Euro 2008 provided a feast of brilliant, attacking football. There were excellent games at every stage of a tournament lit up by surprise teams Turkey, Russia and Holland.

The never-say-die spirit of Fatih Terim’s Turkish team remains the abiding memory of Austria and Switzerland and after such a great few weeks it is difficult to know why UEFA are looking to tinker with the format and increase it to 24 teams.

After much thought and consideration, I have made my selection for the best XI from all those who played in Euro 2008.

Goalkeeper: Artur Boruc (Poland). He was phenomenal in Poland’s three group games. He single-handedly kept them in with a shout of qualification right into the second half of the third group game. It was a terrific competition for keepers, Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas and Edwin van der Sar all enhanced their reputations but Boruc, partly due to the number of saves he was forced to make, was the most impressive.

Right-back: Sergio Ramos (Spain). If Ronaldo does leave Manchester United and the Spanish full-back is included as part of the deal, Alex Ferguson will have cushioned the blow. So much is said these days about full-backs who can attack as well as defend and Ramos is a modern version of Cafu. Quite simply the Real Madrid defender just did not stop running down the right and is probably the best in his position in the global game.

Left-back: Yuriy Zhirkov (Russia). Besides Andrei Arshavin, probably no other Russian enhanced their reputation at Euro 2008 as much as the CSKA Moscow defender. Zhirkov often plays on the left wing for his club and it was noticeable just how comfortable he is going forward. Despite the abundance of money in Russian football these days, Zhirkov could well be gracing the Premier League before the start of the new season despite the fact that the top division in England is awash with quality left-backs.

Centre-back: Pepe (Portugal). Although Scolari's side were ultimately disappointing, this Brazilian-born centre-back stamped his class in the opening game against Turkey. His run from the back produced the opening goal and if he can stay injury-free in the future, Real Madrid have unearthed a brilliant defender who we will surely be seeing a lot from in the future.

Centre-back: Carlos Puyol (Spain). The Barcelona man has been a crucial component of the Spanish success at Euro 2008. Since he didn’t play against Greece in the final group game, Puyol led a defence who conceded just one goal on their way to winning the competition. Clean sheets against Italy, Russia and Germany in the knockout rounds show just how solid the Spanish defence was.

Defensive midfield: Marcos Senna (Spain). The Villarreal star appears to be the second coming of Claude Makelele. Perhaps if he had arrived on the scene before the Frenchman then this position would now be named after him. Senna was another key reason why Spain were so defensively tight throughout the tournament and he could well be moving on from Villarreal this summer, with a host of big clubs impressed by his performances at Euro 2008.

Centre-midfield: Michael Ballack (Germany). Retains his tag as the “nearly man” with another final defeat, yet if anything the Chelsea midfielder has enhanced his reputation. His free-kick against Austria was incredible and his work rate was mightily impressive throughout the tournament. Just like in the 2002 World Cup, he seemed to be carrying Germany on his own.

Right-wing: Andrei Arshavin (Russia). Although he played almost exclusively in the centre, the Russian schemer could simply not be left out of the starting line-up of any Euro 2008 side. It is amazing to think that he only played two games of note but he ran those victories over Sweden and Holland so single-handedly that for many his quick feet will be the highlight of the tournament.

Left-wing: Cesc Fabregas (Spain). Like Arshavin, Fabregas didn’t play on the left but he had to be fitted in to this team somehow. Playing a bit-part role probably enabled Fabregas to really make a difference after an exhausting season. The statistics prove just what an important component he was in Spain’s success. The Arsenal man also scored the penalty that beat Italy and which gave the Spanish the belief they could go all the way.

Striker: Nihat (Turkey). Would Turkey have progressed to the final if Nihat had been fit to play against Germany in the semis? Turks will probably be asking this question for many years to come. The diminutive forward brought his goal-scoring exploits from Villarreal into Euro 2008 and his double against the Czech Republic will live long in football folklore when the greatest comebacks of all time are chewed over.

Striker: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Holland). The marksman supreme only scored one goal but Euro 2008 proved that the Real Madrid striker is not “just” a goalscorer. As Holland hit seven goals past the 2006 World Cup finalists in five days, Van Nistelrooy was the key bringing other players into the game. His spin and pass for the third goal against the French deserves its place on any video highlight of the tournament.

Subs: Iker Casillas (Spain), Denis Kolodin (Russia), Hamit Altintop (Turkey), Wesley Sneijder (Holland) and David Villa (Spain).