Wednesday 25 / December / 2024
London: Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma clinched the player of the tournament award following Azzurri's win in the Euro Cup at Wembley Stadium on Sunday (local time).
Donnarumma, 22 but with 33 caps to his name already, crowned his tournament in style on Sunday, helping the Azzurri to their second title with two penalty saves in the shoot-out triumph over England.
He was a mainstay between the posts for Italy throughout their campaign, missing only the closing exchanges of the Matchday 3 defeat of Wales when Roberto Mancini opted to give Salvatore Sirigu a run-out. Donnarumma played 719 minutes at the tournament, more than any other player.
Donnarumma - and Italy - did not concede in the group stage, letting in a goal for the first time in the round of 16 against Austria. That was the first goal they had shipped in more than 1,000 minutes.
Donnarumma had also made a crucial save in the penalty shoot-out victory against Spain in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Spanish footballer Pedri was named as Young Player of the Tournament.
The 18-year-old had won just four senior caps prior to the tournament but missed only one minute of La Roja's campaign, going off at the end of extra time in the quarter-final against Switzerland - which Spain went on to win on penalties.
According to UEFA, Pedri received widespread acclaim for his majestic performances, particularly in the semi-final loss to Italy when he completed 65 of the 66 passes he attempted across the 120 minutes of action.
