Ronaldo, Torres and Fabregas: From Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal to leading lights of Euro 2008

There will be an abundance of Premier League stars out to grab the limelight at Euro 2008, being held jointly this year in Austria and Switzerland.

There would have been a whole lot more if England had managed to qualify, but we don't want to get into that debate or misery again, do we!

The Premier League is the best league in the world boasting some of the best players in Europe and even the world. Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have quality players who will go on the hunt for glory in this summer’s big tournament.

But the two players who will stand out for me are, of course, the two players of 2008 – Liverpool’s Fernando Torres and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is probably the best player in the world right now. He has everything - skill, imagination and power. United would have found this year’s Premier League campaign a lot tougher without their main man.

He has scored a series of brilliant goals from penalties, free-kicks and headers. He is the wonderkid of the United team and he is still only in his early 20s. Although he comes across as arrogant at times - mainly in the eyes of rival supporters - Ronaldo has a class about him, and he is sure to show his brilliance for his home country, Portugal.

He has already tasted success internationally, reaching the final of the Euro 2004 tournament only to lose out to Greece. He has scored 20 goals in his International career and was a key part in Portugal’s qualifying campaign this year.

He has the ability to rip open even the best of defences and is capable of playing in an attacking central role or even as an out-and-out attacker as he has shown for his club this season. He is the Premier League’s top scorer and who would bet against him being Euro 2008s top scorer too!

Torres has also had a great season with Liverpool. Although it took him a few months to get used to life in the Premier League, Torres has shown in the latter half of the season that he is well and truly Premier class. He has scored a number of hat-tricks for his club and also shown important form during Liverpool's European campaign, scoring five goals already in the Champions League.

He recorded his 30th goals of the season for Liverpool just last week and Torres simply looks to be getting better and better. Only a year older than Ronaldo, Torres has already played more than 40 times for his country and again was instrumental in Spain’s qualification for Euro finals.

He has a boyish look about him but do not be fooled - Fernando has power in abundance and his quick pace can skip past the very best defenders. Always capable of scoring goals, Torres will compete with Ronaldo for the Golden Boot at Euro 2008.

Torres’ Spanish teammate, Cesc Fabregas, is a talented midfielder and has contributed to much of Arsenal’s success this season, although the team has struggled in recent weeks to keep up the pace with Chelsea and Manchester Utd.

Fabregas has a quality game, which should enable him to play well alongside or just behind Torres. Spain often under achieve in major tournaments but I feel that with Torres in attack and Fabregas holding up the midfield, they have a good opportunity to at last taste some success on an international scale.

Ronaldo, Torres and Fabregas stand out for me as potential stars of the tournament, each capable of leading their team to trophy success. All three have been in brilliant form for their clubs and will be hoping to maintain their form on the international scene.