As a very exciting U21 Euro tournament ended yesterday, I can share my team(s) of the tournament. For me, most “Best XI” teams for tournaments are mostly based on the team results, but for mine I prefer to look at simply the performance of the players. Yes, performing well in the biggest matches and moments makes an impact, but the team won’t be entirely English and German players (the two finalists). If a player performed at the highest level for his position in the tournament, he was considered for the Team of the Tournament, regardless of team result. With that said, here are my 1st and 2nd Team of Euro U21 2025.

First Team:

Forwards: Clement Bischoff (DEN), Nick Woltemade (GER), Raul Moro (ESP)

Midfielders: Djaoui Cissé (FRA), Tomáš Rigo (SVK), Rocco Reitz (GER)

Defenders: Quentin Merlin (FRA), Oliver Provstgaard (DEN), Castello Lukeba (FRA), Tino Livramento (ENG)

Goalkeeper: Noah Atubolu (GER)

I have already published a report on many of these players, if you want to read more in depth about them. I’ll give a brief summary of each player here.

Clement Bischoff, a 19 year old winger from Brøndby IF, was spectacular for Denmark. Averaging 1 goal and 0.5 assists per 90, with a >70% dribble success rate, Bischoff was a consistent offensive catalyst for Denmark. He showed strong passing range, great offensive awareness/positioning, and was remarkably effective out of possession.

Nick Woltemade really established himself as a top-level striker prospect at this tournament, finishing with 6 goals and 3 assists (leading the tournament in both categories). A 198cm tall striker who has incredible mobility and technical ability for his size, Woltemade was a danger to defenses whenever he was on the ball.

Raul Moro was a pure chance creating machine whenever he got the chance to play for Spain. However, his manager never seemed to treat him as a starter despite averaging over 4 successful dribbles and chances created per 90. No winger at the tournament was better at turning dribbles into chances created, and Moro was very good at both. One of the most fun players to watch here.

You might have already heard me rave about Djaoui Cissé (see the article published on him), but if not, he was fringe addition to the French squad before going on to be their most important midfielder. A real all around midfielder with a scorer’s touch, I liken him to a bigger Pape Matar Sarr. Cissé was a joy to watch and has world class potential.

Tomáš Rigo was a true midfield standout for hosts Slovakia. He created the most chances of anyone in the tournament (despite only playing 3 matches). He generally opts not to attempt dribbles, but is very effective at driving forward into space and picking out a pass. Rigo was an effective creator with both short and long passing, from central and wide areas. He is certainly ready to take a step up from Banik Ostrava in the Czech league.

Rocco Reitz is the type of midfielder that perhaps doesn’t get a lot of credit. He did the work that needed to be done to make Germany thrive. He will move around the pitch to wherever he is needed, and is the midfield conductor of his side. His switches of play and crosses were very impressive (28% cross completion rate, 3.4 successful long balls p90), and could also boast impressive ball retention with a 75% dribble success rate and having very rarely been dispossessed.

Quentin Merlin from France was without a doubt the standout left-back at the U21 Euro. He can already boast nearly world-class level of delivery, with a sneakily quick cross that defenders cannot block off reactions. With high work rate and stamina, he could surely play at a higher level than Ligue 1, it’s just a matter of when.

Oliver Provstgaard was a favorite of mine to watch at this tournament. This is a centre-back with all the makings of a future world-class player. A very strong box defender, who is comfortable on the ball, and has a level of focus and determination throughout the 90 minutes that is second to none. He was a huge reason why Denmark performed so well at this tournament. A breakout season at Lazio is likely forthcoming if he gets the opportunity.

Castello Lukeba from France is a player most of you will already know, but that’s no reason to not include him. The Leipzig CB had a very strong tournament for France, commanding at the back, very strong in his duels, and even picked up two assists. His performance against the Danish strikers Osula and Harder was a critical factor in France’s quarterfinal victory over Denmark.

The right-back of choice is Tino Livramento from England. Another player who is no hidden gem, Livramento showed his quality in several full-back roles. His movement and quick interplay with teammates in buildup is at a very high level, and can comfortably operate in both central and wide areas. Newcastle did very well to snatch him up, and he will be an England senior team player for years to come.

Finally, in net, I’ve chosen Germany’s Noah Atubolu. Already an established Bundesliga player, Atubolu looked like he was too experienced for this tournament. He was a rock at the back for Germany, recording two clean sheets, a 71% save percentage, and having a monster game against France in the semifinal with 7 saves. Keeping THIS France side off the scoresheet is a tremendous achievement in itself. His distribution was also very good, completing a tournament best 40 long balls (8 per match).

There’s your Team of the Tournament! Now here are the players I selected for the 2nd Team all-Euro U21.

Second Team:

Forwards:
William Osula (DEN)
Nelson Weiper (GER)
Geovany Quenda (POR)

Midfield:
Alex Scott (ENG)
Oliver Sorensen (DEN)
Eric Martel (GER)

Defenders:
Irakli Azarovi (GEO)
Adam Obert (SVK)
Bright Arrey-Mbi (GER)
Nnamdi Collins (GER)

Goalkeeper:
Samuel Soares (POR)

All of these players had great tournaments as well, with 17 year old Geovany Quenda a particularly interesting player to see.

This has been an extremely enjoyable tournament from both a scouting and entertainment perspective. If you have any questions or would like to request a scouting report on a player, feel free to contact me at scouting.futbird@gmail.com.

LM