THE BEST SOCCER PLAYERS

The UEFA Technical Team has named its UEFA EURO 2008™ Team of the Tournament, with no fewer than nine Spanish players being picked in the final 23. Team breakdown The nine-strong group of experienced football technicians who have followed every game at the tournament decided the selection – and the success of Luis Aragonés's side was underlined by the fact nine Spain players made the cut, with the remainder of the squad comprising three players from runners-up Germany, four from Russia, two each from the Netherlands and Portugal and a single player representing Turkey, Croatia and Italy. 'Not about reputations' UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh said: "The Team of the Tournament is something we put into our technical report for our coaching colleagues. We give them pointers on the players that our technical experts have appreciated during this event. This team is very much self-contained in terms of the tournament – this is not about reputations. In fact there are o

Spain midfielder Xavi Hernández Creus has been named the best player at Euro 2008 after his stirring displays helped his country to the title. The 28-year-old Barcelona player, the heartbeat of Spain's midfield during the tournament, was voted the Castrol player of the tournament by a nine-strong panel of UEFA's technical experts. He appeared in five matches at the finals, scoring once in the semi-final against Russia, as Spain earned their first major international success since beating the Soviet Union to win the 1964 UEFA European Championship. His ability to dictate the pace of the game from midfield brought him to the attention of the UEFA Technical Team who decide upon the Castrol Player of the Tournament, taking into account votes from the public. UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh said: "We chose him because we think he epitomises the Spanish style of play. He was extremely influential in the whole possession, passing, penetrating kind of game that Spain played.

Cesc Fabregas is desperate to avoid a repeat of the 'hurt' of losing a major final when Spain do battle with Germany on Sunday. Arsenal midfielder Fabregas suffered heartache when the Gunners were defeated in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona. But two years on the 21-year-old is ready to do 'whatever it takes' to claim glory when the Spanish take on Germany in the Euro 2008 final at the Ernst-Happel Stadion. "I know what it's like losing a big final," Fabregas said. "I know just how much it hurts - and I don't want to do it again. "Of course we haven't achieved our objective yet. We can't draw the line with getting to the final. We want to go home with the cup. "We have 90 or 120 minutes left or even 125 minutes with the penalties, whatever it takes to go home with the trophy." Ballack threat Fabregas went on to highlight the threat of Germany captain Michael Ballack, who has impressed during this summer

Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has admitted he does not know where his future lies following interest from 'one of the biggest clubs in the world'. Adebayor gave conflicting messages over his Emirates Stadium future on Friday after he initially stated he will remain in North London before conceding that he has yet to make a definitive decision. Serie A giants Milan, who will play in the Uefa Cup next season, have made no secret of their interest in the Togo international and will be eagerly anticipating the expected announcement on his future next week. The Gunners will be desperate to hold onto Adebayor after he struck an impressive 30 goals last season, but the former Monaco forward feels an exit would not necessarily be detrimental to the club, who paid £7million for his services in 2006. Dream "I had a dream of playing for Arsenal, and Arsenal are one of the loveliest clubs in the world," he said. "When I go back to Africa it is obvious that a lot of peopl

It has been a heady rise for Spain striker Daniel González Güiza. The previously unsung 27-year-old RCD Mallorca forward forced himself into the reckoning for UEFA EURO 2008 after finishing the season as the Primera División's leading scorer, and has seized his chance here with two goals in three appearances. It is an impressive return for a player who only made his international debut in Spain's final qualifier against Northern Ireland in November. Güiza scored the winner against Greece in Spain's final Group D game then hit another in the 3-0 semi-final victory against Russia, flicking the ball over Igor Akinfeev after being played through by Cesc Fàbregas. With David Villa injured, coach Luis Aragonés is likely to give either Güiza or Fàbregas a starting role in the final against Germany and the Mallorca man is desperate for the chance. "Of course you dream, and my dream has always been to play in the final with the Spanish national team," he said. "Now we

