Portugal are the champions of Europe after being crowned at Euro 2016. While their entire nation celebrates being on top, the fantasy managers that fielded winning rosters will appreciate going home with a little more cash in their pockets. We decided to look back at the tournament and figure out which players had the biggest impacts at their respective positions from a fantasy perspective. Here is a look at the top fantasy performers by position from Euro 2016.
GK: Rui Patricio, Portugal
Outstanding goalkeeping was a big reason why Portugal managed to win Euro 2016 despite registering just a single victory in regulation in the tournament. Patricio was excellent for the eventual champions in the knockout stage in particular including an incredible diving stop on Antoine Griezmann that opened the door for Portugal to upset France in the final. Patricio finished the tournament tied with Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois for the second-most saves with 20 but when you factor in his victories and clean sheets it left no doubt that he was the top fantasy goalkeeper in the tournament.
Honorable Mention: Hanes Halldorsson, Iceland; Thibaut Courtois, Belgium
D: Patrice Evra, France
No defender played more minutes at Euro 2016 than Evra, who played in all 660 minutes for France on the way to a runner-up finish. In the end it was a heartbreaking finish for the host nation but Evra was clearly the best fantasy defender with his teammate Laurent Koscielny not far behind in that category.
Honorable Mention: Laurent Koscielny, France; Leonardo Bonucci, Italy
M: Dmitri Payet, France
His teammate Griezmann stole the show up front but it was Payet constantly providing outlets for his forwards while holding down the fort in the middle of the pitch for France throughout the tournament. Payet finished the tournament with three goals and two assists as the top fantasy midfielder for Euro 2016.
France finished the tournament scoring two goals or more in all but two contests (one being the final). They ended up in second place.
M: Aaron Ramsey, Wales
Ramsey would have had a chance to top Payet as the top fantasy midfielder from Euro 2016 had he not been suspended for Wales’ final game against Portugal. However, even then Ramsey finished with a goal and four assists to make this list with Belgium’s Eden Hazard, Portugal’s Nani and Croatia’s Ivan Perisic earning honorable mention.
Honorable Mention: Eden Hazard, Belgium; Nani, Portugal; Ivan Perisic, Croatia
F: Antoine Griezmann, France
Griezmann put on an absolute clinic for the home fans at Euro 2016 as he led all players with six goals and two assists. The talented striker came so close to elevating France to a European championship with a couple of excellent opportunities to add to his point total in the final and likely would have clinched it for them if he had a little better luck. Even then Griezmann still stood alone at the top as the best fantasy performer from Euro 2016 regardless of position.
F: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
Ronaldo was the clear-cut pick for the second best fantasy performance among Euro 2016 forwards as he finished the tournament with three goals and three assists despite having his final cut short because of a knee injury. Even after a slow start, Ronaldo was clearly the best player on the pitch for Portugal in every game that he was healthy. He took a lot of flack for Portugal’s group stage performance where they failed to win a single game. Remember they couldn’t even beat Iceland, Austria and Hungary in the group stage, and struggled with Croatia and Poland.
He gets the nod in this spot ahead of France’s Olivier Giroud, Wales’ Gareth Bale and Spain’s Alvaro Morata at the forward position. He actually beat Bale in a head-to-head matchup in the semfinals. Although Ronaldo was dinged as a star player that had never delivered on the international stage, that claim can no longer be made. Ronaldo guided his team to a win at Euro 2016 and has cemented his legacy.
Honorable Mention: Olivier Giroud, France; Gareth Bale, Wales; Alvaro Morata, Spain
