EURO 2008 INFO

These eight players are in the form of their life and poised to astonish, impress and dazzle on the playing fields of Austria and Switzerland this summer.

Grégory Coupet France 3250pts

The most highly rated keeper in the Castrol Performance Index rankings with 3250 points, Coupet had dreamed of playing for France from the age of six. Now 35 and in fine form, he has been single minded in his pursuit of his boyhood dream - fighting back from injury and braving the enmity of St Etienne fans to join local rivals Lyon - and will want to impress this summer.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Netherlands 1397pts

Nicknamed the hunter, AFC Ajax's 24-year-old freescoring skipper is averaging almost a goal a game in the Eredivisie. If you believe reports, ACF Fiorentina, Manchester United FC, AS Roma and Juventus are after his services and Euro 2008 is the perfect shop window to showcase his talents. Can he oust Ruud van Nistelrooy as the Netherlands' main striker?

Franck Ribéry France 1104pts

When the French wide man came off against Nuremburg earlier this season, opposing coach Hans Meyer was so impressed he stood up and applauded. Still in his first season in the Bundesliga, the 24-year-old has been a pivotal player for FC Bayern München. If there is a criticism of Ribéry, though, it is that he doesn't score enough international goals. He will hope to add to his tally - two goals in 24 games - this summer.

Iker Casillas Spain 950pts

Casillas has had another busy, superb season in the Real Madrid CF goal. The only problem is that the 26-year-old keeper has been so good for so long, pundits have stopped noticing his improvements. As Spanish captain, he thinks that if Spain win their opener against Russia, they could win Euro 2008 and kill one of the game's great clichés: that Spain underperform in major tournaments.

Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 763pts

Now within touching distance of George Best's club record haul of 32 goals in a season, Cristiano Ronaldo has been in transcendent form this season. The Portuguese winger can score goals with his head, from long range, with the dead ball or just by running at defences.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Sweden 94pts

The fiery Swede with technique to die for scored 14 goals in his first 20 league games in 2007. Euro 2008 is the perfect opportunity for him to lay the idea that he chokes in big games to rest, but while Sweden's hopes focus on the 26-year-old, striker Johan Elmander amassed the most Castrol Performance Index points in qualifying. The FC Toulouse star was ranked eighth with 1785 points.

Karim Benzema France

When he first walked into the Olympique Lyonnais dressing room as a talented 17-year-old, he said: "You better stop laughing, because I'm here to take your place." It has taken six years but that boast has become fact. He's quick, can score with either foot and after scoring on his French debut against Austria in March 2007, he will be hoping to shine.

Marco Borriello Italy

The 25-year-old striker, top scorer in Serie A this season with 16 goals, recently admitted: "My dream is to play at Euro 2008". With the likes of Luca Toni (4058 CPI points), Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Di Natale (2885 points) all ahead of him, this may still seem like a long shot. However, boosted by his debut in the Azzurri's 3-1 win against Portugal, he could figure if he keeps scoring.