Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes leads Euro 2024 qualifying best XI
With the European Championship’s group phase of qualifying now complete ahead of next summer’s finals, we’ve taken a look back at the standout performers across the campaign. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, who has starred for Portugal, leads the way, while there are also representatives of France, the Netherlands, Serbia, Belgium, Hungary and England.
AC Milan stopper Mike Maignan started each of his country’s first five European qualifiers, keeping a clean sheet in the opening four, before eventually conceding a first goal of the campaign away to the Netherlands in October. Maignan’s standout performance in qualifying came at home to the Netherlands back in March, where he made a total of five saves, including one which denied Memphis Depay from the penalty spot, on his way to a WhoScored rating of 8.49.
Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands) - 7.43
27-year-old wing-back Denzel Dumfries started six matches throughout qualifying, as the Netherlands secured their place at next summer’s tournament. The Inter man registered a total of five assists - all of which came in his first three matches - as well as 14 key passes, to earn an overall WhoScored rating of 7.43.
Danilo Pereira (Portugal) - 7.43
PSG’s Danilo Pereira, who can play in both midfield and defence, was a mainstay for new Portugal boss Roberto Martinez throughout the first five matches of qualifying. The 32-year-old played in the centre of defence in four of his six qualifying appearances, helping his nation to a clean sheet in every match he played in, as they sealed qualification with 10 wins from 10.
Strahinja Pavlovic (Serbia) - 7.35
22-year-old defender Strahinja Pavlovic, who plies his trade in Austria with RB Salzburg, makes the XI after a collection of impressive performances for Serbia, as they secured qualification from Group G. Pavlovic started six of his country’s eight qualifiers, with his standout display coming in the 2-0 away victory against Montenegro in March, where he made a total of five tackles and interceptions, five clearances and three accurate long balls, to return a WhoScored rating of 7.94.
Joao Cancelo (Portugal) - 7.90
On-loan Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo has starred for Portugal throughout qualifying, and was the only player to return two perfect 10.0 WhoScored ratings, for his displays against Liechtenstein, both home and away. Cancelo played in nine of his nation’s 10 qualifying matches, scoring three times, while also making 10 key passes, to land an overall WhoScored rating of 7.90.
21-year-old Manchester City starlet continues to impress so far this season, and his strong Premier League form has carried into European qualifying. The former Rennes man rounded off Belgium’s campaign with a perfect WhoScored rating of 10.0 in a 5-0 win over Azerbaijan, in which he registered two assists and completed a competition-high 13 successful dribbles.
Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) - 8.31
With a WhoScored.com rating of 8.31, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes is the standout performer at the end of Euro 2024 qualifying. Fernandes contributed to his nation’s flawless campaign with six goals and seven assists, as well as 37 key passes - the most made by any player.
Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary) - 8.16
Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai played a crucial part in helping Hungary qualify for next summer’s European Championship, and sealed the deal with an inch-perfect display against Montenegro on Sunday afternoon. The 23-year-old found the net with two of his four shots, while also making three key passes and completing four successful dribbles, to earn a flawless WhoScored rating of 10.0.
PSG forward Kylian Mbappe continues to star for France on the international stage, and moved closer to equalling teammate Olivier Giroud as his nation’s all-time top goalscorer with his nine goals throughout qualifying. Mbappe also registered five assists, two of which came in a standout display against Gibraltar on Saturday evening.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) - 8.22
On-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku finishes European qualifying as the competition’s top goalscorer, with 14 goals in just eight matches. The 30-year-old rounded off his own campaign with a stunning display at home to Azerbaijan, netting four times before half time to earn a perfect WhoScored rating of 10.0, his best throughout qualifying.
Harry Kane continues to perform for his country, and netted a further seven goals, after becoming England’s all-time top goalscorer with his first of the campaign against Italy in March. Kane scored in six of the seven matches that he started throughout qualifying, with his standout performance coming in the 7-0 home victory over North Macedonia, where he found the net with both of his two shots, while also registering an assist, to return a WhoScored rating of 9.68.
