Three players to have impressed the most in the Under 21 Euros

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Bengaluru, June 9: The UEFA Under-21 Championship concluded on Sunday (June 6) as Germany clinched the prestigious trophy for the third time in their history beating Portugal in the final.

Manchester City youngster Lukas Nmecha scored the only goal of the game for the Germans as die Mannschaft claimed a narrow 1-0 win against Portugal. Germany won the Under-21 Euros earlier in 2009 and 2017, whilst Portugal have now lost all three finals they have appeared in.

Lukas Nmecha's second-half strike was enough to seal the victory for Germany as the 22-year-old impressed throughout the tournament having scored four times. The young centre-forward spent the last season on loan with Anderlecht, scoring 18 goals whilst registering a further three assists. And, his form for the Belgian giants and Germany Under-21 side could mean that Pep Guardiola could turn to the youngster next season as a valuable squad player.

While Nmecha stole the limelight with his goal in the final, it was not only the 22-year-old who had an impressive tournament. In this article, we will take a look at three players who impressed the most in the tournament.

Ridle Baku - Germany

Ridle Baku might already be a popular name in the transfer market with Liverpool already linked with his services in recent weeks. The 23-year-old shot to prominence over the past couple of years following his switch into a right-back.

Baku started his career as a box to box midfielder but gradually adapted himself to his new role and had a brilliant season with VFL Wolfsburg during which he played at both right-back and right-wing. In the tournament for Germany, he showed his reliability and discipline without the ball and also stole the show every time he got the ball and burst forward. The German youngster finished the tournament having started all six matches whilst contributing with two goals, three assists and 12 key passes.

Florian Wirtz - Germany

There has been plenty of hype over Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen and in the tournament, the youngster showed the world why he is widely regarded as the next Kai Havertz. Just aged 18, he is already a first-team regular for a club like Bayer Leverkusen and his maturity was pretty evident in the Under-21 Euros. He was the two-goal hero for Germany in their 2-1 semi-final victory against the Netherlands and was ever-present for his country in the Euros.

Although he’s primarily an attacking midfielder for Germany he has mostly featured as a right-winger. He is versatile enough to handle himself in both positions while also looking at home at both central midfield and even at centre-forward. If the youngster can keep up his progress, he could be the next big export from Bayern.

Fabio Vieira - Portugal

It has been a bittersweet tournament for Fabio Vieira with the FC Porto wonderkid having scooped up the Player of the Tournament award despite being on the losing side in the final with Portugal. The 21-year-old was by far the best player for his country in the tournament as the chief playmaker who created a lot of chances for his teammates.

Vieira rose to prominence at Porto during the last season, shining for the club’s second team initially before being rewarded with a number of appearances in the later stages of the last campaign and he has impressed every time he has been on the pitch. And following the tournament the youngster had, his stock is only going to rise.