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Unsurprisingly, the victorious Rojita are well represented in our all-star selection, after Sunday's 2-1 victory over defending champions Germany

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    GK: Antonio Sivera (Spain)

    Spain's creative players may have dominated the headlines during their Under-21 Euros triumph but Antonio Sivera played a key role in their success.

    Indeed, no goalkeeper had a better save percentage (78.6) than the Alaves ace, who also came up with a crucial save from Jean-Phillippe Mateta when La Rojita were 1-0 down to France in the semi-finals.

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    RB: Cristian Manea (Romania)

    Martin Aguirregabiria and Lukas Klostermann had excellent tournaments for Spain and Germany, respectively, but the best right-back on show was Cristian Manea.

    The dynamic 21-year-old defender was integral to Romania's remarkable run to the semi-finals. No player won more tackles (13) while Manea – who also chipped in with an assist – made the most interceptions (12) in the entire tournament.

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    CB: Dayot Upamecano (France)

    France may have been ultimately taken apart by Spain in the semi-finals but Dayot Upamecano was colossal during the group stages, when Les Espoirs conceded just one goal.

    No other defender made as many recoveries (35), won as many aerials (11) or reclaimed possession (35) as many times as the 20-year-old from RB Leipzig, who impressed all and sundry with his physique, technique and reading of the game.

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    CB: Jonathan Tah (Germany)

    Germany boss Stefan Kuntz should be very grateful to senior coach Joachim Low for the release of Jonathan Tah, who linked up with the U21s shortly after playing all 90 minutes of his nation's Euro 2020 qualifying win over Belarus on June 8.

    The Bayer Leverkusen centre-half proved a predictably pivotal player in Italy, showcasing not only his many attributes as a defender but also his leadership, communication and organisational skills.

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