{"id":1212162,"date":"2021-07-13T12:32:45","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T11:32:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1212162"},"modified":"2021-07-13T12:51:04","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T11:51:04","slug":"euro-2020-cult-heroes-kasper-schmeichel-raheem-sterling","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/euro-2020-cult-heroes-kasper-schmeichel-raheem-sterling\/","title":{"rendered":"Who will become the biggest ‘cult hero’ player from Euro 2020?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been an emotional, drama-fuelled whirlwind of a tournament, one that will live long in the memory.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As far as the football was concerned at Euro 2020, England and Italy rallied to the final (the latter clinching the trophy), France faltered, Switzerland stunned and Denmark dazzled. Joachim Low bowed out of international football without a final gold star, while Portugal surrendered their crown in the last 16.<\/p>\n

Many players came to the fore across the four weeks, the usual suspects, some household names we weren\u2019t expecting and, as ever, a few unheralded hidden gems. So, who were the<\/em> cult heroes of Euro 2020? Those we will look back on in the years to come and remember fondly as the emblematic stars. Read on for a selection of candidates, from fairly obvious to niche.<\/p>\n

Jorginho<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The ‘Jorginho for Ballon d’Or’ PR campaign is well and truly underway (and we say that having been guilty of contributing to it a little ourselves). At the time of writing, just five players sit between Jorginho and Lionel Messi, the bookmaker’s favourite to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or.<\/p>\n

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Ballon d’Or 2021 favourites (via William Hill<\/a>)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Lionel Messi (2\/5)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Cristiano Ronaldo (7\/1)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Robert Lewandowski (7\/1)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • N’Golo Kante (8\/1)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Harry Kane (9\/1)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Raheem Sterling (11\/1)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Jorginho (14\/1)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    (Odds in this article are correct at the time of writing. 18+ only,\u00a0GambleAware.org<\/em><\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n

    The Ballon d’Or talk stems mostly from his teammates (and former boss Maurizio Sarri), and also his work for a Chelsea team that won the Champions League, with Luka Modric having followed a similar path to ending the Ronaldo-Messi Ballon d’Or duopoly. Jorginho might have missed his penalty in the final against England but scored the spot-kick that put them there and was consistent enough at least to draw much of the spotlight on the Italian team.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Jorge Luiz Frello Filho, also known as Jorginho: Ballon d\u2019Or contender?<\/p>\n

    We\u2019ve collected some stats that show why this just won\u2019t go away\u2026 especially if Italy win on Sunday.<\/p>\n

    [THREAD] pic.twitter.com\/j4Bx4zA9Qb<\/a><\/p>\n

    — William Hill (@WilliamHill) July 9, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n