Euro 2024 ended on Sunday night with England falling just short again as Gareth Southgate’s men lost 2-1 to Spain in Berlin.
In truth, the Three Lions took a very long time to get going in Germany and arguably never showed their true potential, waiting until the semi-finals against the Netherlands to put in a truly fluid performance.
They then impressed in flashes against Spain but were firmly second best in Sunday’s final.
Spain duo Rodri and Lamine Yamal ended Euro 2024 with the Player of the Tournament and Best Young Player awards.
But who were England’s star men? We have ranked Southgate’s top boys, starting with Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham in fifth place.
5. Jude Bellingham
Like Harry Kane, Bellingham was often criticised during the tournament and appeared at times to be playing with the brakes on.
And yet, it was Bellingham’s powerful header that got the Three Lions going in their 1-0 opening win over Serbia a month ago. And without his ridiculous overhead kick — seriously, who tries a bicycle kick under those circumstances?! — England would have suffered a round-of-16 humiliation on par with that of Euro 2016, when they crashed out to Iceland.
England simply would not have made it to the final without Bellingham’s genius, which ultimately saved them from embarrassment.
4. Kobbie Mainoo
Mainoo played just four minutes across England’s first two games and was named as a substitute in their third group game against Slovenia.
However, since coming on at half-time in that match, he proved himself a crucial player for Southgate.
The 19-year-old provided composure, stability and quality in midfield at a time when things seemed to be unravelling in that area, with the Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment failing and Conor Gallagher not really doing anything of note.
That’s an incredible thought considering Mainoo entered the tournament with just three senior caps to his name, while he’s still only played 25 Premier League games for Manchester United.
Mainoo posted a pass completion rate of 91.92% at Euro 2024, along with 16.05 final third passes completed per 90 minutes. The youngster changed the way England approached matches from the moment he stepped on the pitch against Slovenia and may well have nailed down his place alongside Declan Rice for years to come.
3. Marc Guehi
With Harry Maguire injured, finding a capable centre-back partner for Stones was seen as one of Southgate’s biggest dilemmas. With Marc Guehi around, he needn’t have worried.
The Crystal Palace defender showed supreme composure throughout Euro 2024, using the ball expertly and reading the game brilliantly without it.
There were a couple of mistakes, but Guehi showed excellent recovery speed to ensure they didn’t lead to anything fatal.
At just 23 years old, Guehi has his best years ahead of him and proving himself at this tournament could be a launchpad after an excellent 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
2. Jordan Pickford
We don’t need to remind you about Jordan Pickford’s biggest moment at this tournament, but it cannot be overstated how important that save to deny Manuel Akanji was in providing the platform to beat Switzerland 5-3 in the quarter-final penalty shootout.
Pickford has now saved five penalties in shootouts for England, stopping at least one in each of the four he’s been a part of.
He just turns up for his country — and Everton, to be fair — and it’s not just from penalties, with Pickford ending Euro 2024 with two clean sheets and just conceding just six goals. The former Sunderland stopper was second only to Georgia’s Giorgi Mamardashvilli (30) for saves (18).
Pickford’s composure and alertness were particularly important during England’s turgid group-stage campaign.
1. Bukayo Saka
A little like Kane and Bellingham, Saka never actually found his very best form at Euro 2024. However, what he definitely did was grow into the tournament, and how!
It was Saka’s brilliant cut inside and finish that drew England level against Switzerland in the quarter-finals, just five minutes after falling behind.
After a nerveless spot-kick in the shootout, he then went on to terrorise the Netherlands and was only denied the winning goal thanks to a narrow offside call on Kyle Walker.
Across those two matches alone, Saka posted a team-highs for crosses completed (4) and chances created (3), while he was second for successful dribbles (5).
Saka will be disappointed with his performance in Sunday’s final but he still carried a bigger threat than most in an England shirt, creating two chances and drawing more fouls (3) than any other player on the pitch.
Arsenal’s star boy was England’s star boy.
Honourable mentions: Cole Palmer (goal in the final and assist in the semi-final), Ollie Watkins (late winner in the semi-final), John Stones (team-highs for clearances and passes completed), Declan Rice (team-high 19 tackles), Harry Kane (joint-highest goalscorer at Euro 2024).