So, the leagues are over for another season and with Euro 2008 just around the corner, we will all be predicting who is likely to win the tournament.
Clubs from around the world will be sending scouts to seek new talent, while managers can either bolster their reputation with victory or tarnish it with defeat.
Either way, it promises to be a great tournament with some of the Europe's finest talent on show. Here are some of the players who are sure to impress.
10. Luca Modric—Croatia
The midfielder, who can also double as a second striker, is regarded as one of the finest and promising young talents in the world at the moment.
In 2007 he was voted Player of the Year in the Croatian League for Dynamo Zagreb. Despite this, the playmaker was still relatively unknown until he played against England in a friendly and proceeded to dazzle us with silky passing.
If you still don't know him, you most likely will by the end of the tournament and realise why Spurs fans are so excited over their new signing.
9. Fabio Cannavaro—Italy
The 34 year-old World Cup-winner is still seen as one of the finest defenders in the game.
He proved this in the 2006 World Cup when he was probably the best player of the whole tournament.
Cannavaro, who stands only 5'9" tall, was named FIFA World Player of the Year thanks to his performances for Juventus and Italy that year. The feisty Italian played every minute of the World Cup and, as a result of his displays, the team only conceded two goals during the whole competition.
He also showed great experience and discipline, not once receiving a yellow or red card. Now with partner Alessandro Nesta retired, will Cannavaro be able to continue the form that earned him a move to Real Madrid and lead Italy to glory?
8. Luca Toni—Italy
The 31 year-old Italian seems to be in the form of his life, both for club and country.
First, he fired Bayern Munich to a league and cup double, scoring 24 goals in 31 appearances to finish as the league's top scorer and another 10 goals in nine appearances in the cup.
Although not prolific in the 2006 World Cup, he has hit a rich vein of goal scoring form in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, most memorably scoring both goals against Scotland in a 2-0 win in addition to scoring in the first minute of the second game at Hampden Park.
He will look to continue that form for the rest of the competition and fire Italy to glory.
7. Cesc Fabregas—Spain
The silky Spaniard received all the plaudits at the beginning of the season, cutting through defences effortlessly with smooth and effective passing.
As the key provider for frontman Emmanuel Adebayor, the Togolese striker proceeded to bang in goals from left, right, and centre for Arsenal.
Fabregas also added something new to his repertoire, scoring fantastic match-winning goals.
Although he went off the boil after Christmas, Luis Aragones will no doubt know how important Fabregas can be to the national side. At only 20 years of age, this wont be Fabregas' last tournament, but this is his chance to step up and put in some performances to cement his place as a world-class midfielder.
6. Karim Benzema—France
21 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
joseph grassa about 1 year ago
Ronaldo has still done NOTHING against a single good team. in 12 games against chelsea he has scored 1 goal. How many does he have against derby? in euro qualifying he scored 1 goal in 6 games against the other 3 top teams in there grp and he scored 5 against Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan in those 6 games. i honestly cant say Ronaldo is the best in the world yet. Where was he in the friendly against Italy? Or against Barcelona in the semis of the cl? i have yet to see him do well against the top players in the world and most frequently when i see him play against some of the best i see alot of diving and whining. for me its sad that he has become so idolized by the youth. i dont think he is a good role model but i hope he grows into one.
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Michael Griffin about 1 year ago
yes but that one goal was in the euro cup final. that's nothing i guess. the diving and whinig has calmed down a lot, drogba has taken his place for that. as long as goals go in for his team, it doesn't matter much, the win is all that counts. to say he is a bad role model is just ignorant. he's a role model because the diving has been cut out of his game, and he fought his critics after the wink incident.
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S B about 1 year ago
I`d add to what Joe said there by saying that he loses control too often for a top player.
Also against Chelsea in the final I saw him lean back while passing his foot over the ball so as not to make any progress or be tackled.......seemed to be just for the cameras.
In the first half he did beat his marker very well once and he did manage to find free space for the header as well.
So he is good. But he is also overrated and he knows it. He`s more intelligent than people give him credit for. He sells himself well for the cameras. In the end however I agree with Joe he will contribute nothing much to the Euro Cup or any other top competition.
When the big boys play he shrinks.
