The UEFA Euro 2016 was a tournament with big name forwards like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Robert Lewendowski to name a few. However, only a few of these players failed to live up to their expectations. Some rose to the occasion while others faded away.
The ones mentioned below were in the midst of every attack of their team and managed to score a few vital goals. They have been crucial for their team’s progression in the tournament and were a constant threat in the final third. Here is the list of best attacking players in the UEFA Euro 2016.
- Antoine Griezmann
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Antoine Griezmann has had an outstanding UEFA Euro tournament this year scoring 6 goals and providing 2 assists from a CAM/CF position. His performance has earned him the Golden Boot award for being the highest goal scorer.
Griezmann has been compared with some of France’s best players including Thierry Henry and Michel Platini and such was the standard of his performance at the Euros. He now has more goal than the legendary Zinedine Zidane the same number of goals as Thierry Henry.
He has also attracted interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe including Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Legend Raymond Parlour claiming he’d love to see the player at Arsenal. Wenger has gone on to say that Griezmann is certainly one of the candidates for the Ballon d’Or award.
- Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale is another player in the contention for a Ballon d’Or after a fantastic last two months with his club Real Madrid which included a Champions League trophy.
He carried the momentum to the Euros where Wales were expected to edge out to the round of 16 by the experts. However, Gareth Bale’s men had other plans as they reached the semi-finals of the tournament knocking out favourites Belgium in the process.
With 40 dribbles, the most in the tournament – Bale has tormented the opposition’s defense in every game adding 3 goals to his name in the process.
- Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo has had a good summer which started off with a penalty kick to give Real Madrid the UEFA Champions League trophy and ended with tears of joy as he lifted the UEFA European Championship with his club.
With the most number of shots in the tournament, Ronaldo’s desire to score for his nation was clear. He always troubled the opponents and score three goals in the process. He also assisted two goals in the tournament. Against Croatia, it was his shot on goal that helped Quaresma score the goal on the rebound. Besides his contributions on the pitch, Ronaldo’s leadership and motivation off it was a highlight of his tournament.
With a trophy with his country and club, Ronaldo has probably had the best summer of his life and is a major contender for the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
- Nani
Nani was one of the forgotten names of Portuguese football before the tournament began. The promising winger signed with Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon along with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although their paths ever since have been contrasting, Nani has slowly started to come back to the spotlight again with his performances at the Euros. With 3 goals and an assist to his name, Nani has risen up to the occasion when Portugal needed him the most.
With shades of brilliance in every game, he has been Cristiano’s sidekick at the tournament. His exploits with the national team earned him a deal with Valencia in La Liga and could be a great addition to the squad.
- Alvaro Morata
Since moving to Italy from Spanish Giants Real Madrid, Alvaro Morata has grown from strength to strength. From making occasional appearances at Real Madrid, Morata was more of a regular player at Juventus although not their regular starter.
He was picked for the Spanish team as their first choice striker and did not disappoint. Morata scored three goals for Spain and was a constant threat in the box. He often made clever runs into space and was well supported by Nolito.
After his involvement in Spain’s progression, Real Madrid opted to buy-back the player from Juventus and has since been linked with a move to Arsenal. Morata could be an important addition to Arsenal who seem to be unhappy with Giroud’s progress.
Special Mention:
Hal Robson-Kanu had a good UEFA Euro tournament scoring two important goals for Wales. His goal in the first game against Slovakia and the special Cryuff turn against Belgium to give Wales the lead was two of the most important goals for Wales in the tournament.
His performance has linked him with a number of Premier League clubs including Swansea, Middlesbrough, Hull City etc.
