Players to Watch at Euro 2008

Players to Watch at Euro 2008

Petr Cech | Czech Republic

The 6-foot-5, 191-pound goalkeeper is expected to assume the captain's armband with the Czech team having lost incumbent skipper Tomas Rosicky for the tournament to a hamstring injury. The Chelsea stopper surrendered just five goals during qualifying and provides an intimidating last line of defense for a country ranked sixth in the FIFA world rankings.

Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal

The charismatic right winger punched in 42 goals for Manchester United this past season, helping the Red Devils achieve a prestigious "double" by winning the English Premier League title in addition to the UEFA Champions League. With a dominant performance at Euro 2008, Ronaldo could secure a place for himself among soccer's all-time greats -- at just 23 years old.

Eren Derdiyok | Switzerland

The tournament co-hosts built on their reputation as a defensive club two summers ago, getting bounced from the World Cup in a penalty shootout despite not surrendering a single goal throughout their four games. Alexander Frei was expected to provide the scoring punch the Swiss lacked in Germany, but the inspirational skipper suffered a tournament-ending injury against the Czechs in the event opener. The Swiss have since turned to Derdiyok, the only teenager entering Euro 2008, as their offensive centerpiece.

Hamit Altintop | Turkey

In five seasons with German clubs Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich, the 25-year-old has emerged as one of the Bundesliga's elite midfielders thanks to his versatility, relentless pace and nose for long-range goals. But after missing the past two months with a broken bone, Altintop's fitness is a question mark heading into Austria and Switzerland.

Emanuel Pogatetz | Austria

What Pogatetz lacks in technical skill, the industrious 25-year-old defender compensates for with a tireless work ethic. He's one of just a few Austrian players with experience in one of Europe's major leagues, having played the past three seasons with English Premiership club Middlesbrough.

Luka Modric | Croatia

A crowd-pleasing, playmaking central midfielder with an uncanny ability for reading the pitch, Modric led Dinamo Zagreb to the past three Croatian league titles. He's headed to the English Premier League this fall, with London club Tottenham Hotspur having shelled out $23 million for the 22-year-old phenom.

Mario Gomez | Germany

Gomez scored 19 goals in 25 appearances this year for German club VfB Stuttgart. Deceptively agile for his 6-foot-2, 189-pound frame, the two-footed striker has earned the nickname Mr. Zuverlässig ("Mr. Reliable") and appears poised for a breakout tournament alongside 2006 World Cup top scorer Miroslav Klose. He's played just nine games for Germany, but scored six goals.

Ebi Smolarek | Poland

The pedigree is there: Smolarek's father was a member of the Poland team that finished third at the 1982 World Cup. The 27-year-old midfielder scored nine goals in qualifying, including a hat trick within a 10-minute span against Kazakhstan. Domestically, Smolarek plays for Racing de Santander in the Spanish First Division, scoring four goals in 28 games this past season and helping the team qualify for next year's UEFA Cup for the first time in club history.

Franck Ribéry | France

The creative, fast-paced playmaker just wrapped up a spectacular debut campaign with Bayern Munich, helping the German club win the Bundesliga while chipping in 11 goals. Still smarting from his country's World Cup disappointment two summers ago, the 25-year-old midfielder hopes to salve those wounds with France's third European Championship.

Luca Toni | Italy

The scoring machine paced the Bundesliga with 25 goals for Bayern Munich during this year's title-winning campaign. Two summers after the Azzurri captured their fourth World Cup title, the 31-year old striker will spearhead a three-pronged attack with wingers Antonio Di Natale and Mauro Camoranesi.

Ruud van Nistelrooy | Netherlands

The prolific Dutch striker is eager to exorcise the memories of his nightmarish 2006 World Cup, when van Nistelrooy was substituted in each of Holland's three group matches and left off the lineup sheet for the team's knockout stage ouster at the hands of Portugal. He's since scored 31 goals in 61 appearances for two-time defending Spanish champions Real Madrid.

Adrian Mutu | Romania

The one-time Chelsea striker has resurrected his career after a positive test for cocaine in September 2004 spelled the end of his stint in London. He logged 23 goals in 35 appearances for Fiorentina this past season, helping the Italian club to a spot in next year's UEFA Champions League. Capable of creating on the run and off set pieces, Mutu has scored six of his 28 international goals in Euro 2008 qualifying matches.

Fanis Gekas | Greece

Four years after going from 80-to-1 long shots to unlikely Euro 2004 champions within a month, the Greeks embark on their title defense employing the same conservative, defend-and-counter approach. Gekas, the steady 28-year-old striker from Bayern Leverkusen, netted five of his team's 25 goals during qualification.

Roman Pavluchenko | Russia

Pavluchenko emerged as a national hero in October, coming off the bench to score both his team's second-half goals in crucial 2-1 victory over England during qualifying. His Russia team was dealt a potentially critical blow when standout striker Andrei Arshavin was sent off against Andorra in a subsequent qualifier. With Arshavin sidelined until June 18, it's up to Pavluchenko to carry the offensive load.

Fernando Torres | Spain

Torres arrived at Liverpool last summer as the storied English club's record signing and immediately lived up to advance billing, scoring 24 of his 33 goals in Premiership games to break Ruud van Nistelrooy's record for most league goals by a foreign player in a debut season. Having established himself as one of the world's most fearsome predators up front, the slippery 23-year-old striker hopes to lead Spain to its first European Championship title since 1964.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden

The gifted Swedish striker has spent the past two years leading Inter Milan to back-to-back Serie A titles, earning the nickname "Ibracadabra" among the Milanese. But for his considerable domestic success, Ibrahimovic has struggled on the international stage. He's eager to snap a curious international scoring drought which dates back to October 2005.