Scotland suffered. England were left heartbroken - and Rodri’s tears turned to cheers at Euro 2024 as Spain succeeded in winning a record fourth Euros.
Gareth Southgate’s men were beaten finalists once again as they fell at the final hurdle, losing 2-1 to a supremely talented Spain side in the German capital of Berlin and that was that for another European Championship.
It was a strange tournament that saw defensive excellence often rewarded over attacking flair and individual brilliance, though few can argue that Spain were the deserved champions, lifting their first major trophy in 12 years. However, with defences on top throughout the tournament, which defender performed the best at Euro 2024? Who put on a defensive masterclass - and who has didn’t cover themselves in glory?
With the tournament now at an end, we look at which 10 defenders performed the best for their nations at the European Championship - as per FotMob player ratings.
1. Joshua Kimmich - Germany
Kimmich is a regular at right-back for Germany and was the stand out defender at the tournament with an average rating of 7.82. He got two assists and boasted a passing accuracy rate of 92.6% at the tournament. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
2. Pepe - Portugal
Despite being 41-years-old, the veteran Portuguese defender was the outstanding centre-back of the tournament, as per his 7.71 average rating. In four games, he tallied a 94% passing accuracy and won 84.6% of his aerial duals. | Kevin C. Cox Photo: Kevin C. Cox
3. Marc Cucurella - Spain
After a tough season with Chelsea, the Spanish left-back excelled as his team lifted a fourth Euros trophy. With an average rating of 7.57, the 25-year-old completed 292 passes with a passing accuracy rate of 90.1%. He also grabbed the crucial assist that won the final. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
4. Ferdi Kadioglu - Turkey
One of the surprise packages of the tournament, the Fenerbahce full-back had a great tournament. He created 12 chances from left-back and made 25 recoveries for his team. Ended the tournament with an average rating of 7.51. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images