FCBARCELONA.CAT

30.06.2008 11:44

Xavi is best player at Euro 2008

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Barça midfielder Xavi Hernández has been chosen as best Euro 2008 player according to a UEFA announcement this Monday.

The Barça player’s technical ability and his control of the tempo of a game are two of the main reasons why he has been selected by the UEFA Technical Team with input from the public as best player at Euro 2008.

The 28-year-old midfielder played in five of Spain’s six games – he was rested in the dead rubber against Greece – and has been a key cog in Luis Aragonés’s team. He scored once in the semi-finals against Russia (3-0).

Xavi, who has racked up 63 caps since his international debut in 2000, has been chosen as the leader of the champions, who have played a passing game in which Iniesta and former Barça player Cesc also had important roles to play.

The three Barça players in the team of the tournament

Along with Xavi, Barça’s other Spanish internationals have been included in the top XI for Euro 2008:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Edwin van der Sar (Holland).

Defenders: Bosingwa (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Carlos Marchena (Spain), Pepe (Portugal), Carles Puyol (Spain), Yuri Zhirkov (Russia).

Midfielders: Hamit Altintop (Turkey), Luka Modric (Croatia), Marcos Senna (Spain), Xavi Hernández (Spain), Konstantin Zyryanov (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Holland).

Strikers: Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain).