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Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament & Golden Boot winner announced

Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament & Golden Boot winner
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The end-of-tournament Euro 2020 awards for the competition’s best player, top scorer, and young player have been announced by UEFA.

Alipay Top Scorer award – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Thanks to an assist against Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo pipped Patrik Schick to the Euro 2020 Golden Boot after finishing level on five goals with the Czech Republic striker. It’s the first time he has won this award.

All five of Ronaldo’s goals came in Group F as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner muscled his way past the Hungarian, German, and French defenses to help Portugal survive the ‘Group of Death’.

Unfortunately, Portugal’s title defense ended in a 1-0 loss to Belgium in the last-16 stage. But while Ronaldo only played 360 minutes of football, he still did enough to win the big prize.

Player of the Tournament – Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)

After saving Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka’s penalties in Italy’s 3-2 shootout victory over England in the Euro 2020 final, Gianluigi Donnarumma claimed the competition’s MVP award.

The 22-year-old is the first goalkeeper to win the accolade. And considering his exploits this summer, one could say it’s deserved. Donnarumma conceded just four goals, kept three clean sheets, made nine saves, and he also made a crucial save in Italy’s shootout victory over Spain in the semi-finals.

Donnarumma is now expected to complete a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain from AC Milan.

Young Player of the Tournament – Pedri (Spain)

Despite only winning four caps before Euro 2020, Pedri’s inexperience proved to be no obstacle whatsoever.

The 18-year-old midfielder got better by each passing game as Spain progressed to the semi-finals. In fact, he missed only one minute of action and won widespread praise for his superb and mature performances.

Pedri arguably saved his best for last in the semi-final defeat to Italy by completing 65 of his 66 passes. His display wasn’t enough to send Spain through, but a bright future still clearly lies ahead for the Barcelona youngster.

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