With less than a week to go before the end of the European Championships, the race to be named player of the tournament is wide-open. Iain Macintosh checks out the front-runners.
Gareth Bale, Wales
He scored in every group game, but he hasn't yet scored in the knockout rounds, which could harm his chances here. Still, Bale has at least 90 more minutes to make that right. This lack of goals does not indicate that he has underperformed, of course. His selfless running against Belgium freed up the room for others to make an impact. That has been Bale's real strength in France. He's so markedly superior to all of his teammates, but he hasn't acted like the superstar. He has been a perfect captain, the ultimate team player and a figurehead on and off the pitch. But if future generations are going to look back and see Bale as being synonymous with Euro 2016, he needs a very special performance against Portugal, not least because he'll be up against his Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo.
He scored in every group game, but he hasn't yet scored in the knockout rounds, which could harm his chances here. Still, Bale has at least 90 more minutes to make that right. This lack of goals does not indicate that he has underperformed, of course. His selfless running against Belgium freed up the room for others to make an impact. That has been Bale's real strength in France. He's so markedly superior to all of his teammates, but he hasn't acted like the superstar. He has been a perfect captain, the ultimate team player and a figurehead on and off the pitch. But if future generations are going to look back and see Bale as being synonymous with Euro 2016, he needs a very special performance against Portugal, not least because he'll be up against his Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
And Ronaldo, despite being poor for much of the European Championships, still has a chance to redeem himself. Portugal are an odd team, struggling with issues of defensive solidity and attacking potency, and they have yet to win a single game inside 90 minutes. Yet here they are in the semifinals. Ronaldo's petulant response to a draw with Iceland brought him worldwide condemnation, while his horror show against Austria brought worldwide glee. But players like Ronaldo do not fold easily. A fine second half against Hungary, and one of the goals of the tournament, saved Portugal from elimination and though two more quiet games followed against Croatia and Poland, people always remember big performances in big games. If he can lift himself once again and drag this team to the final, this could be remembered as Ronaldo's summer.
And Ronaldo, despite being poor for much of the European Championships, still has a chance to redeem himself. Portugal are an odd team, struggling with issues of defensive solidity and attacking potency, and they have yet to win a single game inside 90 minutes. Yet here they are in the semifinals. Ronaldo's petulant response to a draw with Iceland brought him worldwide condemnation, while his horror show against Austria brought worldwide glee. But players like Ronaldo do not fold easily. A fine second half against Hungary, and one of the goals of the tournament, saved Portugal from elimination and though two more quiet games followed against Croatia and Poland, people always remember big performances in big games. If he can lift himself once again and drag this team to the final, this could be remembered as Ronaldo's summer.
Manuel Neuer, Germany
As it was at the 2014 World Cup, it's hard to single out individuals in this German side for best performances. Toni Kroos has been excellent, Mesut Ozil has had his moments and if it hadn't have been for Jerome Boateng's acrobatic clearance against Ukraine, Germany could have made a very bad start to their tournament. But perhaps it's Neuer who is destined to emerge from a crowd of first-class players as the man who makes the difference. The Bayern goalkeeper still hasn't been beaten in open play, conceding only once in five games from a Leonardo Bonucci penalty. And penalties could prove critical in these last games. There was a sense that a torch had been passed on Saturday when Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon met in that dramatic shootout. If Neuer steers his nation through another one of those, he'll be hard to ignore.
Antoine Griezmann, France
He has four goals in the bag and a couple more should really be enough to land him the Golden Boot. Griezmann has been getting better in every game, which is fortunate because he didn't start very well at all. His profligacy could have been costly in those early group games. But he seems OK now. Iceland will testify that there's very little that's quite as dangerous as Griezmann with the ball at his feet, galloping into space. And when he finishes with such overwhelming confidence, it's proof that he has really found his groove. With the help of aerial support unit Olivier Giroud, also going from strength to strength as the tournament continues, there should be more than enough chances for Griezmann to make his mark once again.
He has four goals in the bag and a couple more should really be enough to land him the Golden Boot. Griezmann has been getting better in every game, which is fortunate because he didn't start very well at all. His profligacy could have been costly in those early group games. But he seems OK now. Iceland will testify that there's very little that's quite as dangerous as Griezmann with the ball at his feet, galloping into space. And when he finishes with such overwhelming confidence, it's proof that he has really found his groove. With the help of aerial support unit Olivier Giroud, also going from strength to strength as the tournament continues, there should be more than enough chances for Griezmann to make his mark once again.
Best of the rest
Too late now, surely, for Bonucci, but what a tournament for the Italian defender. His calm leadership, excellent distribution and uncompromising tackles were capped off nicely by a well-taken penalty in the late stages of normal time against Germany. It was a shame that he missed one in the subsequent shootout, but nobody's perfect.
Too late now, surely, for Bonucci, but what a tournament for the Italian defender. His calm leadership, excellent distribution and uncompromising tackles were capped off nicely by a well-taken penalty in the late stages of normal time against Germany. It was a shame that he missed one in the subsequent shootout, but nobody's perfect.
Quite why Fernando Santos didn't start Renato Sanches until the quarterfinals is anyone's guess. Entirely unaffected by pressure or nerves, the youngster has been magnificent and makes all the difference to an otherwise underwhelming Portuguese midfield. He won't be left on the bench again, that's for sure.
Iceland's incredible run to the last eight was very much a triumph of the team collective over the individual, but Ragnar Sigurdsson was their standout performer. His display against England was magnificent, bringing together the traditional defensive highlights like world class tackles and mixing them with less orthodox centre-back skill like awesome overhead kicks. A big summer move awaits.
What do you think?
What do you think?
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