So it's all over for another four years, and Spain showed that they can truly be considered amongst the greatest sides in history with their superb run to becoming the first side to retain their title as European Champions.
Here is my personal selection for Team of the Tournament, but I'd like to hear your opinions on my eleven, and who you would have picked instead.
1: Iker Casillas (Spain): Casillas, a veteran aged just 31, showed why he is consistently considered to be one of the best, if not the best, goalkeepers in the world over the past decade. Although he certainly wasn't as busy as most other keepers in the competition, he commanded his defence and made some superb saves when called upon to do so.
2: Theodor Gebre Selassie (Czech Republic): The previously unknown Czech full-back was arguably the find of the tournament. His incredible pace and straight-line running, combined with his ability to get into good crossing positions, ensured that he played his part in dragging the Czechs into the quarter-finals. No surprise, then, that German side Werder Bremen, snapped him up following the Czech Republic's exit.
4: Mat Hummels (Germany): The Borussia Dortmund defender had already undergone a phenomenal double-winning season with his club, and had the likes of Manchester United chasing his signature, but he sealed his superb domestic season with some outstanding performances for Germany. In addition to highlighting his excellent defensive qualities, Hummels showed glimpses of his inner Beckenbauer, as he rampaged forward from defence and showed incredible composure and skill for a big centre-back.
5: Leonardo Bonucci (Italy): The Juventus defender, having guided his club side to an unbeaten season, proved to be the linch-pin of an Italian defence, which wasn't as solid as one might normally anticipate. He was always tidying up the mistakes of others, making some great blocks, tackles and headers when the situation arose.
3: Fabio Coentrao (Portugal): The, reportedly, frustrated Real Madrid full-back once again showed his quality both going forward and in defence. Coentrao was excellent when moving down the left flank and supplying deadly crosses for his team-mates. He also showed a marked improvement in his defensive abilities, which had been in question before, as he barely missed a tackle.
6: Andreas Iniesta (Spain): Iniesta did in this tournament what Andreas Iniesta does best, and that is to simply be one of the most talented midfielders in the world. His passing, vision and scything runs at the opposition defence all highlighted how important he is to the Spanish system.
7: Andrea Pirlo (Italy): The veteran Juventus midfield general had something of a renaissance during the competition. Many thought he was past his former best, and should not have played in this tournament, forgetting that he had played more minutes than anyone else for a side which went unbeaten last season in Serie A. He was simply magisterial against England and Germany, finding the kind of passes that most players can only dream of.
8: Xavi (Spain): What more can be said that hasn't already been said about one of Spain's greatest servants? Xavi shepherded the Spanish attack with incisive, cutting passes and excellent positional awareness. There's nothing more to add, really. Xavi was just excellent.
10: Andrei Arshavin (Russia): Despite his side's early exit from the tournament, Arshavin proved to be one of the most dangerous wingers in the competition. He terrorised defences in a fashion which reminded us why Arsene Wenger signed him for Arsenal a couple of years back. He looked rejuvenated whilst captaining his country.
9: Fernando Torres (Spain): No strikers had a particularly great tournament this year, but Golden Boot-winner Torres was the best of the lot. He had extremely limited playing time, due to Vicente Del Bosque's 'different' formation choices, but he proved to be extremely potent, with three goals in just two starts. Rival for the Golden Boot, Mario Gomez, only shined in the Netherlands game, and was quiet throughout the rest of the tournament, whilst Mario Balotelli only looked dangerous in the semi-final against Germany, despite all his hard work elsewhere.
11: David Silva (Spain): The Manchester City attacker was the maestro who created so many of Spain's goal-scoring opportunities on the way to their eventual success. He always looked dangerous with superb one-touch passing and fantastic vision, and even pitched in with a great headed goal in the final.
Individual Player of the tournament: Andrea Pirlo
Goal of the tournament: For me, it has to be Mario Balotelli's second against Germany in the semi-finals. Balotelli ran the German offside line (I use that term loosely) magnificently and raced away to smash the ball past a statue-esque Neuer. It was the epitome of the classic counter-attack.
Moment of the tournament: Andriy Shevchenko's first goal against Sweden for Ukraine in Kiev. Coming to the end of his career, Shevchenko showed why he was one of the greatest strikers in the world during his time at AC Milan, and rolled back to years to power a header past Isaksson in the Swedish goal to send the home fans into euphoria.
Shock of the tournament: Greece 1-0 Russia – 16/6/2012
Nobody anticipated the Greeks to do anything of any significance at the tournament, so defeating a strong Russian side and making the quarter-finals was a phenomenal achievement for a relatively poor Greek squad.
Biggest Disappointment of the tournament: France
Pre-tournament, many raved about how good the French had looked, how they had overcome their various issues of a few years back, and how they could be a serious contender for the eventual prize. In the end, the French simply didn't look like a cohesive side, and internal struggles once again were reported in the media and had a serious impact on the team's performance. I had expected so much more of a team with so many talented attacking players.
