10 players to watch out for in the Euro final

Group stages are over, quarter-finals are over, and semis are also done. Now its time for the most anticipated moment, the moment all the football lovers from over the world are anxiously waiting for. The grand finale of EURO 2012 is going to be held in Kiev today.

In the first semi-final clash between Spain and Portugal, we have seen Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream run come to an end while in the second semi-final it was Mario Balotelli from Italy, who ended Germany’s dream of winning the championship.

16 teams have started their campaign in search for glory, now only two remain, World No 1 Spain and four times FIFA World Cup winner Italy. Both teams have a fine balance and creativity in their line up. Possessing different styles of football it is quite evident that the final will be very exciting. No one knows if the fight will end on 90 mins or the match will be decided on penalties.

The count down has started already for this big final. So before the whistle blows to signal the start to the match, lets take a close look for the last time in EURO’12 on key players from both sides.

SPAIN:

DONETSK, UKRAINE – JUNE 27: Andres Iniesta of Spain in action during the UEFA EURO 2012 semi final match between Portugal and Spain at Donbass Arena on June 27, 2012 in Donetsk, Ukraine. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Andrea Iniesta - No doubt that Iniesta is a big match player. Though he performs in every match and gives his 100%, he saves some of his power and deadly penetrating power for the last 10 minutes of the match. No one has forgotten his winning goal against Netherland in the final of FIFA World Cup two years ago in extra time. He just keeps getting better and better, Iniesta is now one of the world’s best attacking forward.

He starts on the left and shifts centrally to score and set-up his teammates. His first touch and dribbling are thrilling to watch. Though he had not scored (penalty excluded) yet in this championship, he just might score again in a crucial final for Spain.

Xavi Hernandez - Is there anything left to say about this man? he is a pure magician with extraordinary capabilities. Player Of The Tournament in the EURO 2008, this Barcelona playmaker is the most important key man in the Spanish line up. Xavi is a complete midfielder, who controls the heart of Spain’s attack. With his ball control, extraordinary vision, and passing range this midfield maestro has always been a regular face in the Barcelona line-up. Though he had not scored yet in this championship, surely he will be very much eager to break that dead lock.

Sergio Ramos - Spain have conceded only once in this championship, this shows how good their defence is and it is quite natural when you have Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique in the defence. In the absence of the veteran Carles Puyol, Ramos is doing a great job along with Pique and Jordi Alba.

A supremely talented defender, Ramos has been a favourite in Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid line-up and his performance for his club speaks volumes of his ability. The Bernabeu star has good flexibility, immense control and remains cool under pressure. Though he did the job of a defender very well, in addition he provides some extra pace in the attack and he is quite good aerially too. It will be very exciting to watch Ramos and Balotelli clash with each other.

Jordi Alba - Overshadowed by players like - Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso – Alba came out as an emerging talent for this Spanish side. This extremely talented player will go very long in international football, if he continues his run at this rate.Though his favourite position on the wing, his manager del Bosque uses him as a left back. The 23 years old played for Valencia in the last season. However, seeing his talent and ability, Barcelona had already signed him. Playing a crucial role in both attack and defence, sometimes he took the position of left winger and helped the team to attack more deeply.

Iker Casillas - No one knows if the finale of EURO’12 will go to penalty shoot out, but if it does, then Spain can rest easy when they have a goal keeper like Casillas in their team. He is extremely cool and calm under pressure, Spain’s No. 1 and the Real Madrid custodian conceded one single goal in this championship so far. He already had two success stories under his belt – champions of EURO 2008 and World Cup winner in 2010. Certainly he will not want to lose another chance to grab the glory.

ITALY:

KIEV, UKRAINE – JUNE 30: Andrea Pirlo of Italy and team-mate Mario Balotelli are watched by coach Cesare Prandelli during an Italy training session at the Olympic Stadium on June 30, 2012 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Andrea Pirlo - After winning Seria A title for his club Juventus, Pirlo has carried his supreme form into this tournament and consistently performed for Italy since the tournament began. Rotating position on the pitch, Pirlo is constantly looking for the ball and with the help of De rossi, Claudio Marchisio, he is operating the Italian attack from deep in the mid field. He is a strong competitor for the Golden Ball award alongside Iniesta. Pirlo is known for his vision, passing abilities and he has done most of the damage through his diagonal balls to the two front men. So without any doubt it can be said that it will be exciting to watch the battle between Xavi and Pirlo.

Mario Balotelli - A pure entertainer, Balotelli is the perfect “Postman”, who has the capability to deliver at the right time. One day he is fantastic, the very next day he is nothing. After a dream season for Man City in England, he came into this tournament with so much expectations from his country men. He had scored only three goals so far, but the quality of those are an example of his immense talent. He has a good understanding on and off the pitch with Antonio Cassano, he has been getting into good positions and making some useful runs on the edge of the opponents box since the beginning of the tournament, but was unable to finish a few easy 1v1 hances. In the quarter-final match against England he came close to scoring, but in the semi final against Germany he perfected it.

Gianluigi Buffon - It will be a clash of two of the world’s best goalkeepers. Casillas for Spain and Buffon for Italy. The Juventus custodian has been the regular goalkeeper for Italy since the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His performance in this entire tournament has been exceptional. He has conceded only two goals so far in this championship. After playing a vital role in the quarter final match against England, by saving a penalty kick from Ashley Cole, he continued his form in the semis also against Germany. He saved a cracker of a shot from Tony Kroos, and a superbly taken free kick from Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Daniele de Rossi - Overshadowed by the presence of Andrea Pirlo, Mario Balotelli, this man has shown just how much important he can be for his team. A pure athelete and a hard worker de Rossi shares the work load of Italian mid field with Pirlo. Patrolling deeply to collect the ball and pass it to his team mates, and creating some free space for attack are his key weapons. If Italy needs to dominate the midfield against Spain then De Rossi will be a key man for Cesare Prandelli.

Giergio Chiellini - He returned from injury to play against Germany in the Semi-final. It’s was a relief for the Italians to see their powerful centre-back back in the starting XI. He has been marshaling the Italian defence quite well with Leonardo Bonucci. Though the Germans were quite able to destroy the Italian defence on some occasions, but in the final against Spain Chiellini and Bonucci will be key to stop Fabregas or Torres.