UEFA Euro 2016 Team of the Tournament Announced: Full Lineup, Comments, Reaction

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is one of four players from his team named in the best XI of the UEFA European Championship, while the Welsh duo of Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen were also included.

UEFA confirmed the selection in full on their official website. 101 Great Goals relayed the team on Twitter:

Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rui Patricio were the other three players who made the cut from the Portugal squad that beat France to glory in Paris on Sunday.

The hosts’ forward Antoine Griezmann was also named in the XI after scoring six goals and being confirmed as the Player of the Tournament, per the competition’s Twitter feed.

While Gareth Bale’s talismanic showings in a Wales shirt grabbed plenty of headlines, there’s no place for him in the team. The stellar performances of Ramsey and Allen have been recognised, though.

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Elsewhere, Germany have three representatives in Jerome Boateng, Toni Kroos and youngster Joshua Kimmich, who did a tremendous job as a makeshift right-back. Dimitri Payet’s brilliant showings early in the competition are enough for him to take up the other spot.

In terms of club sides, Ronaldo, Pepe and Kroos give the team a spine of Real Madrid players. However, the Guardian’s Sid Lowe believes a fourth should have been included:

According to an accompanying statement on UEFA’s website, the team was selected by a 13-strong panel. Some of the names who contributed to the decision are former Manchester United managers Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, as well as current England under-21 head coach Gareth Southgate.

While these choices always trigger debates, there are some players whose position in the side is unquestionable. Pepe, who assumed the role of Portugal’s talisman when Ronaldo hobbled off injured in the final, was always a surefire inclusion.

As Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC noted, after sampling UEFA Champions League success with Real Madrid, he and Ronaldo have completed a special double:

Griezmann, despite coming up short in the final, is another who starred. The Atletico Madrid forward lit up the tournament in the latter stages with his superb goalscoring, bagging braces against the Republic of Ireland and, most memorably, Germany in the 2-0 semi-final triumph.

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Wales’ run to the final four was the story of the tournament, with their 3-1 win over Belgium one of the most memorable matches at the France showpiece. Bale’s influence on the team was enormous throughout the competition, although the loss of Ramsey, who was suspended for the semi-final, was evident in the defeat to Portugal.

Allen was also extremely impressive at the base of the midfield, and World Soccer Talk’s Kartik Krishnaiyer believes the midfield pair deserved this recognition:

Bale is arguably the most notable omission, having netted three goals for Wales in the group stage and led from the front for his nation in the knockout stages. Italy’s Leonardo Bonucci is another star to miss out, despite turning in some exemplary displays at the base of Antonio Conte’s side.

Of the tournament winners, Nani, who netted three goals and led the line with distinction, was outstanding, while Renato Sanches, just 18 years old, also excelled; the Bayern Munich man can at least comfort himself with the Young Player of the Tournament gong, per the competition’s official Twitter feed.