Euro 2016 has come and gone with Portugal somehow leaving France as champions. There was a lot of good and a lot of bad that went down over the past month in France. Here is our staff’s recaps of all the highs and lows this tournament had to offer.
Phillip Bupp (Managing Editor)
MVP: Antoine Griezmann (France)
Easily the best player in the tournament and while he didn’t perform in the Final, he was great throughout.
Breakout star: Dimitri Payet (France)
Sure, we knew who Dimitri Payet was as he broke out this past EPL season at West Ham. But this tournament vaulted him from being a great player to a world class player.
Best storyline: Iceland
The team, the fans, the announcers, Iceland made the tournament fun. They made their country proud and showed the correct way to cheer for your nation.
Biggest disappointment: Terrible play dominated the Euros
The Euros had moments of great play but it was a terribly played tournament overall. The style obviously worked because Portugal drew their way to the title but the tournament format invited negative play and was better for teams to play not to lose rather than teams that go for the win.
Jeff Snyder (Associate Editor)
MVP: Antoine Griezmann (France)
Can’t be anyone else. Griezmann was often the player that France turned to and he’s gone from strength to strength in the last few seasons. In a strong French side, he was without a doubt it’s best player.
Breakout Star: Renato Sanches (Portugal)
The youngest player to ever win the Euros. Between his transfer to Bayern and this, it’s been a huge year from him. It’ll be exciting to see him continue to develop.
Best Storyline: Iceland
Though to be different, I could say Wales too. Everything about Iceland though made me want to see them go far. I love their commitment to development and the support that they have received.
Biggest Disappointment: The unattractive play, in general.
When we watch these big tournaments, and soccer in general, we want to see teams going for it. We want to see them want to win. There’s a massive difference between being tactically astute and the poor play we saw throughout the tournament.
Randy Capps (Staff Writer)
MVP: Antoine Griezmann (France)
Wasn’t at his best in the final, but was a force for France in its run to the final.
Breakout star: Hal Robson-Kanu (Wales)
When you go from being a journeyman striker without a club to a guy pulling Cruyff turns, you’ve broken out.
Best storyline: Portugal’s win without Ronaldo
Iceland’s rise was fun, but Portugal lifting the trophy with its heart and soul limping on the touch line was something else.
Biggest disappointment: Fan violence
OK, England was awful, but watching Russian fans stir up trouble on the eve of hosting the World Cup, no less, was disturbing.
Josh Espinal (Staff Writer)
MVP: Antoine Griezmann (France)
He was clearly one the best player for any team out there he created the most chances for his team and led them to the finals.
Breakout star: Renato Sanches (Portugal)
A force for Portugal and for him being the youngest player to score, start and win the Euros justifies why he’s earning big money in Germany.
Best headline: How far the first timers advanced
Just how the expansion helped first timers get into the Euros and how well they preformed was amazing to see and it lead to great runs by Wales and Iceland.
Worst moment: Fan unrest
The fans getting out of control marred what were some pretty good games. At a certain point the French officials lost control and couldn’t prevent pitch invasions and flares being thrown onto the field
Pauly Kwestel (Staff Writer)
MVP: Antoine Griezmann (France)
In a tournament where many of the stars turned in underwhelming performances, Griezemann did not. He entered a little tired from the long club season, but got better as the tournament went on. Once he was put in a central position his play took off.
Breakout star: Marek Hamsik (Slovakia)
You’d be forgiven for having not heard of the Napoli captain heading in to the tournament but you should definitely know who he is now. He was simply everywhere in the early stages of this tournament, helping Slovakia get out of the group. It’s no surprise that Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, PSG, and Chelsea are all vying for his signature.
Best storyline: The Irish fans
At the beginning of the tournament all the news focused on fan violence. And then there were the Irish fans, seemingly spreading joy and revelry wherever they went. Whether it be singing ABBA songs with Swedish fans, serenading a French woman, or singing lullabies to a baby on the subway the Irish fans were always bringing smiles.
Biggest disappointment: Euro 2016
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never complain about a summer international tournament. Getting to watch three games every day is certainly a treat and the way ESPN covers the event really makes you feel like you’re watching something special. But there’s no denying the expanded format promoted negativity, which we saw all the way through the final that somehow allowed Portugal to win the whole damn thing. Many of the games failed to deliver and that’s a crying shame.
Harrison Prolic (Staff Writer)
MVP: Antoine Griezmann (France)
It’s hard not to be a tournament MVP when you’re the tournament’s top scoring and you’re grabbing all the headlines. Griezmann was electric for most of the Euros, and despite a poor showing in the final, he did more than anyone else.
Breakout Star: Renato Sanches (Portugal)
Winning a European Championship at only 18 is impressive, but starting every match in the knock-out stage and being your team’s driving force in midfield with Ronaldo on the same squad is special. Renato Sanches has a bright future. Benfica must wish Bayern had waited to buy him until after the tournament because they would surely get a lot more for the youngster now.
Best Storyline: Iceland
There isn’t a story that came out of Euro 2016 that made people feel as good as Iceland’s run. They were beneficiaries of UEFA’s decision to expand the field to 24 teams, but once they arrived they hardly looked out of place. It was a nice reminder that sports don’t always have to be so cynical.
Biggest disappointment:
Thomas Müller. Ever since missing a penalty against Atletico Madrid, Thomas Müller hasn’t looked himself. He still hasn’t scored at any European Championship, and his penalty against Italy was clearly taken by someone lacking in confidence. It’s not likely that he’s going to be on this poor form forever, but with Germany who seemed to be missing a cutting edge during this tournament, they really could have used the World Cup and Bayern Munich version of Thomas Müller.
