Arsenal star named in Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament | OneFootball

Arsenal defender William Saliba has been selected for the Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament, announced on Tuesday.

France’s William Saliba eyes the ball during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D football match between Austria and France at the Duesseldorf Arena in Duesseldorf on June 17, 2024. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Following Spain’s Euro 2024 win at the weekend, UEFA have confirmed their official Team of the Tournament as selected by their Technical Observer panel.

Spain dominate the lineup, with Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo, Rodri, and Marc Cucurella all making the team.

Arsenal’s William Saliba is one of the exceptions to that norm, making it into the Team of the Tournament for his performances for France.

UEFA Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament

Saliba played every minute of France’s Euro 2024 run to the semi-finals, helping his team to keep four clean sheets in six games.

France only conceded one goal in the group stage, after Dayot Upamecano gave away a penalty against Poland. The team then kept further clean sheets in the round of 16 against Belgium and the quarter-finals against Portugal.

Saliba came up against a number of big-name strikers along the way, including Memphis Depay, Robert Lewandowski, Romelu Lukaku, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

France were ultimately undone by two excellent individual goals from eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals, with Yamal scoring from distance and Olmo pulling off an impressive piece of skill before finding the net via a deflection off Jules Kounde.

France’s William Saliba and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo fight for the ball during the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-final football match between Portugal and France at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on July 5, 2024. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)

There was little Saliba could have done about any of the three goals France conceded at the tournament, and it’s just a shame the team had such difficulties at the other end.

With their impressive defensive performances, Didier Deschamps’ side could have gone all the way if they’d posed more of an attacking threat too.