‘Very much like Italia 90’
Started so brightly, with a real run of high-scoring matches, but tapered off significantly in the knockout stages. France, Portugal, Belgium and England all arrived with big reps but were criminally negative. It feels very much like an Italia 90 situation, where the tournament will be fondly remembered by England fans, but considered a bit of an anticlimax elsewhere. Only Spain and Germany were consistently brilliant in their attacking verve. Dani Olmo was one of Spain’s best players and I adored the movement and invention of Nico Williams. Georges Mikautadze was a real surprise in a very dynamic Georgia team and I loved the puckish cheekiness and control of Arda Guler for Turkey. I was in Germany for all of 24 hours to see Scotland play Switzerland. Our tournament was woeful from the first minute. Once again Scotland found a way to build up hopes of finally making the knockout stages only to utterly underperform in the tournament itself. Rohan Berry Crickmar
‘Uninspiring on the pitch. A carnival off it’
Increasing the number of teams at the Euros is inclusive and creates an even more carnival atmosphere, but the quality of the tournament and the qualifiers are diminished. Too many games have had lesser teams parking the bus and hoping to score from a set piece, which is a dull spectacle. Football wise, it was uninspiring; atmosphere-wise, it was like a carnival. Ian Woodhead
‘The big teams were not the most entertaining’
It was inconsistent. Most of the “big” teams were defensive (France, England, Portugal, Belgium). Spain were far and away the most impressive of the favourites (how Scotland beat them in the qualifiers will remain an utter mystery based on what we saw in Germany). The entertainers have been the more “middling” teams, such as Turkey, Austria and Romania, with an honourable shout to Georgia. The best attacking players have been the Spanish wing duo of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. The best player, however, was Rodri - an absolute Rolls Royce. Alan Mackie
‘Georgia became everyone’s second team’
On the whole it was an enjoyable tournament. It ground to a fairly turgid, stale end in the knockout stages but the groups were a lot of fun with some games that will live long in the memory. The 24-team format works well. Sixteen was always good compared to the bloat of 32, but it massively reduces the likelihood of smaller nations attending (let alone competing). Georgia became everyone’s second team, with Georges Mikautadze and Giorgi Mamardashvili shining. Their victory over Portugal was a highlight. I thought it was a captivating tournament. David
‘It was thoroughly enjoyable’
I’m a Netherlands supporter but, as a football fan in my heart of hearts, it is Spain who best represent the game. Olé! So many players were impressive and memorable: Cody Gakpo, Dani Olmo, Ollie Watkins, Lamine Yamal. I could go on and on. This year’s Euros stood out because of the considerable number of exceptionally talented young players, which gives us the promise of more wonderful tournaments in the future. Euro 2024 was thoroughly enjoyable. Marianne
‘Amazing players playing boring football’
I live in South Korea so got up at either 1am or 4am to watch the games in my living room. I can’t describe how depressing the group stage was, being so tired watching amazing players play such dire, boring football, then being knackered and down all the next day. There were points I just wanted England to be out so I didn’t have to get up anymore to watch the games. It has been more underwhelming than other tournaments – with teams able to get through while playing badly. Spain were good, but other sides were so poor it didn’t take much to look good. If we are going to include more teams, I’d prefer to have two 16-team tournaments: one for the better teams and one for the lower-ranked teams. There was a lot of football at this tournament and a lot of it wasn’t very good. Roger McCartney
‘The new names shone’
I enjoyed seeing The Big Stars fizzle badly (Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Romelu Lukaku et al) and new names shining in their place. I thought that having 24 teams would lead to a dull tournament full of lopsided results. After the opening 5-1 win for Germany over Scotland this prediction seemed astute. However, from then on the biggest teams (Spain aside) were almost exclusively poor, not to mention dull. Turkey, Georgia and Austria not only surpassed expectations of their quality, but indeed quickly became my “must-watch” sides, which was a lovely surprise. Ben
‘Supporters in Germany mingled brilliantly’
Spain were the one truly impressive team, whereas others relied on individual moments. Turkey deserve a mention for their attacking style of play and passionate support. Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal are my players of the tournament, with a special mention to the fantastically dynamic and hard-working Georges Mikautadze of Georgia. Euro 2024 had some really special moments of individual brilliance, and a handful of excellent games. However, defences were on top in general, particularly following the first round of group games, after which the tournament entered a very odd lull that only really picked up after Turkey’s epic quarter-final with Austria. Off the pitch is where I think this tournament has excelled. Supporters mingled brilliantly, and except the odd incident, without any real trouble. Scotland, Turkey, England and the Dutch fans were fantastic. Dan Gardner
‘Too many teams prioritised result over fun’
It was underwhelming. Too many teams hid behind the idea that “it’s the result that matters”, forgetting that if you take the entertainment and fun out then there is very little point to the whole thing. Germany and Spain were the only “giants” who entertained. Georgia and Turkey were a lot of fun, from the lower-ranked nations. I support Scotland – the less said about those games the better. Matt
‘The Croatia and Georgia fans were a delight’
I went to two matches in Hamburg, where the public transport was top notch. The Croatia fans were incredible: organised, singing, boisterous and friendly. The Georgians were a delight as well, albeit less numerous. Seeing Giorgi Mamardashvili in person was a revelation; he was the best keeper at the tournament, in my opinion. In a word, Euro 2024 was atmospheric. Robert McDonald
‘We need to liberate the game’
Spain were the best of a bad lot. The quality was very poor overall, with very few goalmouth incidents or shots on goal. The low-scoring matches are indicative of negative thinking and tactics that reflect the fear of losing over the joy of winning. There must be a way of liberating the game to be more open and encourage more goals. My suggestion is to reduce the number of players on the field to 10 a side either towards the end of normal time or at the start of extra time to allow for more open play and obviate the need for so many penalty shootouts, where the result becomes a lottery. Modern tactics and fitness levels, plus so many substitutes, are making goalscoring more difficult for the best teams and making matches increasingly sterile affairs. Denis Walls
‘A lot of players have looked very tired’
I don’t think this tournament will live long in the memory. A lot of players looked very tired and it’s clear quite a few played with injuries. I wonder whether having a winter World Cup in 2022, followed by a long season – with the Champions League final not that long before the Euros started – meant that most of the players haven’t really had a rest. I think that was reflected on the pitch. The general atmosphere was good and the host country was engaged, although I feel Germany put more effort into the 2006 World Cup. Some grounds were better organised than others. Trying to get out of Gelsenkirchen after the Serbia game was dangerous and took hours. In general Uefa have shown they don’t really care about fans and are just interested in their money. Jon
