Liverpool ace features in Opta's Euro 2024 team of tournament - full XI revealed including PL stars

The European Championships saw plenty of star performances and multiple Liverpool players went far into the tournament, but only one player made the ‘Team of the Tournament’.

Cody Gakpo’s three goals for the Netherlands ensured he finished as the Golden Boot winner, but he had to share that particular accolade with five other players in what ended up being bizarre circumstances. Previously, the award would have been decided, in the event of a tie, by assists but UEFA changed their ruling before the final.

Still, Gakpo’s goals were key for his country reaching the semi-finals where they were minutes away from heading into extra-time against England. A late strike from Ollie Watkins provided a heartbreak for Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk but his performances in their other games will give Arne Slot and Liverpool fans hope that he can truly find his feet next season.

Not only did he secure the Golden Boot, he also made the ‘Team of the Tournament’ selected by the Opta index. It grades players across a wide pool of metrics - the sports analytics company have formulated a team of the tournament using data to support the selections. And while it is certainly a topic that can be debated by anyone, it was interesting to see their selections.

Gakpo was joined by Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia) Joshua Kimmich (Germany) Manuel Akanji (Switzerland) Marc Guehi (England) Marc Cucurella (Spain) Toni Kroos (Germany) Fabian Ruiz (Spain) Lamine Yamal (Spain) Dani Olmo (Spain) and Nico Williams (Spain).

What is interesting to note from Gakpo is that he continued his strong form from the 2022 World Cup into this tournament. He was hot property at PSV Eindhoven before he headed to Qatar. His three goals in the group stages were great efforts - showcasing his range of finishes that included a header and strikes with both feet. His six goals across those two competitions by a European player has only been beaten by Kylian Mbappe, who has nine.

The question now is can he translate that form into success for Liverpool? He will favour the Slot-system with narrow forwards and emulating a similar tactic to the one he has at international could be the key to unlocking his true potential at Anfield.