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No Jude Bellingham or Cristiano Ronaldo with Arsenal cult hero and Chelsea target among top five players at Euro 2024 so far

talksport.com 5 days ago

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Kevin De Bruyne are some of the best footballers at Euro 2024.

But none of those stars have made it into talkSPORT's top five players from the European Championship so far.

Historical giants Spain and hosts Germany have impressed in the group stage, with lesser-established nations like Switzerland and Georgia also giving a brilliant account of themselves.

And this has been highlighted with players from each of those nations included in our list.

But as for England, none of Gareth Southgate's men have been included - despite Kane and Bellingham getting on the score sheet for the Three Lions.

As we approach the quarter finals of the competition, here is who have been singled out for praise by talkSPORT.

Jamal Musiala - Germany

The Bayern Munich playmaker is one of the leading scorers at Euro 2024.

Musiala was on target in the 5-1 opening win over Scotland, before finding the back of the net against Switzerland.

He added a third to his tally in the last 16, as Germany swept aside Denmark, taking an early lead in the Golden Boot race.

The ex-Chelsea academy star has continued his form which saw him directly involved in 20 goals from 38 games for Bayern last season.

And Julian Nagelsmann knows that as long as the 21-year-old is fit, Germany have a huge chance of winning a first European Championship since 1996.

4

Granit Xhaka - Switzerland

The renaissance of Xhaka shows no signs of slowing down with the 31-year-old a standout performer in Germany.

After banging in nine goals for Arsenal in his final season at the Emirates in the 2022/23 season, Xhaka went to another level following his switch to Bayer Leverkusen.

John Stones says Phil Foden is a 'difficult one' for England manager Gareth Southgate and believes the Manchester City star loves to play 'through the middle'

An instrumental figure in their Invincible Bundesliga campaign - along with scoring the winner in the DFB-Pokal final - the two-time FA Cup champion has helped Switzerland advance into the quarter-finals.

With two man of the match awards in his opening three games already, he could equal a Euros record should he win three in a single tournament.

And one more would also see him tie level with Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta's record of six in total at the Euros.

With the Swiss comfortably edging past Italy in their first knockout game, many will now fancy Xhaka and co. to do the same to England.

4

Nico Williams - Spain

The 21-year-old has shown why he has become one of the most sought-after wingers this summer.

talkSPORT understands that Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all have the Athletic Bilbao forward on their radar.

And it's clear to see why judging from his displays in Germany, which saw him win the MOTM award in the 1-0 win over Italy in Spain's second Group B outing.

Williams has blended blistering pace with brilliant close control to strike fear into the hearts of his opponents.

Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal went into Euro 2024 as one of Spain's most talked about players, and while the 16-year-old has starred, it is Williams who has proven to be a bigger hit.

N'Golo Kante - France

France boss Didier Deschamps raised eyebrows amongst some fans and pundits for including Kante in his Euro 2024 squad.

With the defensive midfielder now 33-years-old - and plying his trade in Saudi Arabia - there were fears he could no longer perform at an elite level.

And the doubters couldn't have been more wrong.

Kante was a man possessed in France's opening win against Austria, with his dazzling display leaving his Les Bleus teammates stunned.

He followed that up with another emphatic performance against the Netherlands, earning him back-to-back MOTM awards, with France now set to take on Portugal in the last eight.

4

Giorgi Mamardashvili - Georgia

Competing in their first European Championship, Georgia have earned plenty of plaudits from their group stage clashes.

And while skipper Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was expected to be their main man, Valencia goalkeeper Mamardashvili proved to be in a league of his own.

The 23-year-old earned the best-rated performance at Euro 2024 so far in Georgia's 1-1 draw against Czech Republic.

With a WhoScored rating of 9.25, Mamardashvili made an astounding 11 saves in the stalemate to earn his side their first point at a major tournament.

Having ultimately fallen at the Round of 16, Mamardashvili and Georgia can hold their heads high after shocking the world to make it out of their group.

Rated at £35 million by Valencia, it could prove to be a bargain fee should a club decide to secure his services this summer.

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