Spain who started as the pre-tournament favorites lived up to their reputation and did win the Euro Cup 2012. And in the course of doing so they entered the history books as they won three major tournaments and became the first team to retain the Henri Delaunay Trophy.

But then along with Spain few other teams were predicted as strong contender for the championship but then it was La Roja emerged the eventual winners. The Euro cup saw the best players from across the tournament in action and some lived up to the expectations whereas some could not.

Here are the five players who we think were the most influential in the tournament:

Cesc Fabregas: The Barcelona central midfielder who was not a regular started for the Spanish side did get to start most of the matches and what a tournament he had. He was used as a false ‘9’ by Vicente Del Bosque to accommodate the ambitious 4-6-0 formation. Fabregas just fit in the position exactly and was very influential in helping Spain win. He scored two goals in the tournament and his performance in the tournament would see him start matches for Spain more regularly.

Andrea Pirlo: The veteran midfielder who helped Juventus win the Serie A title this season was one of the main reasons why Italy made it to the finals of the tournament. He was a livewire on the pitch, was classy and played killer passes throughout the tournament. His free kick which earned them a 1-1 draw over Croatia and the cheeky ‘Penanka’ kick during the penalty shootout has been the highlights of the tournament. His pass conversion rate in the tournament has been more than 80%.

Christiano Ronaldo: Christiano Ronaldo started the tournament on a low note and had to face lot of criticisms but then it was the match against Netherlands that saw the tides turning in his favor and he scored a brace in the must win match to take Portugal in the knock out stages. In the quarterfinal match against Czech Republic, he scored the winning goal to take his side singlehandedly in the semis. And in the penultimate of the tournament again Spain he could score a goal in the regulation time and neither could he do so in the penalty shootout because even before he could take his kick Portugal lost the match. He hit the post four times in the tournament most by any player. He scored three goals in the tournament.

Alan Dzagoev: The CSKA attacking midfielder was a revelation in the tournament and emerged as one of the top goal scorer in the tournament with three goals.  Dzagoev’s performance in the tournament has caught the eyes of Tottenham Hotspur and they have shown their desire to sign him for the upcoming season. Dzagoev who is only 22 is being seen as the next big thing in Russian football and if he can live up to it, he can very well reach the heights that his compatriot Andrei Ashravin has reached.

Mario Mandžukić: The Croatian who came into the tournament after a great season with VFL Wolfsburg continued his good run in the tournament. The 26 year old striker scored three goals in the tournament, but then could not help his team into the next round. He is now on his way to Bayern Munich and would go there on a high spirit.

By Indian Sports News Network