Spain coach Luis Aragones says David Villa will miss Sunday's Euro 2008 against Germany. The Valencia striker was forced out of Thursday's 3-0 victory over Russia on 34 minutes after pulling a leg muscle. Villa, who helped himself to a hat-trick in Spain's 4-1 group success over Russia, will now sit out the final in Vienna. "Villa won't be playing in the final. He suffered a muscle strain," confirmed Aragones after their semi-final success. David Villa is still a top scorer in Euro 2008 with four goals. The absent of the Spain hit-man open a chance for German striker Lukas Podolski to get a golden ball, an award for top scorer in this cup. Villa's place in the side could well be taken by Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas, who impressed off the bench in their semi-final triumph over Russia. Villa came off after 35 minutes to be replaced by Cesc Fabregas after appearing to injure himself taking a free kick. Sunday's final will be played at the Ernst Happel sta

By Luke Harding in Moscow It has been one of the great enigmas of Euro 2008. Why has a forward of the quality of Andrei Arshavin, Russia's exquisitely gifted playmaker, not previously attracted international recognition? Victory for Russia on Thursday night against Spain would be likely to confirm 27-year-old Arshavin as the player of the tournament. This would follow his pivotal role in Russia's 3-1 demolition of Holland during the quarter-finals and their 2-0 mobbing of Sweden. In fact, Russian sports journalists identified Arshavin as a world-class player a long time ago - in 2004. But several factors conspired to prevent Arshavin from reaching his current inspirational greatness, they suggest. These include Russia's failure to progress at major tournaments. A more profound obstacle has been Arshavin's immaturity or - as one observer put it - his propensity to behave "like a spoiled kid". "We started to talk about Arshavin when he was 23. He was playin

Emmanuel Adebayor's departure from Arsenal moved a step closer today when his agent, Vincenzo Morabito, claimed Milan now have a "70 to 80% chance" of signing the forward. The Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said last week that Adebayor was his club's sole transfer target this summer. It now appears that the Rossoneri are close to securing a deal for the striker, with Arsenal reportedly already searching for his replacement. "Milan have already stated their position, while Arsenal have started moving in the market in the hunt for an attacker to replace Adebayor," Morabito told Italian television channel Mediaset. "Until that search ends the deal won't move forward but I am quite optimistic because Arsenal are looking for a player. They're talking about [Mario] Gomez, [Roque] Santa Cruz, and [Peter] Crouch. I'd say there's a 70 to 80% chance Adebayor will go to Milan." Reports in Spain suggested that Barcelona had reached a dea

Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin has thanked Guus Hiddink for his chance at Euro 2008 - and he wants to repay him by sending the Dutchman into a first major final as an international coach. Arshavin was suspended for the first two games of the tournament after needlessly getting sent off in the last qualifier, but Hiddink kept him in his squad despite being upset at the 27-year-old. He has scored against Sweden and Holland and tonight face Spain in the semi-finals at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium. 'Even so I'm happy Guus Hiddink brought me here despite the ban and let me become a part of the tournament,' said Arshavin. 'I came here hoping I'd get a chance to play at such a big tournament. I've never been to an event like this before. 'We had some very tough training sessions and it was difficult for me to be training a lot knowing I wouldn't be playing. It was an unusual feeling.' His performances has put top clubs in Europe in alert, and Zenit S

Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez insists he and his team-mates are ready to end a 44-year wait for international silverware. Ahead of Thursday's semi-final meeting with Russia, Xavi is confident Spain can secure their first trophy since winning the 1964 European Championship. Barcelona star Xavi accepts Russia, who have earned the plaudits in Austria and Switzerland, will prove difficult opposition. However, the 28-year-old insists Luis Aragones' team, who have earned a reputation as perennial under-achievers as domestic success is rarely replicated on the international stage, are hungry to win this summer's competition. "I'm very happy because we have taken a step towards making history, but we haven't done it yet," said Xavi. Nut to crack "We've got a tough nut to crack in Russia, but the team is ready in all senses and we want to win the tournament. "We want to keep faith with our playing style. This game will be very different but the key