Fantasy Spotlight: Premier League Team of Euro 2016
Which players feature in the Premier League Team of Euro 2016 ?
Portugal were the shock winners of Euro 2016, beating hosts France 1-0 in the final thanks to a stunning goal by substitute striker Éder despite an injury to captain and star Cristiano Ronaldo.
The football festival might be over, but the Premier League starts up again very soon, with daily fantasy football fans starting to think about who they may be picking in their teams.
Premier League stars were among the top-performing players at Euro 2016 this summer, although France forward Antoine Griezmann of Atlético Madrid was named the player of the tournament and he also won the golden boot after scoring six goals at the finals.
So which Premier League players make it into our team of Euro 2016? Read on to find out.
Łukasz Fabiański
Łukasz Fabiański gets the nod in goal, beating off competition from France captain Hugo Lloris.
Swansea City stopper Fabiański was expected to be on the bench for Poland, but found himself in the side after number one Wojciech Szczęsny collected an injury. Ironically, Fabiański used to act as Szczęsny’s deputy when both goalkeepers were on the books of Arsenal.
Fabiański made the most of his chance, keeping two clean sheets in his four games at Euro 2016.
Cédric Soares
Portugal were billed as a one-man team in the build-up to Euro 2016, but their success was built on consistency and team spirit.
Few expected Cédric Soares to be one of the best players of the tournament but the Southampton full-back was excellent after replacing Vieirinha at right-back, helping his side to keep clean sheets in both the semi-final and the final.
Ashley Williams
Wales’ run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 was arguably the biggest story of the tournament and the form of their captain Ashley Williams was key to the success of Chris Coleman’s side.
The second Swansea player in our team, Williams headed a vital equaliser in the 3-1 win over Belgium at the quarter-final stage, sparking a dramatic comeback for his team.
Williams should be full of confidence for the new Premier League season after Euro 2016.
Laurent Koscielny
The second centre-back in our team is Laurent Koscielny, whose France side kept three clean sheets at the finals and were only beaten in extra-time in the final against Portugal.
Koscielny’s solid performances were even more impressive as he had been expecting to partner Raphaël Varane only for the Real Madrid star to miss the tournament with a thigh problem. Adil Rami then came in, with Samuel Umtiti starting France’s last three games with Koscielny.
Jan Vertonghen
Jan Vertonghen started only four games at Euro 2016 and after an injury ruled him out of the quarter-final, Belgium were beaten 3-1 by Wales.
Vertonghen contributed to three clean sheets in his four matches at the finals despite lining up at left-back for the Red Devils, rather than his preferred position in the centre, where he could have played with his Tottenham team-mate Toby Alderweireld.
Aaron Ramsey
The suspension rules at Euro 2016 drew a lot of criticism, with Aaron Ramsey banned for the semi-final after collecting two bookings in five matches at the tournament.
Wales missed the Arsenal midfielder badly and they were easily beaten 2-0 by Portugal as a result, with Ramsey’s drive and creativity leaving a chasm in the team’s midfield.
Ramsey’s four assists and one goal at Euro 2016 mark him out as one of the most effective midfield players at the championships.
Dimitri Payet
There was no doubting who was the star of the group stages of Euro 2016, although the form of Dimitri Payet dipped a little for the knock-out rounds.
Payet hit a late stunner on the opening night against Romania to hand France a winning start and he scored again against Albania.
A goal and an assist in the 5-2 quarter-final rout of Iceland meant Payet ended the tournament with three goals and two assists for a WhoScored rating of 7.91, the fourth highest at Euro 2016.
Kevin De Bruyne
Edging out Payet in the WhoScored ratings was Kevin De Bruyne, whose three assists helped Belgium, the top-ranked team at Euro 2016, to reach the quarter-finals. Only Real Madrid star Gareth Bale was ranked higher than De Bruyne by WhoScored.
Manchester City star De Bruyne struggled against Wales, however, as his side exited the finals.
Robbie Brady
Norwich City winger Robbie Brady will surely earn a Premier League move off the back of his performances at Euro 2016, although unless someone buys him he will be playing his football in the Championship next season.
Brady scored twice at Euro 2016, with his late header against Italy sending Republic of Ireland through the group stage, while his penalty against France was one of the most dramatic moments of the last-16 phase.
Eden Hazard
De Bruyne’s team-mate Eden Hazard produced arguably the best individual performance of Euro 2016, blowing Hungary away in the last-16 with a superb showing from the left flank.
Hazard ended Euro 2016 with a goal and four assists, matching the figures of Wales star Ramsey.
Olivier Giroud
Leading the line in our Premier League team of Euro 2016 is Olivier Giroud, although the France striker failed to silence all of his critics in what was a mixed tournament for the Arsenal forward.
Giroud scored three goals at the tournament, but two of them were against Iceland and his header in the win over Romania was a gift from goalkeeper Ciprian Tătăruşanu, although he did also provide a pair of assists for his team-mates.
Ultimately, Giroud was not quite good enough for France, struggling to pose a threat in the semi-final against Germany, sparking mirth when he was easily outplaced by Benedikt Höwedes, before producing little in the final.