Creating a Euro 2016 XI with only one player per nation

It’s almost time. With the curtains set to be raised in Paris a few months from now, one cannot wait to be spellbound by the galaxy of stars about to take centre stage at the 2016 European Championship. With 24 teams gunning for silverware, one thing is certain, this is going to be some spectacle. And needless to say, all eyes will be on the individuals slated to elevate the tournament into a peerless phenomenon.To this end, some squads (the traditional powerhouses) are better endowed than others, with an endless array of world class superstars. However, it wouldn’t be much fun to see a Team of the Tournament replete with Spanish and German names, would it? So here’s an assorted team for the UEFA Euro 2016, with not more than one player representing any nation.

#1 Manuel Neuer (GK), Germany

Few men are capable of moments which are as full of brilliance and madness in equal measure as Manuel Neuer. Whether it is a full-blooded tackle near the halfway line, a disdainful flick inches away from his own goal, or a good, old fashioned screamer of a save, the burly German exudes confidence in everything he does; keeping, sweeping, or whatever it is they call it.

Arguably the finest goalkeeper of his generation, the Bayern Munich number one is capable of producing turning points as decisive as the ones we associate more often with those men up field. But Neuer is a one of a kind – one of modern football’s path breaking pioneers. Is there a more commanding presence between the sticks catching the plane to France? I daresay not. Expect the purest form of lunatic magnificence from the German glove man. For Manuel Neuer is nothing, if he isn’t entertaining.

#2 Nathaniel Clyne (RB), England

The dearth of quality right backs in the continent is alarming. Spain has three of them, in Cesar Azpilicueta, Dani Carvajal and Juanfran, but La Furia Roja have too many superior talents elsewhere for these names to be considered, which is also why the likes of Bacary Sagna and Lukasz Piszczek fail to find a spot in the team. All this leaves us with Nathaniel Clyne, the English cog in this All-Star Team.

Liverpool’s industrious full back, Clyne’s stock has grown in leaps and bounds, ever since he started making those turf scorching runs while at St Mary’s. And needless to say, the Reds soon snatched him away, like they’ve done with many a Southampton player over the past few years. Equally good at attack and defence, Clyne will surely be Roy Hodgson’s main man, come this summer, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Kyle Walker being a more than capable backup.

#3 Vincent Kompany(C) (CB), Belgium

Every team, good, bad or ugly, needs a skipper at the helm to marshal them through thick and thin. And few men wear their hearts on their sleeves as much as Vincent Kompany does. The inspirational figure who has led Manchester City to glory on numerous occasions, also recently took his national team to the top of the pile in the FIFA rankings. And who better to captain our team than the captain of the world’s highest ranked team?

One of the greatest centre-backs of his generation, the Belgian offers a potent aerial threat too; so when push comes to shove, the giant defender can make his presence felt on both ends of the pitch. His ferocious tackling, intelligent interceptions and masterful reading of the game are going to be extremely crucial to the Belgian defence, who look heavy on the centre and light on the flanks.

#4 Giorgio Chiellini (CB), Italy

A “defender’s defender” they call him Italy. Rough, tough and a street fighter to the core, Giorgio Chiellini, along with Diego Godin is an oddity in the modern game – two men who have risen to the top of the ladder in the game, not because of their skills on the ball, but because, well, they defend. An underrated grafter with a reputation of putting his body on the line if need be, the balding Juventus defender injects aggression into the team.

Also, he lends balance to the centre of the back line, forming a right-left partnership with Kompany at the heart of the defence. And with not too many of his countrymen expected to set the world alight in France, the famed Italian caginess, led by Chiellini at the back seems instrumental, if the Azzurri are to stand any chance of making it to the business end of the tournament.

#5 David Alaba (LB), Austria

Narrowing down David Alaba as merely a left back is akin to calling Tony Stark an entrepreneur. He is Pep Guardiola’s jack of all trades; and contrary to the oft repeated proverb, the Austrian youngster is also a master of them all. Irrespective of the formation, irrespective of the opposition and irrespective of his own position, David Alaba would walk into any team in world football, and our team is no different.

However, if one has to point out his finest skillset and best position, it has to be at left back, where he made his name, before Guardiola turned the Austrian into the Swiss knife of Bayern Munich. Whether or not he plays at left back for his national team is immaterial; the truth of the matter is, Alaba is up there with Real Madrid and Brazil’s Marcelo as the finest full back in the world today.

