Real Madrid's classy Casillas is the cream of Euro 2008
The Spanish captain saved crucial penalties in the quarter-final against Italy and kept clean sheets galore to become this author's player of the tournament.
I am sure everyone has their views on the player of Euro 2008, everyone sees something different in each player. As winners of the tournament I have chosen a player from the Spanish squad as my player of the tournament - Iker Casillas.
Goalkeepers rarely get the recognition they deserve in major tournaments as the goal-scoring of attackers and the flair of the midfielders often grab all the headlines and limelight.
Casillas was outstanding in Euro 2008. He did his team and their supporters pround and is one of the most likeable characters in Spanish football. Iker has kept 42 clean sheets in 82 matches for Spain in his career and, while that is also down to good defenders in the team, the Spainsh keeper has been simply world-class ever since he came through the Real Madrid youth system.
During Euro 2008, Casillas played the first two matches in the group stages before being rested in the third match, after Spain had already qualifed. He amazingly kept clean sheets in the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches during the tournament which allowed his fellow countrymen to use their striking skills up front to destroy their opponents.