مدير عام كرة القدم
This summer’s European Championship was certainly a memorable one, with more goals scored than ever before, extra-time and penalties deciding games at an historic rate and the tournament’s attendance records tumbling in a month that ended with England retaining their European title, thanks to a dramatic shootout win over Spain in Basel on Sunday.
It was a tournament that saw such a variety of players soak up the spotlight along the way. There were young players who announced themselves on the big stage for the first time, world-class talents who performed as brilliantly as many expected and breakout stars in their mid-to-late twenties who took the chance to make a name for themselves.
All types feature in بالجم‘s Team of the Tournament, which has plenty of representation from the two finalists…
This summer’s European Championship was certainly a memorable one, with more goals scored than ever before, extra-time and penalties deciding games at an historic rate and the tournament’s attendance records tumbling in a month that ended with England retaining their European title, thanks to a dramatic shootout win over Spain in Basel on Sunday.
It was a tournament that saw such a variety of players soak up the spotlight along the way. There were young players who announced themselves on the big stage for the first time, world-class talents who performed as brilliantly as many expected and breakout stars in their mid-to-late twenties who took the chance to make a name for themselves.
All types feature in بالجم‘s Team of the Tournament, which has plenty of representation from the two finalists…
Hannah Hampton had huge shoes to fill at this tournament, following in the footsteps of Mary Earps after the England icon had been the best goalkeeper on show at Euro 2022 and the 2023 Women’s World Cup. In Switzerland, though, Hampton proved why Sarina Wiegman made her the Lionesses’ new No.1 with some outstanding performances on the way to the title, fully justifying the manager’s decision to make such a headline-grabbing change.
Only Livia Peng, the talented Switzerland shot-stopper who is actually a new team-mate of Hampton’s at Chelsea, had a more positive differential between her expected goals against statistic and the amount she actually conceded, with the numbers showing that Hampton prevented 2.69 goals over the course of Euro 2025.
And then there were the penalty heroics, with the 24-year-old making two huge stops in both the shootout wins over Sweden and Spain, plus the crucial double-save before England’s late equaliser against Italy in the semi-finals. When the pressure was at its greatest, Hampton stood up tall and delivered, marking herself out as the best goalkeeper at a tournament that had plenty of top performers.
While Euro 2025 was a tournament for goalkeepers, in part due to the record-breaking amount of penalty shootout drama it served up, it wasn’t quite one for defenders. More goals were scored than ever before at this European Championship, making it no surprise that it’s not easy to come up with too many contenders for the backline of بالجم‘s XI. As such, a rogue formation is required, as is the need for Lucy Bronze to occupy a centre-back role she’s not entirely unfamiliar with.
The England full-back was by no means flawless in Switzerland, with lapses in concentration particularly costly in the opener against France and the final, but no defender was. What sets Bronze apart is how she made up for those errors. Her all-round contributions at the back made for a rather steady level of performance away from those moments, with no one winning more aerial duels at the tournament than the 33-year-old, who also ranked in the top five for possession won and clearances made, and in the top 10 for tackles won and interceptions made.
Then there was that performance against Sweden in the quarter-finals, which saw Bronze play a huge role in the most miraculous of England’s many escape acts. The Lionesses were staring elimination in the face until the defender headed home the first goal of their late comeback from 2-0 down, and it was her thumping penalty in the shootout that swung the momentum in England’s favour again. Throw in that she played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia and it only adds to how extraordinary Bronze’s summer was.
It’s been quite a year for Rebecca Knaak. Aged 28, she got the first big move of her career in January when she joined Manchester City and, amid an injury crisis that placed real emphasis on her hitting the ground running, her performances in England were so impressive that she earned her first Germany cap in February. It was a timely entry into the national team picture, coming just before a European Championship that she would not only go on to be selected for, but regularly catch the eye in.
Germany had some serious defensive issues this summer. Star full-back Giulia Gwinn saw her tournament ended by injury in the first match, her replacement Carlotta Wamser picked up a red card in the final group-stage game, centre-back Kathrin Hendrich was sent off in the quarter-finals, Wamser’s successor Sarai Linder got injured in that same match and then Sophia Kleinherne limped off in the semi-final defeat to Spain.
While all that chaos was unfolding around her, Knaak stood impressively tall. Again, she was by no means perfect in Switzerland, but she was a big reason why Germany were able to reach the last four of this tournament – and only lose that game in extra-time – while having such a patchwork defence.
This was a monumental tournament for an Italy team that has underwhelmed plenty since reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, with them only two minutes away from an unprecedented final in Switzerland. Michelle Agyemang’s 96th-minute equaliser, and the subsequent heartbreak in extra-time, was a cruel way for the Azzurre’s campaign to end, but they should certainly hold their heads high after the way they played.
Contrary to stereotypes, it was often Italy’s attack which caught the eye, but the defence certainly played its part in this incredible run too, with Cecilia Salvai the star back there. No one made more clearances at Euro 2025 than the 31-year-old, who also led her team in interceptions and blocks. That her best performance of the month came in the semi-final, in what was the biggest game of her career, said a lot too, even if the result didn’t go Italy’s way.
