England’s search for a first major trophy since 1966 may have ended in ultimate disappointment but, for the past month, Gareth Southgate’s men have brought joy to a nation.
Sunday’s penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final brought to an end a run that saw an England’s men’s team get further than any other have since the 1966 World Cup win.
The tournament has brought some new heroes to England football fans – but who did you rate as the best of the bunch?
Before every match of the tournament we asked for your preferred starting XIs, while you also rated every player’s performance in every match during the Euros.
BBC Sport readers chose captain Harry Kane, defenders Kyle Walker and John Stones and midfielder Declan Rice to start every game in their pre-match selections.
But Jordan Pickford and Harry Maguire were picked by more BBC Sport readers towards the end of the tournament, with the Manchester United defender your most-picked player for the semi-final against Denmark and the final against Italy.
Maguire was the highest-rated England player across Euro 2020, with Kalvin Phillips and Luke Shaw also highly regarded.
Here’s how you rated England’s key players across Euro 2020…
To earn an average rating, the player had to have started at least one match in the tournament or feature as a substitute in three games.
The defence – Maguire’s return and Trippier’s versatility
Jordan Pickford (goalkeeper)
Appearances: 7
Starts: 7
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.6
Selections in the readers’ XI: 6
Despite Manchester United’s Dean Henderson edging him out by 0.5% from selections in BBC Sport readers’ XI before the tournament, Jordan Pickford is England’s clear number one after Euro 2020. By the time England faced Italy in the final, Pickford was the most-selected player overall and had already claimed the tournament’s Golden Gloves award with five clean sheets and two goals conceded in seven matches.
Kyle Walker
Appearances: 6
Starts: 6
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.4
Selections in the readers’ XI: 7
Kyle Walker was selected for every XI in the tournament by BBC Sport readers. He was left out of Southgate’s squad altogether against Scotland but, for the most part, has been a crucial part of the manager’s defence – playing as a right-back in a back four and a right-sided central defender in a back three, which he did with great effect in the last-16 win over Germany.
John Stones
Appearances: 7
Starts: 7
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.4
Selections in the readers’ XI: 7
John Stones was at the heart of England’s defence throughout the tournament, with seven starts at centre-back. He played a major role in England’s five clean sheets and was selected by BBC Sport readers before every game. He’s also one of six players to start every game, playing in three different formations (3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3).
Tyrone Mings
Appearances: 3
Starts: 2
BBC Sport player rater average: 5.9
Selections in the readers’ XI: 2
The absence of Harry Maguire through injury meant Tyrone Mings was given an opportunity in England’s starting XI for the opener against Croatia. The centre-back impressed, and was rated 6.81 by BBC Sport readers in that match. He retained his place against Scotland and despite doing well – and readers voting for him to start the next game against the Czech Republic – Southgate brought Maguire back in. Mings did come on as a substitute, but did not feature again.
Harry Maguire
Appearances: 5
Starts: 5
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.9
Selections in the readers’ XI: 4
Maguire was the readers’ first choice to partner John Stones before the tournament but injury meant he missed the Croatia game and was an unused substitute against Scotland. He reclaimed his place against the Czech Republic and despite that victory being his lowest-rated performance of the tournament, BBC Sport readers wanted him to start against Germany in the last 16. He impressed from that moment – scoring against Ukraine in the quarter-final and earning a rating of 7.85, with only Harry Kane and Luke Shaw receiving higher scores. He finished the tournament as BBC Sport readers’ highest-rated England player.
Kieran Trippier
Appearances: 5
Starts: 3
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.14
Selections in the readers’ XI: 0
Southgate surprised everyone when he named Kieran Trippier as left-back in the starting XI for the opening game. He helped England beat Croatia but readers wanted to see Luke Shaw start against Scotland… and Southgate agreed. Trippier had to wait for his next start as a wing-back against Germany, after which he appeared as a substitute against Ukraine and Denmark. His role as right wing-back in the final against Italy earned him his highest rating (6.57).
Luke Shaw
Appearances: 6
Starts: 6
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.71
Selections in the readers’ XI: 6
Shaw’s omission from the side against Croatia was a surprise but he started every game after that at left-back other than his role as a left-wing-back against Germany and in the final against Italy. His performance against Germany was where he started to impress with an assist for Raheem Sterling’s opener, before he went on to set up two against Ukraine in the quarter-finals, earning him a man-of-the-match rating of 8.25 on BBC Sport. His first goal for England came in the final against Italy, where he was voted the player of the match by BBC Sport readers with a rating of 7.66. His performances and Trippier’s versatility saw Ben Chilwell not make it onto the pitch.
Reece James
Appearances: 1
Starts: 1
BBC Sport player rater average: 5.1
Selections in the readers’ XI: 0
Reece James earned a surprise call against Scotland but, despite helping to keep a clean sheet, BBC Sport readers wanted to see the return of Walker. Southgate opted for the latter and James did not make any further appearances.
Defensive players who did not feature: Ben White, Ben Chilwell, Conor Coady, Aaron Ramsdale (goalkeeper), Sam Johnstone (goalkeeper)
Midfielders – Henderson’s competition and Phillips’ importance
Declan Rice
Appearances: 7
Starts: 7
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.1
Selections in the readers’ XI: 7
BBC Sport readers wanted to see Declan Rice start every game and he did just that. Jordan Henderson’s pre-tournament injury helped Rice stake a claim for a central midfield spot and he played alongside Kalvin Phillips throughout. However, Henderson’s return to fitness saw Rice substituted for the Liverpool captain in the final five games and his rating of 6.28 was the second-lowest for an England outfield player against Denmark. He kept his place for the final and was England’s third-highest rated player with 7.24.
