Euro 88 – Star Players

Marco van Basten – Holland
Marco van Basten scored the goals most players could only dream about. Van Basten battled back from injury to take part in the 1988 European Championships. He was outstanding in Holland’s all or nothing match against England in the group phase. Van Basten scored that amazing Hat-trick that gave Holland a place in the semi-finals and eliminated England from the tournament. In the semi-final van Basten struck again, with a late winner against West Germany. In the final against Soviet Union, he scored one of the greatest goals ever seen in an international match. He struck the ball first time on the volley past the startled Soviet goalkeeper, Rinat Dassayev, and into the top corner of the goal. Van Bastens outstanding performance in the European Championships of 1988 won him the European Footballer of the year and World Footballer of the year awards in 1988. He played for Holland in the 1990 world cup finals and in Euro 92. He played his club football for Ajax Amsterdam and AC Milan, he was forced to retire from the game in 1993 due to a recurring injuries.

Bryan Robson – England
Bryan Robson took into the international game all the physical aggression needed to withstand the pressures of the English league. He displayed a natural class that sat impressively in any of the worlds greatest sides. His constant remarkable recovery from injuries earned him names like ‘Captain Marvel.’ His versatility on the pitch had to be seen to be believed. Robson began his career with West Brom, in 1981 Robson moved to Manchester United for a then domestic record of £1.5 Million. Robson made his debut against Manchester City and ever since then he was influential. He left Manchester United after 13 years in 1994 for Middlesborough. He was captain for England for nine years; he scored after 27 seconds in England’s victory against France in the 1982 world cup finals. Injuries prevented Robson taking part in all of England’s matches in the 1986 and 1990 world cup finals. Robson was arguably at his best for England during the 1988 European Championships. He scored a brave goal against Holland in their 3-1 defeat in Euro 88 and was fantastic in all three of their group matches. Robson’s final game for England was against Turkey in a Euro 92 qualifier. He won the F.A Premiership, F.A Cup, league cup and European Cup Winners Cup with Manchester United.

Oleg Protasov – Soviet Union
Protasov scored two goals in the 1988 European championships and was a key player for the Soviet Union, helping them reach the final. He was capped 68 times for the Soviets scoring 29 goals for his nation. He starred for the soviets in the 1986 and 1990 world cup finals.

Ronnie Whelan – Republic of Ireland
In 1988 the Republic of Ireland qualified for the European Championship finals for the first time and came within minutes of reaching the semi- finals. In the Republic of Ireland’s match against the Soviet Union, Whelan rocketed his side into a brief 1-0 lead with one of the finest goals of the tournament. Picking up along throw from Mick McCarthy on the left wing, he slammed the ball home with a terrific volley. It was a goal worthy of celebrating his appointment as the Republic’s captain. He played his club football for Liverpool, winning many honors with them, including the football league, FA Cup, European Cup, Charity Shield and league cup.

Michael Laudrup – Denmark
Laudrup’s speciality was to use his ball skills and lightning acceleration to open up defenses on his own. The best example of his amazing talent was his astonishing solo goal in Denmark’s 6-1 drubbing of Uruguay in the 1986 world cup. Laudrup was an influential part of the Danish side that played in Euro 88. Laudrup began his club career in Denmark, but such was his skill that big club’s from all over Europe sat up and took interest. He turned down offers from Barcelona and Liverpool before signing for Juventus. He won the European Championships with Denmark in 1992 and was part of their team during Euro 96 and the world cup finals of 1994.