It was heart-break for England on Sunday, as Italy eventually won on penalties to ensure the European Championship trophy would go back to Italy for the first time since 1968, and only the second time in history.
❤️️ 'My Prime Minister'
❤️️ 'You make great choices'
❤️️ 'Kindest person in the world'
❤️️ 'You make Manchester proud'Messages of support are still flooding in for England's Marcus Rashford after he suffered racist abuse following defeat to Italy.pic.twitter.com/0ANmp9NRcq
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 13, 2021
The conclusion of the tournament was followed with the commencement of pre-season, with many Spurs players already back in training, but it is expected that many of the players who starred at the Euros will be given an extended holiday.
We have rated all of the Spurs players who appeared at the Euros and their tournaments as a whole, with one player in particular making a name for himself across the continent.
Hugo Lloris (France) – 6.5/10
Gave away a reckless penalty against Portugal where he attempted to punch the ball away, but could only punch Danilo Pereira – Tyson Fury would have been proud of that one.
France were shocked by Switzerland in the Round of 16 where they lost on penalties, and despite Lloris making a save from the penalty spot in normal time, he failed to stop any of the penalties in the shootout as Kylian Mbappe missed the deciding spot kick.
🇫🇷 French goalkeepers Steve MANDANDA, Hugo LLORIS & Benoît COSTIL nowadays and just below during the 2007/08 season 14 years ago#WeWereSoYoung pic.twitter.com/eskSrR0Zgr
— Old School Panini (@OldSchoolPanini) July 10, 2021
However, he once again demonstrated his leadership qualities on and off the pitch and did make some important saves in what was a very disappointing tournament from the French.
Moussa Sissoko (France) – N/A
Barely had a chance to make an impact with other players preferred to him.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Denmark) – 10/10
#thfc and #DEN midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has been named in the @EURO2020 Team of the Tournament. | Official pic.twitter.com/gA154z08zb
— Daily Hotspur (@Daily_Hotspur) July 13, 2021
Hojbjerg was named in the Team of the Tournament, and you can see why after showing everyone that he’s not just a warrior who sits in front of defence, but he’s also a threat going forward as he can pick a pass out from anywhere on the pitch.
Being deployed in more of a box-to-box role, you can see he thoroughly enjoyed his football this summer with a bit more freedom to roam up the pitch, as he set-up three assists on the way to helping his country qualify for the Semi-Finals.
Included in the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament?
That’s just standard procedure for Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.
— RC 🇯🇲 (@ReeceAC_) July 13, 2021
Also showed tremendous bravery and leadership (as did the rest of his teammates) when former Spurs fan-favourite Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in the first game of the tournament, but thankfully he is making a fantastic recovery and may yet step back out on a football pitch again.
Joe Rodon (Wales) – 8.5/10
Joe Rodon thinks there is 'no chance' of Tottenham and Wales team-mate Gareth Bale retiring after Euro 2020 as speculation over the forward's future continues. pic.twitter.com/8WawPn3aMI
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 2, 2021
When Wales took on the eventual champions Italy, one man earned plaudits more than anyone else – Joe Rodon.
The centre-back was dominant in the air, made some exceptional tackles, recoveries and interceptions, as well as looking calm, cool and collected on the ball.
https://twitter.com/cj_hunt/status/1405455627112099843?s=20
He would have received a higher match rating if it wasn’t for Denmark wiping the floor with Wales in the Round of 16, beating them 4-0 – but nevertheless it was an impressive tournament for the defender who will be hoping to become a mainstay in the back-line for Spurs this season.
Ben Davies (Wales) – 7/10
A steady tournament for the left-back, who filled in at left centre-back when required and didn’t really put much of a foot wrong.
Him and Rodon looked levels above the other Wales defenders, including Chelsea prospect Ethan Ampadu who didn’t look very sharp at all.
Unfortunate end for the defender, but another impressive summer for him in the Wales colours.
Gareth Bale (Wales) – 6.5/10
Connor Roberts with Wales' game-killing goal against Turkeypic.twitter.com/hijdBiDRHv
— Rob Daly (@robtdaly) July 11, 2021
A disappoint tournament by his standards as he failed to really put his stamp on any of the games and control the tempo on his side of the pitch – but he did manage to set-up two goals in arguably his best game of the tournament against Turkey.
However, he also missed a penalty and looked nervous throughout the game, and after storming off at the end of the Denmark loss when asked about his future, it was speculated that he would retire from club football and only play for his country.
Those rumours have since been extinguished, and he looks set to return to Real Madrid for the next season as opposed to coming back to North London and playing for Spurs again.
Harry Kane (England) – 7.5/10
#thfc striker Harry Kane with a visionary pass to create #ENG's first goal against #DEN. | #SpursAtTheEuros pic.twitter.com/6o4mq9vjza
— Daily Hotspur (@Daily_Hotspur) July 7, 2021
A very unfortunate ending for England to a wonderful campaign that captivated the country, led by captain and Spurs striker Kane who scored four goals – with all of them coming in the knockout stages.
When people said he couldn’t step up to the big games, he proved them wrong with his incredible technique, composure and leadership.
Unfortunately, without a playmaker, England’s chances as a whole were limited as Kane was the best creator on the pitch – and when you’re being marked by Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, its near impossible to create chances for yourself. All he needed was once chance – and unfortunately, there wasn’t a player on the pitch capable of unlocking the defence and crafting it.
Toby Alderweireld (Belgium) – 6.5/10
Another steady tournament for a Spurs player, but Alderweireld is wanting a move away from the club so spare at least a little of your sympathy.
We’re kidding of course, it was a heart-breaking moment for the Belgians in the quarter-finals as they eventually lost to winners Italy in the quarter-finals.
What was sad to see was Jan Vertonghen’s clear decline in ability, and their partnership together has seemingly deteriorated after the former Spurs fan-favourite moved to Benfica last season.