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All-Star
Squad revealed
Greeks dominate while
England and host Portugal contribute four apiece
Monday, 05 July 2004
An impressive list of talent has been chosen for the EURO 2004 All-Star Squad, announced in Lisbon today by the UEFA technical study group led by UEFA's technical director Andy
Roxburgh.
The 23-strong squad contains two goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders and seven attackers. The players chosen by the technical study group form the pick of the defensive stalwarts, skilful midfield players and predatory strikers who have graced the final round over the past three weeks.
"The idea is to recognise the top performers that have graced the event," explained Roxburgh. "People who have shown leadership, brilliant attacking, good goalkeepers. It's been a difficult choice, but we finally came to a collective decision. The team is based on the tournament and not on reputation."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are an abundance of Greek names in the squad, with the winners providing five players, one more than both Portugal and England. Three players from the Czech Republic squad have been selected along with two Swedes and one player each from previous winning nations Italy, Germany, France, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Goalkeepers Petr Cech (Czech Republic), Antonios Nikopolidis (Greece).
Defenders Sol Campbell (England), Ashley Cole (England), Traianos Dellas (Greece), Olof Mellberg (Sweden), Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal), Georgios Seitaridis (Greece), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy), Stelios Fiveropoulos (Greece).
Midfielders Michael Ballack (Germany), Luis Figo (Portugal), Frank Lampard (England), Maniche (Portugal), Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic), Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece), Zinedine Zidane (France).
Strikers Milan Baros (Czech Republic), Angelos Haristeas (Greece), Henrik Larsson (Sweden), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Wayne Rooney (England), Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands).
Zagorakis is EURO's finest
Greece captain Theodoros Zagorakis has been named as the EURO 2004 Player of the Tournament.
Monday, 05 July 2004
The result was announced in Lisbon today by UEFA's technical study group, the group of coaches and technical experts which is compiling a report on technical and tactical trends to arise from the competition in Portugal.
AEK Athens midfield player Zagorakis, 32, was an inspirational figure in Greece's astonishing march to the European title - an adventure which climaxed at last night's final, when coach Otto Rehhagel's team stunned the football world by beating hosts Portugal 1-0 at the Estádio da Luz.
Zagorakis led by example as Greece eclipsed Spain and Ukraine to top qualifying Group 6, playing all eight qualifiers and helping his side to six clean sheets in as many victories and an automatic passage to Portugal. He also impressed in the final round as the team overcame supposedly superior opposition with their organisation and courage.
Gérard Houllier was just one of the sport's respected figures who showered Zagorakis with praise. "He was captain, man of the match in the first game and in the last," said Houllier. "He was influential and showed leadership, and he is also a good player - his skills and technique showed in final."
For the first time, the fans have also had a say in who wins this prestigious accolade. Their voting on euro2004.com, the official tournament website, was considered by the UEFA Technical Committee when deciding the winner.
The EURO technical study group comprises eight members: Roy Hodgson, Houllier, Anghel Iordanescu, György Mezey, Holger Osieck, Jozef Venglos, Berti Vogts and Andy Roxburgh. Each of these cast one vote for the Player of the Tournament, and the ninth vote came from euro2004.com.
- euro2004.com
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