in play-offs later this year and the four teams which emerge victorious from their respective games will also be involved in the first ever Euro with 24 teams.As the curtains fall on a qualifying round that entertained as well as threw a few major surprises our way, we take a look back at five players who made a significant contribution in their country’s quest of playing in the big stage.There were many outstanding performers who saw their team through to the tournament like Kevin De Bruyne for Belgium or Marek Hamsik for Slovakia and then there were others like Steven Fletcher for Scotland, who did their individual best and yet saw their team fall short in the end. But the following players stood out and reaped praises in abundance for the same.
#5 David Alaba (Austria)
David Alaba is a well-known figure among football fans as one of the best active full backs in the game. Although the Austrian has gained fame as an amazing left back, his incredible versatility means that he is equally good in midfield or in central defense.
Alaba started his career as a midfielder before switching to the left back position for Bayern. However, he still plays in central midfield for his nation.
Austria proved to be one of the surprise packages of the qualifying phase this year as they earned qualification with two games to spare in a group consisting of Sweden and Russia. Austria went unbeaten in the qualifying games and their only draw came against Sweden at home in the opening game.
The Bayern Munich man is the pivot around whom the whole team revolves. Alaba has shown maturity beyond his age and has performed his defensive duties in midfield exceptionally well with his relentless pressing. This has helped the team’s forwards to push forward with more freedom and threaten the opposition.
Alaba has also scored four goals in the qualifying games. He scored one each from the spot, home and away to Sweden, another from the spot against Moldova and one against Liechtenstein.
The Austrian was also named in UEFA’s official Euro qualifying dream-team XI.
#4 Ashley Williams (Wales)
If Gareth Bale is the heart of the Welsh side that qualified for the first time in a major tournament since 1958, then Ashley Williams is the spine of the team. The Wales and Swansea City center half is among the most consistent defenders in the league and he has successfully carried that form into the International games as well.
Ashley Williams commanded his team’s defense wonderfully during the qualifying matches and ended the group stage conceding just four goals and it is the fourth lowest tally behind Romania, Spain and England.
Wales kept seven clean sheets in ten qualifying games and the Welsh coach was also full of praise for the 31-year-old defender. Coleman highlighted how vital Williams was to his side even though Gareth Bale hogged all the limelight.
Williams was rightfully named in the official European qualifiers all-star XI along with Gareth Bale, making Wales the only country with more than one representative in the fantasy team.
Whether or not Williams and Co. can defend this well in France will alter the outcome of how far Wales can go into the tournament.
#3 Kyle Lafferty (Northern Ireland)
If you take Kyle Lafferty’s name in a group of avid football fans, it won’t ring many bells as he is a player who hasn’t performed exceptionally at the club level. However, the Northern Irishman was the standout performer for his side which finished top of Group F.
At the club level, Lafferty plays for Norwich City in the premier league. However, he is not a crucial member of the Canaries’ squad and was even loaned out while they were in the Football League Championship last season. Though he wasn’t a regular at club level, Lafferty has been instrumental in securing Northern Ireland’s spot for next year’s tournament.
Lafferty scored in all of Northern Ireland’s first three games against Hungary, Faroe Islands and Greece and in the process the nation won the first three matches of any of their qualifying campaigns for the very first time.
The 28-year-old later scored against Finland, Faroe Islands and finally a stoppage time equalizer against Hungary to keep Northern Ireland at the top of their group. Overall he scored seven goals and only Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and Artyom Dzyuba have scored more in the qualifying games.
#2 Gareth Bale (Wales)
Gareth Bale may have had a below par season at club level last time around for his standards, but the Welshman has been on top of his game for his nation throughout the qualifying games.
The former Tottenham star has been the heart of the Welsh team which mainly comprises of players from the mid-table Premier League clubs and Championship players. Therefore something special was needed from him to take his country to the Euros and boy did he live up to the expectations.
Bale has scored seven of the eleven goals scored by the Welsh side during the entire qualification phase and without his goals Wales would have scored just a meagre 12 points out of the 21 they managed right now. The Real Madrid man scored a brace in the first game against Andorra and ensured his team’s first victory. Later, he also scored the only goal of the game in wins against Belgium and Cyprus. In fact, Wales have won all five games in which the 26-year-old has scored.
Bale is so dedicated to his country that he disobeyed his club’s orders to sit out Wales’ final qualifying game as they had already ensured their participation.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
If there were a Midas in football, then it has to be none other than Robert Lewandowski. Everything the Polish striker touches seems to turn to gold right now as he has been in scintillating form since the start of the season and his performances have eclipsed that of the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Polish striker has so far scored 24 goals this season and a quarter of them have been for Poland in the Euro qualifying games. Overall, the 27-year-old scored 13 goals for Poland in the qualifying phase, which saw him equalize David Healy’s record for Northern Ireland during the Euro 2008 qualifying.
Lewandowski started the proceedings in the first game against Gibraltar and ended the game with four goals to his name and in the process scored his first hat-trick for Poland. Later in June 2015, the former Borussia Dortmund man scored a hat-trick within the space of four minutes in the dying moments of the game against Georgia. He followed this up with a consolation goal for his side in their only defeat which came against Germany.
A brace against Gibraltar and another against Scotland followed and his second goal against Scotland came very deep into added time and helped salvage a draw for his nation. Three days later he headed the winner against the Republic of Ireland to put a lid on proceedings.
The Bayern Munich man’s form can be highlighted by the fact that the second highest scorer in the qualifying phase is Thomas Muller with 9 to his name and the Polish man has scored none of his goals from the spot unlike his club teammate who has one from 12 yards.
