EURO 2008 INFO

These four players aren’t all household names but, thanks to the Castrol Performance Index, we can reveal they are among the best in Europe.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Russia) 1623 pts

FC Lokomotiv Moscow’s 22-year-old midfielder is a rising star in the most promising generation of footballers to emerge in Russia since the 1950s. The fourth-best midfielder on the Castrol Performance Index rankings, Bilyaletdinov averaged almost two shots a game in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

The skilful, intelligent Bilyaletdinov is mature – he captained his club while still a teenager – and versatile enough to play on the left, in the centre or supporting the striker. He can pass, dribble and beat opponents for pace but probably ought to score more goals for club and country. He has been linked with a move to Chelsea FC but leaving Lokomotiv would be a wrench: his father Rinat is reserve team coach there.

Antonio Di Natale (Italy) 2885 pts

Some players just take longer to develop than others. The Prince of Udinese – as the bianconeri fans call him – earned his first call-up for the Azzurri back in 2002 but has only recently become a regular.

The 30-year-old is ranked second on the Castrol Performance Index of strikers and looks certain to lead the Azzurri attack this summer. Di Natale has pace, a powerful shot and the tactical nous to play on the left in a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 or as Luca Toni’s strike partner in a 4-4-2. Given the way Roberto Donadoni has Italy playing – they switched formations easily in their recent 3-1 victory over Portugal – such versatility is essential.

Even so, with Alessandro Del Piero and the emerging Marco Borriello in stunning form for their clubs, Di Natale can’t afford to relax or be distracted by rumours linking him with Roma.

Stipe Pletikosa (Croatia) 2812 pts

FC Spartak Moscow’s 29-year-old keeper is ranked the third best goalie in the Castrol Performance Index, behind France’s Gregory Coupet and Germany’s Jens Lehmann. But it has been a long, winding road to the top for the Croatian No1, who emerged through Hajduk Split’s youth system in the late 1990s.

A superb shot-stopper with astonishing reflexes and a useful knack of winning one-on-one duels with strikers, Pletikosa seemed the perfect keeper. But despite his height –1.93m – he was surprisingly vulnerable to high balls as a youngster and conceded some soft goals at the 2000 UEFA Under-21 Championship. After rebuilding his career and confidence with intensive training, he missed Euro 2004 with a late injury and couldn’t displace Tomislav Butina in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. But when injury sidelined Butina, Pletikosa seized his chance and impressed in the finals in Germany. He played in ten UEFA Euro 2008TM qualifiers, conceding just five goals and keeping seven clean sheets. This summer, he could finally get the recognition his talent and determination deserve.

Gabriel Tamas (Romania) 1766 pts

Asked to name the best defender in Europe, many fans would plump for an Italian but the Castrol Performance Index bestows that honour on 28-year-old Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos. Behind him comes AJ Auxerre’s 24-year-old Romanian defender Gabriel Tamas.

Tamas is one of those players whose careers for club and country have forked. Skipper of the Romanian Under-21 team that came third in the 2006 UEFA Championships, he has already won 30 caps, scored two goals and only missed two Euro 2008 qualifiers. Yet since 2002, he has played for FC Dinamo Bucuresti (twice), Galatasaray AS, Spartak Moscow (twice), RC Celta de Vigo and Auxerre. If he does well at Euro 2008 – possibly scoring with one of his eye-catching free-kicks – he could be on the move again.

Given a decent run, any of this quartet could be grabbing headlines in Austria and Switzerland this summer, and if they are, remember that the CPI told you first.