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A concise Pulse Sports preview on the players to watch out for the European Championship final between England and Spain.
Although football is a team sport, outcomes are often determined by individual players stepping up and grabbing destiny, especially in the biggest matches.
The European Championship final is coming on Sunday, and two of the biggest footballing nations will go up against each other: Spain and England.
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Spain have the chance to go clear of Germany and become the most successful team in the competition's history with four titles. The Three Lions, on the other hand, sought a different result from the last edition’s final, in which they lost to Italy, for their first taste of Euros victory.
Gareth Southgate on the white corner and Luis De La Fuente on the red corner will tune their wits and tactics to the max, but it is still up to the players to step up and cement themselves in their country's football legacy for eternity. Here are five players Pulse Sports' think you should watch out for, as they are primed to rise to the occasion.
Lamine Yamal
The 16-year-old is the bookies' favourite to win Player of the Tournament, and justifiably so. He leads the competition in assists and big chances created, and in the semi-final clash against France, he scored to become the youngest goalscorer in the competition's history.
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The left side of England's defence has been a point of contention throughout the tournament, with Luke Shaw the only fit left-back in the squad convalescing in the opening stages of the competition and only recently regaining fitness, forcing Southgate to deploy Trippier, a career right-back in the position.
Yamal will expectedly find a favourable match-up against Trippier, who is playing out of position, and Shaw is still some way from full sharpness to keep the dynamic winger in check.
Bukayo Saka
The right winger on the opposing team, Bukayo Saka, has also been impressive in the competition, and he is arguably England's best forward in the competition. He has grown in level of performance as the competition matures.
He scored his first goal of the competition to force extra time against Switzerland, and he also found the back of the net against the Netherlands, but an offside in the build-up saw the goal ruled out. He is one to keep an eye on in the final, based on the strength of his recent performances.
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Rodri
Jude Bellingham and Vinicius were consensus frontrunners for the Ballon d'Or before the Euros, but with Rodri’s performance at the Euros so far, his name has been thrown in the mix, with many, including Afrobeats superstar Odumodublvck, tagging him as the best player in the world.
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The Manchester City man was immense in the last two rounds against Germany and France, barely putting a foot wrong. He has established himself as the man for the big moments, and on the continental level, they don't come bigger than the European Championship.
Jude Bellingham
The 21-year-old midfielder's overall performance level has been underwhelming this Euros, but as he showed for Real Madrid last season, he is the man for clutch goals.
Bellingham scored the goal that effectively qualified England for the knockout stage with his strike in the 1-0 win against Serbia in the group opener. He also scored the winner in extra-time against Slovakia in the round of 16.
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Bellingham has a penchant for crucial goals, and the European Championship final is a stage like no other for his particular set of skills.
Marc Cucurella
The Chelsea full-back, alongside France’s Jules Kounde, have been the standout defenders of the competition.
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Defensively, Cucurella’s contributions have helped Spain be the stingiest backline in the competition; offensively, he combines expertly with Nico Williams on the left to make for a potent attack.
Cucurella has barely put a foot wrong in this tournament, and we do not expect him to falter at the final.
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