UEFA Euro U21s: Each Player of the Tournament since 2000

A rising star

After a stellar tournament for the England U21 side, Harvey Elliott became the most recent player to win the Euros U21 Player of the Tournament.

The winners

With the 2025 tournament wrapped up, let's take a look at each U21 Player of the Tournament since 2000. We think you might recognise some of the names – all statistics are per UEFA.

Petr Čech (2002)

Petr Čech is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, having won numerous individual honours in the Premier League with Chelsea. Čech was the U21 Euro Player of the Tournament after stopping three penalties in the final against France, gifting his country the win.

Alberto Gilardino (2004)

Alberto Gilardino is Italy's U21 all-time top scorer, netting 19 goals in 30 games. He was the top scorer at the 2004 U-21 Euros, netting four goals in the competition and securing the Player of the Tournament award. He netted twice in the semis and once in the final.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (2006)

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was crucial in helping the Netherlands lift the U21 Euros in 2006, winning the Player of the Tournament award after netting four goals, including two in the final against Ukraine.

Royston Drenthe (2007)

Six matches at the 2007 U21 Euros earned Royston Drenthe his move to Real Madrid after he took the tournament by storm with his incredible play down the left-hand side. He created two and scored one of the Netherlands' five goals in the group.

Marcus Berg (2009)

Marcus Berg broke the record for most goals scored in a U21 tournament, netting seven in four games and leading Sweden to the semifinals, where they lost to England. He was named Player of the Tournament.

Juan Mata (2011)

Juan Mata was the offensive spark that took Spain to U21 European glory in 2011. He was pivotal in being the driving force behind Spain's success, scoring two goals and providing two assists on the way to becoming the Player of the Tournament.

William Carvalho (2015)

Portuguese defensive midfielder William Carvalho was awarded the Player of the Tournament for his incredible defensive work, despite missing the penalty that cost Portugal the trophy. He played 480 minutes (joint tournament high) and completed the most passes (349).

Dani Ceballos (2017)

Dani Ceballos was the first Player to be awarded a minted trophy for being the U21 Euros Player of the Tournament. He came off the bench at the start of the competition, but he was instrumental in the semis and final, making key passes and making Spain tick. They did lose to Germany in the final.

Fabian Ruiz (2019)

Fabian Ruiz was perfect all-around at the 2019 U21 Euros, possessing an eye for a defence-splitting pass, quick feet, and an eye for goal. He scored once in the group stages and the opening goal of the final, helping Spain defeat Germany 2-1.

Fabio Vieira (2021)

Despite Portugal losing to Germany in the final, Fabio Vieira was named the U21 Player of the Tournament because "he was a key player for Portugal. A playmaker who creates a lot of chances and an excellent link between midfield and attack," per UEFA's Dusan Fitzel.

Anthony Gordon (2023)

Playing primarily as a winger for Newcastle, Anthony Gordon was deployed as a centre-forward in England's U21 Euro success in 2023, netting two goals and providing one assist, but leading the line in an aggressive and mobile fashion. England beat Spain 1-0 in the final.