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Euro 96: The Best Players

With the Premier League only just hitting its stride, Euro 96 was the greatest collection of talent the English had hosted in three decades. Lauren Childs, Vithushan Ehantharajah and Gary Parkinson pick the best.

Karel Poborsky, Czech Republic

5. Karel Poborsky, Czech Republic

Being the first 16-team European Championship finals, Euro 96 introduced a host of new names, including six new countries (including the Czech Republic). Of all the new faces, the extravagantly-maned bonce of Poborsky was perhaps the most eye-catching – and not just for his wavy, Carlos Puyol meets My Little Pony barnet. Presumably Alex Ferguson didn't sign him a month after Euro 96 to pick up grooming tips. A clever, skilful right-winger, Poborsky caught the eye in an inventive Czech team who got better as the tournament went on, and their most memorable moment came with Poborsky's quarter-final winner against Portugal (at 0'45" in this compilation).

Receiving the ball in the inside-left position about 40 yards out, Poborsky drives towards the goal and beats four players, albeit as much through luck as judgement (there's a particularly fortuitous ricochet). However, there's nothing jammy about his finish - a glorious 20-yard scoop of unusually high amplitude which kisses the clouds before dropping into the goal. Sadly for Karel's club career, he was directly competing with a young David Beckham, and didn't last long at Old Trafford – certainly not as long as the memory of this goal.