The only player who won the award that didn’t go on to win the tournament was Antoine Greizmann for France in 2016, but even then he still got to the final.
It’s Not All About Goals
Furthermore it’s not always about scoring goals that wins UEFA Player Of The Tournament, as shown with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnaruma in Euro 2020. It’s usually about consistency and playing a huge part in their team getting far into the tournament.
Mbappe Can Go Missing
Kylian Mbappe, is currently top of the market at 7/1 for France. He’s clearly their talisman and main match winner, which we saw with his spectacular hat-trick in the World Cup Final. Despite this I’m not sure if France are going to go all the way in the tournament, and sometimes he can have a quiet game or go missing at times.
Also France have other key players like Greizman, Giroud that can make an impact, so I’d be happy to leave Mbappe alone.
Brilliant Bellingham
Jude Bellingham will be a solid contender to win UEFA Player Of The Tournament, who is 9/1 with Rhino. He’s already made a great impact at Real Madrid, and he has also been playing as a number nine at times scoring plenty of late goals. The 20-year-old had a good tournament at the last World Cup, and he’s improved a lot since then. Though I have gone against England to win, I do think they’ll get far into the tournament and Bellingham will be key.
Kane Is More Than A Goalscorer
Another player for England, who could be in for a shout for UEFA Player Of The Tournament, is Harry Kane. In the last few years, he’s made himself the complete striker. He’s not just a goal-scorer, he’s able to bring others into the game through his link-up play, which has gained him a lot of recognition. If England go on to win the Euros he would be in with a shout at 10/1.
Fernandes Key For Portugal
In my Euros preview I put up Portugal as the value at 8/1, so it’s worth looking at their players. The Portuguese player I think might step up and have a big tournament is Bruno Fernandes.
I’ve personally never warmed to him at Man United, but on his day he’s a top class player. He has the ability to create goals and score them. In Euro qualification he recorded the most assists with eight, so he’s a key cog in the way Portugal play. He’s 40/1 to win UEFA Player Of The Tournament and I wouldn’t be shocked if he won.
One More Tournament For Modric
If you want another player at a big price that could shine at the Euros, then I’ll have to go for Luka Modric. Again if you read my Euros preview then you’ll know that I think Croatia might have another big tournament If they do then Modric will play a big part in that. He’s been one of best midfielders of his generation and he famously won the Ballon D’or in 2018.
Though his best days are probably behind he was a regular in the midfield of Real Madrid last season and he’s recently added an extension to his contract, so it looks like he’s still got the desire to play. He’ll be able to dictate the tempo of games, create chances and even score goals. For a World Class player, 66/1 looks too big.
UEFA Player Of The Tournament Tips
Bruno Fernandes (40/1)
Luka Modric (66/1)