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illya mclellan about 1 year ago
bollocks he's overrated, he's only twenty three, he will be remembered as one of the greats. he's a young player, he will grow into his status. show me someone who is playing better football than him in his role at the moment
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Eli Etzel about 1 year ago
what about Wayne Rooney
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Michael Griffin about 1 year ago
haha, that's cheeky.
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Ben Weixlmann about 1 year ago
I like the list, thank you for placing Ballack relatively high on the list. He will lead Germany to the title.
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Keith Griffin about 1 year ago
Thanks Benjamin, Ill be rooting for Holland myself, but always enjoy watching Ballack play. And he will no doubt leave his mark on the competiton, win or lose.
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Derek Harmsworth about 1 year ago
Eli, England did not qualify, unfortunately
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David Bowen about 1 year ago
Hard to see Ribery making it this high on the list. While his first year in the Bundesliga was certainly outstanding, he largely benefited by playing with a group of teammates who far outclassed any league competition. As the talent gap narrows, I can't see him having the same level of impact.
I agree with Torres, however. Spain will be the team to watch for this time around, with Torres leading the charge.
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Michael Griffin about 1 year ago
huntelaar will be the difference maker for holland this year. hopefully he'll don a red shirt this summer at old trafford.
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Keith Griffin about 1 year ago
Yeah hopefully. ll be keeping a close eye on the Hunter, he's sure to be in the EPL next season with someone.
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Salomon Gonzales about 1 year ago
Arshavin of Russia definetely deserved a mention.
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Derek Harmsworth about 1 year ago
I always agreed with people when they said Ronaldo was the worlds best player, I said he would be even better if he stopped whining and diving everywhere...and as a Chelsea fan I will say through clenched teeth he has gotten better.
He still complains a lot, but he has toned it down, and good for him, soccer is better for it.
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Jad Semaan about 1 year ago
What about Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Or Holland's Ruud van Nistelrooy and/or Arjen Robben? Or perhaps Romania's Adrian Mutu? Those guys might make a splash also, and I think they deserve some mention.
Perhaps a list of twenty players could have included those guys, but top 10 lists are always more popular than top 20.
And Germany is long overdue for a big win. Better to get your money in before the lines change :)
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Tim Yu about 1 year ago
Another player to look out for is Niko Krancjar from Croatia. He's caught the eye of Arsene Wenger at Pompey and he'll be a decisive player in the heart of the Croatian midfield.
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Harry O'Donnell about 1 year ago
top ten players to WATH OUT FOR? surely this should be a list of players who will be making their mark at this competition for the first time, players like huntelaar & modric, will be on the world stage for the first time.
But to have players like cannavaro, ballack & ronaldo on this list is not what i expected. I thought this would be a list of players, who perhaps not everyone has heard of, but are going to make there mark on this competition, like ronaldhinio did in the 2002 world cup.
Huntelaar
Luka Modric
Arshavin
Benzema
Ben Arfa
Joao Mouthino
Mario Gomez
Samir Nasri
these kind of players not fabregas, luca toni and franck ribery.
Maybe i just misunderstood the title, but i think my idea for one would be much more interesting, rather than watch out for ballack
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illya mclellan about 1 year ago
totally man, most of them are old news. who won the last one anyway none of these players haha,
russia for the euro go arshavin
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Keith Griffin about 1 year ago
Good point Harry. Again as said above a list of 20 would probably been more beneficial and I had made a short list of about 25 players, but condensed it to ten due to the amount of research needed and I wanted to write a decent sized paragraph on each player.
I focused on these players due to the season they just had and the media attention. Eg. Ronaldo and Torres. and how or will carry this form over to the Euro's.
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Anthony Kern about 1 year ago
one player that might surprise too is croatian and schalke midfielder ivan rakitic.
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Keith Griffin about 1 year ago
Thanks for the comments. I know other players will also make a splash eg Ben Arfa. I just focused on the more high profile contenders. Ronaldo as the most likely player of the year, Torres after a fantastic debut season in the Epl, Ballack rejuvinated, can Cannavaro carry the form of the world cup into the Euro's etc.
I wanted to put Veloso, Moutinho and Ben Arfa in there along with Kranjcar, but condensed the list to 10.
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