There aren’t many better sights in football than a winger at full speed.
Whether they’re using their pace to beat defenders or technical ability to weave through the back line, it’s football at its best. And we’re set for a treat this summer.
Euro 2024 has reached the semi-final stage, with one of Spain, France, the Netherlands, or England set to be champions.
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For this list, we’ve considered players who are still in the competition. So, the question is, who’s the best?
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5. Ousmane Dembele
- Country: France
It’s been a stop-start Euro 2024 campaign for Ousmane Dembélé, who began France’s opening three matches before sitting on the bench against Belgium without coming on. He returned with a vengeance against Portugal in the quarter-finals. The native of Vernon, despite being a 67th-minute substitute, created more chances (6) than any other player in the game. The only other player to create as many after coming on from the bench in a Euros game on record (since 1980) was Cesc Fàbregas for Spain v Russia in 2008 (also 6).
4. Bukayo Saka
- Country: England
Following another productive campaign with Arsenal, many observers predicted Bukayo Saka would be equally impactful with England this summer. It was anything but, prior to Gareth Southgate’s men locking horns with Switzerland in the semi-finals. Saka did not complete the full 90 minutes in England’s opening three matches before going the distance in their two knockout matches to date. In the latter, Saka equalised with their first shot on target in the 80th minute, subsequently becoming the first Arsenal player to score for England at both the FIFA World Cup and the Euros.
3. Nico Williams
- Country: Spain
Another who came into Euro 2024 on the back of an eye-catching domestic season. Nico Williams played a pivotal role for Athletic Bilbao, who finished fifth in La Liga, and he’s carried that devastating form into this summer’s championship. If one performance summed up the 21-year-old’s frightening potential, it was Spain’s ruthless Round of 16 win over tournament feel-good story Georgia, in which Williams became the first player on record at the UEFA European Championship (since 1980) to score a goal, assist a goal, and complete 100% of his passes (46/46) in a game he started.
2. Cody Gakpo
- Country: Netherlands
This current incarnation of the Netherlands is a far cry from yesteryear when Oranje was blessed with ruthless, world-class wide forwards. Cody Gakpo, though, is building a solid case for reaching the heights of his illustrious predecessors. He’s been Ronald Koeman’s go-to man, and heading into the semi-finals, he leads the race for the Golden Boot with three goals netted. Even more impressive from a historical perspective: Gakpo has been directly involved in four goals at Euro 2024, the most in a single edition of the European Championship for the Netherlands since Wesley Sneijder (five—two goals and three assists) in 2008.
1. Lamine Yamal
- Country: Spain
History was made when, at 16 years and 338 days, Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to appear in a game at the European Championship finals. Having become a fixture with his boyhood club, Barcelona, the Spanish winger continues to set new records on German soil. He has so far created 14 chances for his Spanish teammates at Euro 2024, the most by a Spaniard at a major tournament since Xavi at Euro 2012 (25). He has three assists, with no Spanish player ever registering more at a single European Championship tournament, while his 14 chances created are the most by a teenager at a major tournament that Opta has on record (since 1966 for the World Cup, 1980 for the Euro).