EURO 2020 Group Stage XI

The group stage came to a thrilling end on Wednesday night, so let's examine which players have made the most significant impact on the tournament so far. A few selections may surprise you.

GK. Lukas Hradecky

App - 3

Clean Sheets - 1

Goals conceded - 3

Saves - 14

The Leverkusen keeper has been in great form in EURO 2020. With the joint second-most saves, he can also add a save from a spot-kick to his impressive displays thus far. Finland's final group stage match against Belgium showcased his talents; his unfortunate own goal was an incident his efforts did not deserve.

Honourable mentions :

Danny Ward, Ugurcan Cakir, Jordan Pickford

CB. John Stones

App - 3

Clean Sheets - 3

Tackles - 2

Balls recovered - 10

Other England players may have got the attention, but Stonsey has been brilliant at the centre of England's defence. To go with his three clean sheets, he's amongst the tournament's leaders in blocks and has posted a frankly staggering 95% pass completion rate in his 260 minutes on the field.

CB. Simon Kjaer

App - 3

Clean Sheets - 0

Tackles - 6

Balls recovered - 25

The Danish captain and the captain of this fictional side, few would begrudge Kjaer's inclusion for his immaculate response following Eriksen collapse alone. Amazingly, despite his heroics, he has still been imperious at the heart of the Danish defence. Amongst the highest in ball recoveries and tackles won in the competition, his robust performance against Belgium stifled Lukaku before De Bruyne's introduction. A worthy spot on this list.

CB. Mykola Matviyenko

App - 3

Clean Sheets - 0

Tackles - 4

Balls recovered - 27

A very close final central defensive selection. Matviyenko may have been in a Ukraine defence that conceded 5 goals in the group stages, but his performances have been commanding nonetheless. Leading the competition in blocks, he can also boast an impressive 11 clearances and a 91% pass completion rate to boot.

Honourable mentions :

Stefan De Vrij, Leonardo Bonucci, Endre Botka, Andreas Christensen

RWB. Stefan Lainer

App - 3

Clean Sheets - 1

Tackles - 11

Goals - 1

Another close call. After two matches, Denzel Dumfries was the stand out performer in this position, but Lainer takes the spot for me after his stellar showing against Ukraine capped a brilliant group stage. To go with his superb volley in matchday 1, Lainer has won the most tackles by a defender and played every minute thus far.

Honourable mentions :

Denzel Dumfries

LWB. Robin Gosens

App - 3

Clean Sheets - 0

Tackles - 6

Goals - 1

Every fan familiar with Gasperini's Atalanta will not be surprised by how Gosens has started this tournament. His crowning moment was Germany's matchday 2 victory over Portugal. His goal and two assists powered his side to a 4-2 win.

Honourable mentions :

David Alaba, Attila Fiola

CM. Manuel Locatelli

App  - 2

Pass accuracy - 92%

Tackles - 10

Goals - 2

Assists - 0

The Sassuolo youngster has been a revelation in EURO 2020, only starting games to fill the void left by the injured Veratti. Stand out performances in Italy's first two group games against Turkey and Switzerland make him an easy inclusion. We'll see how his game time is affected now Veratti is back to full fitness.

CM. Kevin De Bruyne

App - 2

Pass accuracy - 79%

Tackles - 1

Goals - 1

Assists - 3

No XI is complete without KDB these days. The City man has played only one and a half games. Still, I would have included him for his second-half performance against Denmark alone. The effects of that brutal injury in the Champions League final don't appear to be slowing him down.

Honourable mentions :

Frenkie de Jong, Jorginho, Aaron Ramsey, Pierre-Emile Hojberg

CAM. Georginio Wijnaldum

App - 3

Pass accuracy - 91%

Tackles - 1

Goals - 3

Assists - 0

Dutch captain in place of the stricken Van Dijk, Gini, has been at his majestic best. English fans are well aware of his work rate and press resistance, but with Oranje, he also adds goals to his complete game. His matchday 2 performance against Austria was a highlight for me. Miss you already Gini!

Honourable mentions :

Luka Modric, Emile Forsberg

ST. Romelu Lukaku

App - 3

Attempts - 7

Shots on target - 4

Goals - 3

Assists - 0

Lukaku is simply Belgium's best player, and that's quite an accolade when you consider the players Martinez has at his disposal. The Inter man has taken his Scudetto winning form into this tournament with trademark all-action displays, which have so far yielded 3 goals.

ST. Cristiano Ronaldo

App - 3

Attempts - 11

Shots on target - 6

Goals - 5

Assists - 1

What else can you say about Mr Euro himself? At 36, Ronaldo shows no sign of slowing down, scoring in each of his first three games, breaking records left, right and centre. His second goal against France pulled him level with Ali Daei's international goalscoring record, and I can't wait to see what he's got planned by way of a celebration when he breaks it in the next round.

Honourable mentions :

Patrik Schick, Raheem Sterling, Robert Lewandowski, Memphis Depay