My Team of the Tournament

So here we are this is my last blog post in this guise. I would like to sign off with my team of the tournament. I went for a (4-3-2-1) formation.

Goalkeeper

Iker Casillas (Spain): At 31, there are plenty of years ahead for the Real Madrid stopper, who provided a rock-solid last line of defence if ever the Spanish backline was breached.  There's no safer pair of hands in world football than those of Casillas right now.

Defenders

Phillip Lahm (Germany): Lahm, who played a starring role in Germany's impressive march to the semi-finals and can play in both full-back berths.

Sergio Ramos (Spain):  The Seville-born 26-year-old trimmed his long locks but lost none of his footballing powers, at times looking like the more accomplished centre-back alongside Pique. Ramos was also a handful in the attacking third - and will be fondly remembered for cheekily scoring 'that' penalty in the shoot-out with Portugal.

Gerard Pique (Spain): The Barcelona star put any club rivalry with Ramos aside to form a central defensive partnership which could serve Spain for many years to come, especially as Pique is only 25. It's hard to remember him putting a foot wrong in the entire tournament.

Jordi Alba (Spain): Hats off to Barcelona for arranging the signature of Alba from Valencia for £12million before the tournament kicked off - as his market value has probably doubled following his stellar performances. The 23-year-old's pace, skill and ambition down the left flank was a joy to behold, and the way he clinically finished Spain's second goal in the final.

Midfielders

Xabi Alonso (Spain):  The 30-year-old often plays in the shadow of his more eye-catching team-mates, but he really stepped up to the plate in Poland and Ukraine, providing the midfield heartbeat of the team, spraying the ball around with consummate ease - and chipping in with two goals too.

Steven Gerrard (England): Liverpool talisman Gerrard has finally been given the freedom to rule the roost for country as well as club - and rewarded Roy Hodgson's faith in him with a true captain's innings. His ability to put the ball on a six pence set up goals for Joleon Lescott, Andy Carroll and Wayne Rooney.

Andrea Pirlo (Italy): Pundits were starting to run out of superlatives for playmaker Pirlo, so it's a good job he never got a look in against Spain in Kiev. Del Bosque got his tactics spot on, ensuring the 33-year-old never got any time or space on the ball - and was on the edge of his own penalty box whenever he did get any possession. But putting the final aside, Pirlo had a tremendous tournament, keeping the Italians on the job until he produced a midfield masterclass which bewitched and bedazzled a previously-impressive Germany outfit, who could only watch and admire his definitive display of movement and elegant passing.

Attacking midfielders

David Silva (Spain): Silva's fine form for Manchester City meant Spain's loss of star striker David Villa was softened slightly - and he revelled in being given an attacking free role, scoring twice and creating three goals. The 26-year-old was a joy to behold and a nightmare to mark as he roamed all over the attacking third creating havoc and chances aplenty. He was also in the right place at the right time when it really mattered, finishing off a flowing move involving Iniesta and Fabregas with a quite brilliant angled header to open the scoring against the Italians in the final.

Andres Iniesta (Spain): The 28-year-old may not have found the back of the net in Poland or Ukraine - but his influence on Spain's play and tempo was as great as ever.

Forward

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): It looked like the tournament might pass him by when Portugal limped to an opening group defeat by Germany. But after a thrilling 3-2 win over Denmark, Ronaldo clicked into gear, putting on his prolific goal-scoring boots to bag a deadly double against the Dutch. That display laid the foundations for his terrific display against the Czech Republic.

I would like to thank everybody who followed and commented on my posts. Your support is greatly appreciated.