Kalvin Phillips
Appearances: 7
Starts: 7
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.83
Selections in the readers’ XI: 5
Kalvin Phillips started in front of readers’ choice Phil Foden against Croatia but impressed with a man-of-the-match rating of 8.38 and assisted Sterling’s winner. He started every game in midfield since then, only coming off as a substitute in the 65th minute against Ukraine. BBC Sport readers gave him the second-highest average rating after Maguire.
Mason Mount
Appearances: 5
Starts: 5
BBC Sport player rater average: 6
Selections in the readers’ XI: 6
Mason Mount’s form for Chelsea this season meant he was selected by readers for England’s opener against Croatia and he did well, earning a rating of 6.72, his best of the tournament. But after the draw against Scotland, he was forced to self-isolate due to Covid-19 protocols and sat out the win over the Czech Republic. With little training time before the game against Germany, he remained on the bench, but he came back into the side for the quarter-final and stayed in it from that point. He started the final against Italy but earned his second-lowest rating of the tournament with 5.39, with a 5.04 against Scotland his lowest.
Jordan Henderson
Appearances: 5
Starts: 0
BBC Sport player rater average: N/A
Selections in the readers’ XI: 0
Liverpool captain Henderson did not start a game after coming into the tournament shortly after recovering from injury but came on as a substitute and made an impact in most of his five appearances. A particular highlight was his 7.3-rated performance from the bench against Ukraine, where he netted England’s fourth goal. Southgate stuck with Rice for the final and Henderson replaced him in the 74th minute – but he was himself replaced by Marcus Rashford with penalties looming.
Jude Bellingham
Appearances: 3
Starts: 0
BBC Sport player rater average: N/A
Selections in the readers’ XI: 0
Jude Bellingham became England’s youngest player to feature at a major tournament when he came on as a substitute in the win over Croatia. The eight-minute cameo earned him a rating of 5.83 by BBC Sport readers and he was also used from the bench against the Czech Republic. His third appearance came against Ukraine, where he slotted into midfield, as opposed to the wide-forward roles of his previous two run-outs – but he did not feature again.
Forwards – Sterling’s persistence and Saka’s emergence
Phil Foden
Appearances: 3
Starts: 2
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.17
Selections in the readers’ XI: 4
Phil Foden’s role diminished after he started the opening two games, when he was part of a front three. Readers had hoped to see him in midfield against Croatia but after a 6.68-rated performance in attack, they voted for him to start there against Scotland, which he did. BBC Sport readers wanted him to drop back into midfield against the Czech Republic but he wasn’t in the squad and was also unused against Germany in the last 16. Readers did not vote for him to start after that and Foden only came on in extra time against Denmark while an injury kept him out of the final.
Raheem Sterling
Appearances: 7
Starts: 7
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.46
Selections in the readers’ XI: 4
Raheem Sterling wasn’t selected for the starting XI by readers before the tournament but his winner against Croatia saw him voted in for the game against Scotland. His 3.55-rated performance did not impress and he was once again voted out of the starting XI for the Czech Republic – but responded by scoring the winning goal again. Since then he was in all of the readers’ teams and scored three goals in seven appearances, as well as an assist against Ukraine and winning the decisive penalty in the semi-final against Denmark. He averaged a 7.58 rating in the three games leading to the final but against Italy it was down to 5.66.
Harry Kane
Appearances: 7
Starts: 7
BBC Sport player rater average: 5.48
Selections in the readers’ XI: 7
The skipper was England’s main striker throughout and readers wanted to see him in every starting XI despite rating him lower than 5.4 in the opening four games. His four goals in the last three games improved his overall rating, with a brace against Ukraine the highlight. Three of his goals came when England played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Kane up front on his own.
Jack Grealish
Appearances: 5
Starts: 1
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.54
Selections in the readers’ XI: 4
England fans wanted to see Jack Grealish against Croatia but he had to wait to come on as a substitute against Scotland. Fans enjoyed his 27-minute spell and called for him to start against the Czech Republic, which he did – providing the assist for Sterling’s winner. That earned him a rating of 7.44, which he raised when he assisted again off the bench against Germany. But Southgate did not used him as much as readers would like, with Grealish being substituted 46 minutes after coming off the bench against Denmark in the semi-final and replacing Mount deep into extra-time of the final.
Bukayo Saka
Appearances: 4
Starts: 3
BBC Sport player rater average: 6.43
Selections in the readers’ XI: 1
Bukayo Saka’s introduction was a surprise against the Czech Republic after he had been left out of the squad for the draw with Scotland. He impressed, earning a 7.74 rating by readers. Southgate kept faith in him for the win over Germany – where he rated highly again (7.04). Saka started the semi-final too and it was his delivery that was bundled over the line for England’s opener. BBC Sport readers wanted to see Saka start in the final against Italy but he appeared as substitute in the 70th minute, replacing Trippier. Despite missing his penalty in the final, the 19-year-old had an excellent debut tournament.
Jadon Sancho
Appearances: 3
Starts: 1
BBC Sport player rater average: 5.2
Selections in the readers’ XI: 3
Jadon Sancho’s involvement was sporadic. BBC Sport readers wanted to see him start against Croatia, but not Scotland. They voted him back in against the Czech Republic but only saw him come off the bench for six minutes. He eventually started against Ukraine, rating 7.23, and readers wanted to see him back in the side against Denmark but he didn’t feature. He appeared in the final minutes of the final where he replaced Walker to take a penalty.
Marcus Rashford
Appearances: 5
Starts: 0
BBC Sport player rater average: N/A
Selections in the readers’ XI: 0
Marcus Rashford was unable to make a significant impact in his five substitute appearances. He did not make any of the BBC Sport team selections and his 25-minute spell against Ukraine was his highest rating (6.14). Like Sancho, he was introduced as a substitute in the final in order to take a penalty.
