WHEN Euro 2008 got underway and predictions for the player of the tournament were being made there seemed to be just one name on everybody's lips – Cristiano Ronaldo.
And, while the Portugal star did show off some of the skills and tricks that have made him such a joy to watch in the English Premier League, he wasn't able to transfer his form for Manchester United onto the international stage.
Instead, it was
guys like Luka Modric and Andrei Arshavin who shone and it was good to see new players bursting through.
Modric, of course, has already won a big money move to Tottenham and it won't be long before Arshavin is playing for one of the biggest club's in the world.
Yet for me there was one player who stood head and shoulders above the rest in the tournament and that was Spain's Andres Iniesta.
The midfielder had a superb season for Barcelona and continued where he left off with some top-class displays over the course of the competition.
I think the fact that Cesc Fabregas couldn't get a start until David Vlila picked up an injury shows just how good Iniesta must be as Fabregas would be one of the first names on the team sheet for most other nations.
Iniesta has fantastic vision, is a great passer of the ball and the kind of first touch that most footballers would kill for.
Villa ended up as top scorer in the competition while Fernando Torres also enhanced his reputation and that was partly down to Iniesta.
He has the ability to create chances out of nothing which is exactly what every striker wants. He may not have been the name on people's lips before Euro 2008 but I'm sure he will be now.
The full article contains 302 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
