Euro 2004 – Star Players

Wayne Rooney – England

Wayne Rooney emerged out of Euro 2004 as one of the best players of the tournament. He scored an impressive four goals in three matches and was taken off injured during England’s quarter final match against Portugal, which might have cost them a place in the semi finals as England missed Rooney’s brilliance for the remainder of the match.
He made his debut for England in February 2003 against Australia in a 3-1 defeat. He has picked up his momentum for England in a very short space of time. Despite not scoring in any of the qualifying matches of the 2006 world cup, he battled against injury to take part in the 2006 world cup. Rooney spent two season playing in the premiership for Everton before moving to Manchester United for an initial fee of £23million. He played a key part for Manchester United over the past two seasons. He was voted England’s Young player of the year at the end of the 2004/2005 season. He is often paralleled to how Paul Gascoigne used to play football.

Petr Cech – Czech republic

Petr Cech was outstanding during the European Championships, pulling off many fine saves throughout the tournament which in turn helped the finalists of Euro 96 to the semi- finals. He played for Czech club Sparta Prague during the 200/2001 campaign. He followed that by a move to French club Rennes and then joined English giants Chelsea for a fee of £7 Million. He kept many clean sheets for Chelsea during the 2004 – 2005 season and likewise for the 2005 – 2006 season, which in turn helped them win the premiership league in both seasons.

Gianluca Zambrotta – Italy

During Euro 2004, despite the disappointing performance put on by the Italians, Zambrotta emerged out of the tournament as a world class defender. He was voted in the UEFA team of the tournament. His big break in club football came when Italian giants Juventus snapped him up in 1999. He also starred for Italy during Euro 2000, however unfortunately for them they lost the final to France. He has the ability to play in many different positions with tremendous flexibility. Zambrotta participated in the 2002 world cup and was in the squad of the 2006 World Cup.

Ricardo Carvalho – Portugul

Carvalho was arguably the best defender playing Euro 2004. He formed a powerful partnership with fellow defender Jorge Andrade during the tournament and helped them reach the final. He came to the fore during the 2003 – 2004 season while playing for Portuguese outfit F.C Porto, and helped them win the champions league. After Euro 2004, Chelsea purchased the player from Porto for £19.85 million. He has been a valued squad member of Chelsea since moving there. He has also scored a few crucial goals including a goal in the match against Real Betis in a 4-0 demolition. He has won many major honours including the UEFA cup, Champions League, Superliga, Portugese Cup, English league Cup and of course the English premiership, not a bad record for any football player to achieve.

Ashley Cole - England

Cole’s performance during the European championships of 2004 was second to none. He protected the English defence in a brilliant manner and impressed the continent. He was also named in the UEFA team of the tournament. He started his career playing for Arsenal in the 1999 – 2000 season, since then he has been a permanent fixture in the side. Ashley Cole made his first appearance for England in a vital World cup qualifier against Albania in March 2001; he has also been a regular member of the first team since then. He has won the premiership twice with Arsenal and the F.A Cup on three occasions.

Olof Mellberg – Sweden

Mellberg was regarded by many as one of the best defenders during Euro 2004, where Sweden bowed out in the quarter finals against Holland. He has been an integral part of the Aston Villa side since joining them from Racing Santander. He has also participated for Sweden in Euro 200 and the 2002 and 2006 world cup finals.

Theodoros Zagorakis – Greece

Theo Zagorakis was part of the Greece team that won the 2004 European Championship. His performance in midfield was outstanding and helped them overcome France, Czech republic and Portugal in the quarter final, semi – finals and final respectively. He was named as UEFA player of Euro 2004 and deservedly so. His great performance in the finals helped him earn a move to Italian club Bologna in July 2004. He gained his first cap for Greece in 1994 in a match against the Faroe Islands. He acquired his one hundredth cap for Greece in November 2004 in a match against Kazakhstan.

Christiano Ronaldo – Portugal

In the summer of 2003, Alex Ferguson captured Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon after playing for them for four years. He signed for £12.25 Million and has impressed ever since arriving at Old Trafford. He was the perfect replacement for David Beckham after he left for Real Madrid few weeks prior to Ronaldo’s arrival.
Christiano Ronaldo scored two goals in Euro 2004, one coming from their opening game against Greece and the other in a crucial semi- final match against Holland. He has an abundance of pace and skill and uses it constantly week in week out in the English premiership.

Milan Baros – Czech Republic

Baros won the golden boot award for Euro 2004; his first goal in the tournament came in their opening match against Latvia. He went on to finish top scorer with five goals and scored in all three of the Czech Republic’s group matches. He started his career playing for Banik Ostrava between 1998 – 2001, before moving to Liverpool in 2002. He spent four seasons playing at Anfield. He moved to Aston Villa at the beginning of the 2005 – 2006 season for a fee of £6.5 Million. He was also part of the Czech Republic squad of the 2006 world cup.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy – Holland

Ruud van Nistelrooy was outstanding for Holland during Euro 2004; he scored four goals in Holland’s three group matches. He was unlucky not to add to his tally in their final two matches against Sweden and Portugal. He made his international debut for Holland in a match against Germany in 1998. His goal scoring record is phenomenal, at PSV Eindhoven he scored 62 goals in his 67 appearances, averaging to nearly a goal per game played. He became an instant hero when he moved to Manchester United in 2001, between 2001 – 2006 he scored 150 goals in 218 appearances which is one of the best strike rates in English football of all time.