The Best XI of Euro 2020: Five Italians Make the Top Team

Azzurri Triumph, Belgium, Denmark, England, Euro 2020, Italy, Serie A, Spain, The Azzurri

A month-long battle for the European crown came to an end on Sunday night as Italy beat England 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout to win their first European Championship title since 1968.

The tournament saw many lesser-known players put in great performances, while some of the more established names struggled to make an impact at Euro 2020.

To recap the European Championship for the last time, we took a look at the best XI from Euro 2020 in partnership with the FotMob app based on statistical ratings.

Goalkeeper – Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)

The Italian giant saved two England penalties en route to a historic penalty shootout victory, and was deservedly named the Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament.

The 22-year-old former Milan goalkeeper recorded the fourth-highest save percentage rate at this summer’s tournament, stopping 75% of opponents shots per game, which equates to 1.13 saves.

In seven games he played, Donnarumma conceded just 4 goals, 0.6 per game, while the Post-Shot Expected Goals (PSxG) metric suggests the Italian should have conceded 1.5 goals more. That means Donnarumma saved Italy almost 2 goals more than he was expected to.

FotMob Rating – 6.75

Right-Back – Kyle Walker (England)

The Manchester City full-back had an outstanding tournament, featuring in the starting eleven in six of the seven England matches, despite Gareth Southgate having two more right-backs available at his disposal.

In the 6 games he played, the 31-year-old did not score a goal or provide a single assist, but his defensive performances were as good as it gets.

Walker was unbeatable in one-on-one duels, as he was dribbled past on average just 0.2 times per game. The right-back also intercepted an average of 1.2 passes per game and recorded a 87.0% pass completion.

FotMob Rating – 7.27

Right Center-Back – Leonardo Bonucci (Italy)

Italy’s second most experienced player in the team, Leonardo Bonucci, was outstanding throughout the tournament and scored the crucial equalizer in the final against England.

It was the 34-year-old’s second European Championship final following a 4-0 defeat to Spain nine years ago at EURO 2012.

The Juventus center-back was a rock throughout the tournament, averaging 1.7 interceptions per game and also winning 69% of ground duels (avg. 1.6). The Italian also created 2 big scoring chances for his teammates and was a key contributor to the build-up play with an 88% pass rate success.

FotMob Rating – 7.32

Left Center-Back – Harry Maguire (England)

Equally impressive defensively was England and Manchester United center-back Harry Maguire, who missed the first two games of the group stage through injury.

The 28-year-old replaced Tyron Mings in no time and formed a solid defensive partnership with fellow center-back John Stones for the rest of the tournament, scoring one of the four goals in the Quarter-Final game against Ukraine.

The Manchester United captain excelled in terms of ground and aerial duels, winning 79% of total duels. He also averaged an impressive 1.8 interceptions per game and completed 89% of his passes.

FotMob Rating – 7.87

Left-Back – Leonardo Spinazzola (Italy)

Completing a defensive domination of English and Italian defenders is Leonardo Spinazzola. The Roma defender was a contender for the Player of the Tournament award before he suffered an unfortunate injury in the 2-1 win over Belgium.

The Italian full-back had an outstanding tournament in the four games he played, and was one of the main attacking weapons down the Italy’s left side.

Despite not scoring a goal and registering just one assist, Spinazzola produced an impressive average rate of 2.0 key passes and 3.6 progressive passes per game, while also creating 2 big goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates.

FotMob Rating – 7.73

Defensive Midfielder – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark)

Denmark were on the verge of repeating the miracle of 1992, as the Danes came incredibly close to reaching their second final in Euro history, but narrowly lost 2-1 to England in the Semi-Finals.

Despite the heart-breaking loss of their star player Christian Eriksen in the first group game, others were tasked with stepping into the breach when needed and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did just that.

The Tottenham midfielder had an outstanding tournament, registering 3 assists and averaging 1.8 key passes per game – an exceptional performance for a defensive-minded midfielder.

FotMob Rating – 7.89

Defensive Midfielder – Jorginho (Italy)

Italy showed a new face at Euro 2020, dominating possession like never before. However, this would not have been possible without players such as Jorginho.

The Chelsea midfielder had a terrific tournament, setting the tempo for Italy’s attacks and also working at full speed defensively.

The 29-year-old had an average pass rate of 93% throughout the tournament, playing 4.49 progressive passes and 7.18 passes into the final third. Jorginho was also in the top three for passes intercepted per game, averaging 3.6.

FotMob Rating – 7.83

Central Midfielder – Pedri (Spain)

One of the surprising players on the list is Spain and Barcelona midfielder Pedri. The 18-year-old impressed many football experts at Euro 2020 with his mature and confident display, despite not scoring a single goal.

The Barcelona talent created 3 big chances in 6 games he played in, also averaging 1.8 key passes per game. Pedri’s all-round possession game was also solid as he recorded a 91% pass success rate and completed an impressive 6.14 progressive passes per game.

FotMob Rating – 7.10

Right Winger / Right Forward – Federico Chiesa (Italy)

After losing the battle for the starting spot on the right wing to Domenico Berardi in the early games, Federico Chiesa earned his place back in the starting eleven as the tournament progressed.

The 23-year-old Juventus man scored 2 goals at Euro 2020, including one in the Semi-Final game against Spain. Overall, Chiesa was a constant source of danger on the right for Italy, creating 3 big scoring chances and completing 60% of dribble attempts (avg. 1.3 per game).

FotMob Rating – 6.92

Left Winger / Left Forward – Raheem Sterling (England)

The Manchester City winger had his best ever tournament in an England shirt, although it did not end the way he and the nation as a whole expected.

Sterling was one of the standout performers at Euro 2020 for England, scoring 3 goals and assisting Harry Kane’s goal in the Quarter-Final against Ukraine. The 26-year-old also averaged the second-highest number of dribbles per game at 2.9.

FotMob Rating – 7.47

Striker – Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

Despite Belgium’s relatively early exit in the Quarter-Finals, their star players had quite a successful tournament.

Romelu Lukaku was one of them, as the Inter star striker continued his great form from club to international football, scoring 4 goals – just one behind the top scorers of the tournament in Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrik Schick.

FotMob Rating – 7.53

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