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 on the planet, 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’


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. Now making headlines for that missed penalty in the Champions League final and the transfer speculation of a move to Real Madrid, Ronaldo will look to concentrate on doing for his country what he has done all season for his club.

He has scored a series of brilliant goals and is the wonderkid of the United team. 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. Luckily, his penalty miss for United in Moscow was not as significant as first thought and they still managed to lift the prestigious trophy, and now Ronaldo will take centre stage again when Euro 2008 starts in two weeks' time.

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 wide 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 2008's top scorer?

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, he 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 in the Champions League on the way to the semi-finals.

He has scored more than 30 goals this season for Liverpool and Torres simply looks to be getting better and better. Aged 24 – a year older than Ronaldo – he has already played more than 40 times for his country and again was instrumental in Spain’s qualification for the Euro finals.

He has a boyish look about him but do not be fooled – he 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 team-mate, Cesc Fabregas, is a talented midfielder and has contributed to much of Arsenal’s success, although the team struggled near the end of the season to keep up with Chelsea and Manchester United and failed to win any silverware in 2008.

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 stage.

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 brilliant for their clubs and will be hoping to maintain that form this summer.