Arguably the player of the tournament, Patri Guijarro was outstanding at Euro 2025. As a holding midfielder, it’s hard for her to grab the headlines as much as some of her Spain and Barcelona team-mates, especially when she is usually playing in a trio with two double Ballon d’Or winners, in Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati. But after a terrific club season, Guijarro showed on the big stage why she deserves plenty of her own plaudits, too.
No one won possession more often at the tournament than the 27-year-old, who also ranked in the top five for interceptions made, tackles won and how often she regained possession in the final third. What separates Guijarro from other elite holding midfielders, though, is how she is able to also influence the attack, with only four players creating more chances at Euro 2025 than her, despite all of them playing much more attacking roles than her own.
One of the breakout stars of the tournament was Switzerland midfielder Geraldine Reuteler, who collected three Player of the Match accolades in the group stage as La Nati progressed to the knockouts in this competition for the first time in their history. Once there, the hosts did succumb to an unsurprising loss to Spain, but they certainly did themselves proud in that 2-0 defeat, with Reuteler standing out as their best outfielder to further justify her inclusion in this XI despite elimination.
No one made more interceptions at Euro 2025 than the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder, and she remained in the top 10 for how often she won possession even after Switzerland crashed out with two rounds to go. And then there are her attacking contributions, with Reuteler creating more chances than any team-mate, scoring a lovely opener in victory over Iceland and assisting the goal that secured La Nati’s place in the quarter-finals.
It would not be a surprise if this tournament has put her on the radar of some of Europe’s top clubs while the transfer window remains open before the 2025-26 season.
There was no more impressive performer through the group stages of Euro 2025 than Alexia Putellas, whose combined total of seven goals and assists still stood untouched by any other player by the conclusion of the tournament. Putellas created more chances in Switzerland than anyone else and her defensive numbers stood up well alongside the rest of the Spain squad, too. Only three team-mates won more tackles, only four regained possession more often and only five made more clearances than the two-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Yes, Putellas wasn’t as explosive in the knockout stages, but she was by no means poor, remaining an important part of a side that made it all the way to the final and was so close to triumphing. Would things have been different in that last game had she not been surprisingly subbed off with 20 minutes of the 90 to play? It’s impossible to know for sure, but there’s a reason Montse Tome’s decision caused so much controversy.
Things have not been so easy for Jule Brand as of late. A promising young talent who came through at Hoffenheim, her progress seemed to stagnate at Wolfsburg, with her even coming in for surprising criticism from Ralf Kellermann, the club’s sporting director. But at Euro 2025, Brand reminded everyone just why she has long been so highly-rated and showed that her talent hasn’t disappeared overnight.
Only two players completed more dribbles at the tournament than the electric 22-year-old, who was the joint-most fouled player in Switzerland. But what also caught the eye from a player who racked up two goals and two assists in five games was her work-rate. Germany had to really dig in in their quarter-final and semi-final, but Brand didn’t shy away from that challenge. Only six players won more aerial duels and no one won more tackles than the winger over the course of the summer.
As she prepares for a new chapter in her club career, signing for eight-time European champions Lyon upon the expiry of her Wolfsburg contract, Brand should be full of confidence after this past month – and fans of the French giants should have every reason to believe they have signed someone who can still live up to her exciting potential.
Esther Gonzalez came into this tournament in flying form, having netted 10 times in her 13 NWSL appearances since the new season began in March, and she only continued that momentum on her way to the Euros Golden Boot. With two strikes in the opener against Portugal, plus goals in wins over both Belgium and Italy, the 32-year-old got off to a rapid start at this tournament, one so quick that no one could catch up.
Unfortunately, Gonzalez wasn’t quite as effective in the knockout stages, though that was certainly at least partially related to Spain’s lack of a Plan B under Tome, with some good goalkeeping also keeping her at bay.
Six years on from her memorable hat-trick in Italy’s incredible run to the World Cup quarter-finals, Cristiana Girelli got to show her talents on the big stage once more this summer as the Azzurre reached an unlikely semi-final. Only Gonzalez scored more goals than the 35-year-old, whose strike against Portugal is likely to go down as the goal of the tournament and whose brace against Norway in the quarter-finals secured Italy’s place in the last four in dramatic fashion, with the second netted in the 90th minute.
This might have been Girelli’s last chance to grace a stage as big as this in the international game. When the next World Cup comes around, she’ll be 37 years old, with there already questions put to her about international retirement. If it was, then she certainly made the most of it, playing a major role in an historic summer for Italy.
Chloe Kelly didn’t start a single game for England this past summer and yet Euro 2025 will be remembered as her tournament. After showing glimpses of the good form she ended the 2024-25 club season in during the groups, the winger took centre stage in the knockouts, changing the game for the Lionesses in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
In the last eight, two great crosses from Kelly allowed England to come back from 2-0 down against Sweden before she netted in the shootout. In the last four, it was her goal that secured victory over Italy in the penultimate minute of extra-time, and the final saw her assist Alessia Russo’s equaliser before she scored the decisive spot-kick in another shootout win, this time against Spain.
It’s no exaggeration to say England would not have won Euro 2025 without Kelly’s contributions and so, despite her playing exclusively as a sub, she has to complete بالجم‘s XI.
