European stars who play domestic football from all over the globe have culminated in Germany for the continent’s biggest football tournament. Coming into the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, superstars like Jamal Musiala, Cody Gakpo, Harry Kane, and Georges Mikautadze, to name a few, have made their mark on the international stage by delivering sensational performances for their motherlands.
However, in this SBOTOP feature, we’ll focus the microscope on the best players in Euro 2024 to have come from the Spanish top flight, highlighting the brilliance of Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, and Nico Williams, the standout performers from La Liga.
Jude Bellingham
England’s golden boy, Jude Bellingham, has been dependable in the Euros for Southgate. Despite an underwhelming campaign from the Three Lions, Bellingham still manages to make his mark on the international stage and provides hefty contributions to reach the quarter-finals.
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham took matters into his own hands and delivered what might be the most important goal of his international career while on the verge of elimination, being down 0-1 entering added time against Slovakia in the Round of 16.
Bellingham delivered a close-range overhead kick to level the match 1-1 at 94:34. Jude’s goal was England’s first shot on target in the entire game against the Slovaks, magnifying the Three Lions’ pedestrian form in the tournament thus far.
England captain Harry Kane, the most prolific striker in the game today, pulled something out of his bag again and found the back of the net 50 seconds into added time, securing England’s spot in the quarter-final.
This SBOTOP writer isn’t entirely convinced about England yet, but it’s undeniable that they have a star in Jude Bellingham.
Toni Kroos
Veteran Toni Kroos is making the most of his swan song. Kroos recently retired from club football after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and will retire from professional football after the European Championships. Still, it doesn’t seem like the German legend is running low on fuel.
Like what he did for Ancelotti in Madrid, Kroos has been the pivotal cog in the midfield for Nagelsmann in Germany. His dependability allows Ilkay Gundogan to play more freely, enabling him to be off the top of the attack.
In addition, Kroos’s efficiency does wonders for his side. The veteran leads all midfielders in the tournament with 21 accurate long passes. Kroos also led the entire tournament with the most accurate passes (326) in the group stages and boasts a 95.75 per cent passing accuracy in this campaign thus far.
Teammate Leroy Sane reflected on the importance of Kroos’s presence for the team: “Simply because of the calmness that he brings himself, also as a guy. The relaxed attitude. And, yes, that’s why you can see at the moment that things are going very, very well.”
Kroos’s importance to Germany isn’t at all overlooked, as the veteran is currently the Euro 2024 odds favourite to win the UEFA Player of the Tournament, with teammate Musiala closely trailing behind.
Nico Williams
Spain might just be the best team in the European Championships. La Roja has been unstoppable since the group stages when they swept the group of death without conceding a single goal. Then, they followed things up with a dominant 4-1 win against Georiga in the Round of 16.
Spain’s dominance has been unmatched, thanks to their stacked lineup and sound coaching. However, if we must give someone in La Roja their flowers, it must be Nico Williams.
Williams is arguably the best player on the best team in the 2024 European Championship. His ability to create for himself and his teammates with such pace and grace has been a pleasure to watch. Along with his running mate, 16-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal, the duo has been terrorising opposing defences with their skill, tenacity, and sheer pace, blessing fans and pundits with an abundance of Euro 2024 highlights to boot.
The youngster stated in an interview, “Lamine and I are really similar. We love to watch videos of great footballers, and we are’ street’ players. That’s why we understand one another.” He added, “As for me, the art of being a winger is mostly psychological—you can see fear in the defender’s eyes if you go past him and he drops off. I had a spectacular night against Italy, but I don’t consider myself one of the best at this tournament.”
The 21-year-old’s splash in Germany has spread on a global scale, reaching potential suitors from different parts of the world. Football club giants are tussling to get their hands on Williams. But as of now, the Spanish winger must focus on La Roja’s quarter-final clash against Germany, a matchup of galactic proportions.
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