Spain midfielder Rodri has been named UEFA EURO 2024 Player of the Tournament.
Rodri started all but one of Spain’s seven games at the tournament, forming an influential central midfield partnership with Fabián Ruiz.
The Manchester City man was among the scorers in La Roja’s 4-1 round of 16 victory against Georgia but was forced off at half-time in the 2-1 final win against England.
Rodri said: “This is probably the best day of my career. We are European champions, as difficult as that is. We have become Europe’s most successful national team.
“We have made history, beating four former world champions in the process. We got through the toughest draw and it speaks for the mentality of the team.”
How the award was selected
UEFA had technical observers at every match in Germany. They analysed proceedings from a coaching perspective and selected the Player of the Match for each game.
When choosing the Player and Young Player of the Tournament, technical observers take individual performances and the player’s impact on his team into account, as well as if they played with a positive attitude and respect towards the opposition.
Previous Player of the Tournament winners
1996: Matthias Sammer (Germany)
2000: Zinédine Zidane (France)
2004: Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece)
2008: Xavi Hernández (Spain)
2012: Andrés Iniesta (Spain)
2016: Antoine Griezmann (France)
2020: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
Spain’s Lamine Yamal has been named UEFA EURO 2024 Young Player of the Tournament.
Yamal appeared in every one of La Roja’s seven EURO 2024 games, starting all but the Matchday 3 victory over Albania.
He became the tournament’s youngest-ever player when he started the 3-0 win against Croatia on Matchday 1 (16 years 338 days), and then set a new mark as EURO’s youngest-ever scorer when he bent in a wonderful goal against France in the semi-finals (16 years 362 days).
He turned 17 the day before the 2-1 final victory against England, making him the youngest-ever player to feature in a EURO or FIFA World Cup showpiece.
He made his mark again in the final, setting up the opening goal for Nico Williams in yet another impressive all-round performance.
How the award was selected
UEFA had technical observers at every match in Germany. They analysed proceedings from a coaching perspective and selected the Player of the Match for each game.
When choosing the Player and Young Player of the Tournament, technical observers take individual performances and the player’s impact on his team into account, as well as if they played with a positive attitude and respect towards the opposition.
Previous Young Player of the Tournament winners
2016: Renato Sanches (Portugal)
2020: Pedri (Spain)
uefa.com
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