Every U21 Euro Player of the Tournament winner since 2000 - where are they now? | OneFootball

England's under 21 squad sealed European glory on Saturday evening with a 1-0 win over Spain, after which Anthony Gordon was named the player of the tournament.

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The Newcastle winger scored twice in the six games he played during the tournament and also notched one assist.

He did struggle for his club side after a £45 million move from Everton in January as he only found the net once in his first 16 appearances.

He did turn up for his country however as he formed an important part of the team that won every game they played and even went the entire competition without conceding a single goal.

His main competition for player of the tournament came from within the English camp, in the form of Curtis Jones and Levi Colwill.

Beating his teammates to the award has made Gordon the 13th player to have earned the accolade since 2000.

Andrea Pirlo - 2000

Being the best young player at the tournament 23 years ago was a good indicator of what was to come from the midfield maestro.

He was also the top goalscorer in the same competition, despite not being a forward.

He went on to win several league titles in Italy and helped AC Milan to two Champions League successes in 2003 and 2007.

Playing for arguably the three biggest clubs in Italy - Juventus and the two Milan clubs - his career was long and decorated.

Pirlo became an inspiration as a deep lying playmaker in his later years before retiring in 2017.

He has moved into management as he even landed the Juventus job, but was unfortunately sacked due to poor performances.

He is currently the manager of Serie A side Sampdoria.

Petr Cech - 2002

The only goalkeeper to make it onto this list is the Chelsea icon.

A big part of his recognition from the tournament was the heroic performance he produced in the final against France. He helped his side to their first success in the competition.

Only two years later, he embarked on a 15-year Premier League career in which he starred for Chelsea before making a move to Arsenal towards the end of his playing days.

He still holds the clean sheet record in the division with over 200 shut-outs.

Cech moved into a technical and player advisor role at his former club, Chelsea, in a job that lasted three years as he left once the Todd Boehly rein began.

Alberto Gilardino - 2004

The second Italian to light up the under 21's European Championships in the space of three tournaments, the striker showed bags of potential.

He averaged more than one goal every three matches throughout a 600+ game career, but ultimately never reached the heights expected of him.

The longest spell he spent at one club was at Fiorentina as he became somewhat of a journeyman forward.

Gilardino is now retired from playing and is the manager of Genoa.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - 2006

Huntelaar was named the winner of the accolade in 2006 despite his country failing to win the competition.

He went on to have a prolific career in front of goal with 279 goals in 497 games. His most notable spells were with Ajax twice and at German side Schalke.

A failed spell at Real Madrid didn't last long as he only managed 20 matches before exiting the club.

His final years as a player were his most successful with two Eredivise title wins at Ajax.

The closest he got to glory with his national side was at the 2010 World Cup where his side lost 1-0 to Spain in the final.

He is now part of the backroom staff at Ajax.

Royston Drenthe - 2007

An unfortunate case of wasted potential.

Unlike the previous year, the Netherlands went on to win the tournament as Drenthe scooped the personal award.

The following year he was a part of the Real Madrid side that won La Liga, but that is where his trophy cabinet would close forever.

Stints at Everton, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday - among an array of clubs in other countries - were unsuccessful, and he went largely off the radar.

Drenthe has been a commentator since he was contracted to a Spanish TV channel in 2021.

Marcus Berg - 2009

Possibly the least known name on the list is Berg, who finished third in 2009 with Sweden.

He never went on to make it at a big club, as could have been expected with his impressive showing at the 2009 finals.

Spending his career moving around a variety of clubs, he was always a reliable goalscorer.

It is just underwhelming that he never reached the heights he was projected to. The 36-year-old is the first player to appear on this list that has still yet to retire from playing.

Juan Mata - 2011

Mata starred in 2011 for Spain's youth team, and went on to have a successful career.

He has won the Champions League and Europa League in his time at Chelsea and Manchester United respectively.

Being highly talked about when he traded Valencia for Stamford Bridge, he certainly delivered with his technical ability being very easy on the eye.

He spent eight years at United where he slowly played fewer minutes each season, and eventually left in 2022 to join Galatasaray.

While he has still not officially retired, it was announced that Mata would be leaving the Turkish club after only one season at the club.

Thiago - 2013

Arguably still playing at the highest level of any player on this list, the Liverpool midfielder has been lighting up football stadiums for a decade now.

Things never worked out at Barcelona as he was expected to be the natural heir to Xavi and Iniesta once they moved on.

He actually beat the iconic pair out of the exit door in search of first-team football.

The move to Bayern Munich proved to be very beneficial for his career as he became one of the most respected players in his position.

He made a surprise move to Anfield in 2020 and continues to dazzle, although injuries have held him back.

William Carvalho - 2015

Unfortunately international success was not to be for Carvalho in the youth game.

He did go on to win the 2016 Euros with the senior side, following a 1-0 win over France in extra-time of the final.

Another star expected to make a move to a huge club, he has instead kept a steady career at Real Betis since 2018.

His only trophy during his time in Spain is the Copa Del Rey success in 2022.

The 31-year-old still has plenty of years ahead of him in the game and continues to get called up for his national side.

Dani Ceballos - 2017

Following in the footsteps of Mata is the Real Madrid midfielder Ceballos.

He joined Los Blancos following the conclusion of the tournament, at which he showed his quality.

With such talented midfielders at the disposal of Madrid bosses, it has never really worked out for the 26-year-old.

Ceballos spent two years on loan at Arsenal, but that deal was never made permanent, and he reverted to being a back-up option in Spain.

Fabián - 2019

As is the case with the majority of players on the list, the Spaniard won the tournament in the year he was also personally recognised.

In similar fashion to Thiago, he was the anchor of a possession dominant midfield and rarely, if ever, gave away the ball.

He was a Napoli player when he won the trophy and also added a Coppa Italia in the following season.

Fabián moved to French giants, PSG, in 2022 where he has just won his first career league title.

A technically gifted football player in the middle of the park, he has been somewhat overlooked due to others in his position.

Fábio Vieira - 2021

The man who held the crown until Gordon claimed it this summer.

Vieira has just finished his first campaign in English football after moving to the Emirates in 2022 for a fee of £34 million.

Next season is a big one for the young Portuguese talent as his first season was spent as a rotational option, and he struggled to make his mark on the in-form Gunners side.

Granit Xhaka has now left the club and there is an opening on the left side of the midfield, ideal for a player of Vieira's skill set.

One long-range goal against Brentford was his only contribution in the league and is a figure that will need to be vastly improved on.