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Led by Rodri and Lamine Yamal, Spain performed well and deservedly won the 2024 European Championship in a competition that was often disappointing because too many of the European Championships’ star players failed to perform at their best.
Kylian Mbappe, the world’s best striker, had hoped to lead France to glory as captain in preparation for a move to Real Madrid, but he suffered a broken nose and scored only one goal, via penalty kick, which led to his team’s defeat in the semi-finals.
Jude Bellingham will play alongside Mbappe in Madrid next season and could be a favourite for the Ballon d’Or if he can win the European Championship with his club and England and reach the Champions League.
But apart from two crucial goals, Bellingham struggled, tired early in the match and proved unable to help England beat Berlin in Sunday’s final.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo had hoped to take his tournament goal tally to 14, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner ultimately failed to score for Portugal due to his age.
Spain won their fourth European Championship title by beating England 2-1 in the final thanks to a goal from Michael Oyarzabal, but they were the better team from the start of the tournament.
Luis de la Fuente’s side have won all seven of their games. They beat defending champions Italy and have beaten the hosts and two pre-tournament favorites in their last three games.
Beating the four major powers of Western Europe – Germany, France, Italy and Britain – in the same tournament is a remarkable achievement.
“We made history. We beat four (former) world champions in one go,” a delighted Rodri said.
“We all thought they were the best team in this tournament,” France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said before France’s semi-final loss to Spain.
Spain’s victory continued the potential they showed when they won the Nations League title last year and brought hopes of another golden era of dominance.
They wowed with perfect midfield control and flair on the wing, while other teams failed to live up to expectations.
— Quantity over quality? —
The 2024 European Championship ended with a total of 117 goals in 51 games, an average of 2.29 goals per game.
England made it to the final but were held to an unsightly 0-0 draw with Slovenia in the group stage, while a talented Portugal side were sent home after two hard-fought penalty shootouts.
The average number of goals is in stark contrast to the 2020 European Championship, which had 2.78 per game, and the 2022 World Cup, which had 2.69 per game.
The latter tournament in Qatar is always exciting, and the decision to hold it in the middle of the European season has clearly helped to improve the quality of the football.
Meanwhile, Euro 2024 has just concluded, and the European Championships were another exhausting season for the continent’s top players, making it difficult for Bellingham, Mbappe, Harry Kane or Antoine Griezmann to find their best form.
This goes to the heart of the matter at a time when UEFA and FIFA continue to expand their most lucrative competitions and increase the demands on players.
The global players’ union, the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro), announced before the start of the European Championship that it had launched legal proceedings against FIFA, calling on the European Court of Justice to rule on the body’s rights to implement the new competition.
The International Federation of Professional Footballers warned: “Players and unions have consistently stressed that the current football schedule is too onerous and unfeasible” and accused FIFA of “violating players’ rights.”
The new season for Europe’s major leagues will begin in a month, while the expanded Champions League will also kick off in September, with participating teams guaranteed to play eight games, up from six previously.
The first edition of FIFA’s new Club World Cup will be held in the United States from June to July next year, with a total of 32 teams participating, including 12 European teams.
Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are among the teams that will be involved, which will take up valuable summer break before the 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams and require an extra round of knockout matches.
Again, more games will bring in more revenue, but only at the expense of more requirements on players.
The worry is that the continued focus on quantity will have a lasting impact on quality, but there is no doubt that Spain performed well.
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