#6 Sergio Busquets (CM), Spain

They have Andres Iniesta, Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla, Sergio Ramos, David Silva and Diego Costa. And yet, none of them can genuinely stake their claim to being the best in the world at what they do. Yet, he can. For, there isn’t another holding midfielder of his ilk playing the game today. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the most underrated footballer on the planet today, Sergio Busquets.

Combine brains and brawns seamlessly and effortlessly, the Catalan never seems to put a foot wrong. He is always there in the right place at the right time, being his team’s go to outlet, when in need of space. In addition to this, he can also sit doggedly in front of the defence, preventing the opposition from gate-crashing, time and time again. A fine tackler and a wonderful passer, he is the perfect modern day holding midfielder – the silent engine of our team.

#7 Luka Modric (CM), Croatia

My oh my, this was one hard choice. Forming one of arguably Europe’s finest central midfield duo along with Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric’s selection in this team over his compatriot, is made on wafer thin margins. While the Barcelona midfielder is more box to box in nature, his Real Madrid counterpart is more metronomic, plugging holes in the opposition defence that only he can see.

One among the very few non-BBC indispensables in the Los Blancos squad, the diminutive Croatian is a playmaker par excellence. Pinging the ball around with unassuming ease, and delivering inch perfect crosses as well as pin point through balls, Modric has the priceless ability of making his teammates better. The former Spurs midfielder is also never given his due for the defensive contributions he makes, with his ability to shield the defence being one of the reasons why Madrid play Toni Kroos alongside him.

#8 Paul Pogba (CM), France

With Franck Ribery announcing his retirement from international football, and Karim Benzema’s appearance still being on limbo, the hopes of the host nation lie on the shoulders of a young man. Paul Pogba, the golden boy of France, is well on his way to becoming the greatest midfielder his country has seen, since Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane. And come this summer, the Frenchman gets the chance to showcase his burgeoning talent in his own backyard.

Les Blues will need Pogba to contribute at either end, with his ability to stick a foot in on the opposition being as important as his ability to stick the ball into the back of the opposition net. In 1984, Platini, a Juventus star, led France to the pinnacle of Europe. Sixteen years later, Zidane, a Juventus star, led France to the pinnacle of Europe. Another sixteen years later, can Pogba, a Juventus star, lead France to the pinnacle of Europe?

#9 Gareth Bale (RW), Wales

The Welsh national team has qualified for their first major international tournament since 1958, when Pele, a teenager then, led Brazil to their first ever World Cup win. Leading the charge of the Red Dragons this time around is the country’s talisman, Gareth Bale. The most expensive footballer on the planet, Bale was arguably the most influential player in the qualifying stages of Euro 2016, and he would be gunning to replicate the same, marauding form, when the showpiece begins.

Arguably the finest European leftie alongside Arjen Robben (whose absence in the tournament due to Dutch ineptness has saved me from a major selection headache), there’s no guessing from which side Bale would be steaming from. And unless the opposition defenders are at their best, goals will rain in from left, right and centre. The man himself would be itching to show off that trademark “Eleven of Hearts”. Europe, beware.

#10 Cristiano Ronaldo (LW), Portugal

He had to be there, hadn’t he? Arguably the easiest selection in this team, and the biggest star among the galaxy of superstars who’ll assemble in France this summer, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is Portugal’s only hope of making it big in France. The other side of the coin is true well – France 2016 is probably the final chance to win international silverware, for one of the most celebrated footballers of all time.

With this being his final opportunity to finally put the underwhelming performance at the 2014 World Cup to bed, one can expect Ronaldo to be fit and firing, as he always, always is. Whether his goals alone will be enough to see the Seleccao through thick and thin needs to be seen though. And if he does raise that magnificent trophy at the end of the tournament, he can certainly cement his legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

#11 Robert Lewandowski (ST), Poland

The top scorer of the qualifying stages of UEFA Euro 2016, Robert Lewandowski is Europe’s best striker by a mile. In a continent which is suffering from genuine drought in strike talent, Lewa shines through as a cold blooded and ruthless finisher, with eyes on goal at all times. And his presence alone gives Poland an outside chance of being the tournament’s dark horses. There’s no question of whether Robert Lewandowski would score. The only question is, how many is he going to score?

Five in a match, maybe? Or maybe four. Or a hat trick. The clinical Pole is capable of scoring loads of them, all in the space of a few minutes, if given the time and space. With no visible chinks in his striking armoury, it is difficult to see how teams would stop the Bayern Munich forward from running riot this summer.