Lo Celso crucial, Dragusin dazzles – Ranking Tottenham’s players at Euro 2024 and Copa America
Tottenham had seven players involved across Euro 2024 and the Copa America and they all had varying degrees of success and game time
recognition for their efforts across the competitions.
We’ve taken on the tough task of creating a power rankings of sorts for Spurs’ players at those tournaments, which is certainly up for plenty of debate depending on how you want to judge what they achieved, whether it’s in how far they got in their tournament, their contributions on the pitch or their performances throughout.
Here’s our attempt, judged purely on what took place on the pitch:
Cristtian Romero
The man at the top – Tottenham’s vice-captain. Romero has had an incredible few years at international level, winning the World Cup, lifting the Copa America and now retaining it as well as also winning the Finalissima in 2022, when the Copa America and Euros winners did battle at Wembley.
Romero started five of Argentina’s six matches at the Copa America this summer, only rested in the final group stage match with knockout stage qualification already assured. The 26-year-old Argentine played the full 120 minutes of the final against Colombia and lifted the trophy at its end.
Lionel Messi believes Romero is the best centre-back in the world, and who are we to argue?
Giovani Lo Celso
He struggled to get game time at Tottenham but Lo Celso made up for his World Cup injury heartbreak by coming on in extra-time in the Copa America final to provide a first time pass into the run of Lautaro Martinez to score the winning goal against Colombia.
The 28-year-old midfielder only started one match during the competition – that final group stage win against Peru – and got 149 minutes or so under his belt overall, but he made positive contributions and the most important one with that assist on the biggest stage in the 112th minute to ensure he has now lifted back-to-back Copa America titles.
Radu Dragusin
Perhaps a controversial choice to go in at number three as Romania only reached the round of 16 but of all of Tottenham’s players, the 22-year-old centre-back will likely return to the club with the biggest boost to his global reputation following Euro 2024.
Dragusin was superb throughout his first major tournament, helping Romania return to the big stage with their run to the knockout stages and the young defender played every minute of it for them.
He got plaudit after plaudit for his performances as the rock in the Romanian backline and with boss Ange Postecoglou watching on as a pundit he won’t have failed to further impress the Australian.
Rodrigo Bentancur
Remember we’re just ranking this based on matters on the pitch. What happened after Uruguay’s semi-final against Colombia is now in the hands of CONMEBOL to decide upon.
When it comes to on-pitch matters, Bentancur could easily have take third spot in this table as Uruguay did just that at the Copa America. After an injury-hit season, the 27-year-old started only two matches for his country at the tournament, coming off 34 minutes into the semi-final with an injury.
However, he did make an impact, scoring twice, including in the third-place play-off against Canada after making a big effort to return from his semi-final injury. In that third-place decider Bentancur also netted in the penalty shoot-out, as he did against Brazil in the quarter-finals, so he played his part for his country.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Another player who could easily be higher up these rankings following an impressive run of performances as Denmark reached the round of 16 at Euro 2024.
The 28-year-old midfielder was an all-action star for his country, including a man-of-the-match performance against England in Frankfurt.
Hojbjerg’s value in the final year of his contract will remain high despite so few Premier League starts for Tottenham last season because of his tournament displays and the interest in him from potential suitors is equally high as he looks to move on this summer.
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