UEFA EURO 2020 Team of the Tournament
Saturday, January 1, 2022
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There were five Italy players in the official UEFA EURO 2020 Team of the Tournament.
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GOALKEEPER
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
Was only 22 when he shone on the Azzurri's road to glory, conceding only four goals in their seven matches as he was voted Player of the Tournament. Made his debut for Milan at the age of 16 years 242 days in 2015 and went on to make more than 250 appearances for the club before moving to Paris, where he won Ligue 1 titles at his first two attempts.
DEFENDERS
Kyle Walker (England)
Started off at hometown club Sheffield United but made his name over several seasons at Tottenham. Pep Guardiola brought him to Manchester City in 2017 and scooped five Premier League titles and two FA Cups before getting his hands on the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2023.
Leonardo Bonucci (Italy)
A stalwart at Juventus, where he won eight Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias and reached two Champions League finals in his two spells, Bonucci became the oldest scorer in a EURO final when he struck Italy's equaliser in the 2020 decider. Joined Union Berlin in summer 2023, having reached 121 caps at that point.
Harry Maguire (England)
Like Walker, began his career with hometown team Sheffield United but came into the England set-up shortly after joining Leicester from Hull in 2017. The dominant defender joined Manchester United in 2019, reached 50 caps at the 2022 World Cup and won the English League Cup the following season.
Leonardo Spinazzola (Italy)
Played for eight Italian clubs before settling at Roma in 2019. In sensational form down the left at EURO 2020 until an Achilles injury ended his tournament in the quarter-finals and kept him out of action for most of the following season. Featured as Roma won the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League and started the UEFA Europa League final the following year.
MIDFIELDERS
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Denmark)
The driving force in the Danish midfield as they reached the semi-finals, the former Bayern and Southampton man came into the tournament off the back of an impressive first season at Tottenham. Has since played more than 150 games for the North London club and scored in back-to-back European Qualifiers as his cap tally reached 69 in September 2023.
Jorginho (Italy)
Became only the tenth player to win a European Cup and a EURO in the same year and was voted UEFA Men's Player of the Year in 2020/21. A Coppa Italia winner with Napoli, Jorginho had already won the Europa League at Chelsea before his Champions League success in 2021. Joined Arsenal in January 2023.
Pedri (Spain)
The 18-year-old Barcelona talent became the youngest player ever to represent Spain at the EUROs and, very briefly, the youngest player to appear in the knockout stages for any nation. Awarded the Young Player of the Tournament, has already passed 100 appearances for Barcelona and won the Spanish title in 2023.
FORWARDS
Federico Chiesa (Italy)
Made more than 150 appearances for Fiorentina before Juventus came calling. Won the Coppa Italia and EURO in the space of two months but missed most of 2022 with a knee ligament injury. Returning to his best at the start of the 2023/24 season.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
The one-time Anderlecht youngster has scored goals wherever he has been, his list of clubs including Chelsea, West Brom, Everton, Manchester United, Inter and Roma. An Italian league and cup winner, and runner-up in the Champions League and Europa League, Lukaku has more than 100 caps for his country and more than twice as many goals as any player in Belgium's history.
Raheem Sterling (England)
Sterling burst on to the scene with Liverpool before spending seven trophy-laden seasons at Manchester City. Scored 131 goals in 339 games for City, winning the Premier League four times before joining Chelsea. At the start of 2023/24, he also had 82 caps and 20 goals for England.