For once, the best team won and did so in style. I am too young to remember much of the football tournaments played in the early 1980s, though I've heard both Euro 1984 and Mexico 1986 as classics in some quarters.

Without doubt, the best tournament I have watched until now was Euro 2000, even if it was won, deservedly, by a France team I did not particularly care for. The world cup in Japan and South Korea in 2002 had its good moments, but the last two tournaments since then have served little entertainment, despite the occasional flash of individual brilliance now and again.

Euro 2008 was the complete opposite - even Italy under Roberto Donadoni found it in themselves to play attacking football in the group stages and it was particularly vindicating that Greece failed miserably using the same defensive style that won them the trophy four years ago in Portugal. Only two games in 31 ended goalless at the final whistle.

In the end, Spain were worthy victors having been the most consistent team in Austria and Switzerland. Despite all the concerns voiced before the tournament about their shaky defence, it only let in one goal in each of the three group stage matches and none in the knock-out games.

Spain are reaping the accolades, deservedly so, after finally breaking past the psychological quarterfinal barrier. The fact that it came against Italy (88 years without a competitive win), on penalties (the first in quarter of a century) and on June 22 (three shoot-outs lost on that date) - seems to have given this young Spanish team a confidence that will surely make them one of the teams to beat at the World Cup in South Africa two years from now.

But Euro 2008 will also be remembered for Netherlands' mesmerising wins in the group stage, their fall to a Russian team inspired by Andrei Arshavin, Turkey's improbable come-backs, the gobsmacked faces of Croatian players that saw victory wrestled from their grasp at the death. And the goals, some of them as good as any you will ever see again.

It was not a good tournament for strikers, I must say. The top scorer, David Villa, only had four goals and three of them came against Russia in the opening fixture. None of the big-name forwards stood out, though none flopped as badly as Italy's Luca Toni, who must curse his foul luck.

But it was a midfielder's tournament with such an array of both attacking and defensive talent on display, so it is no wonder that Xavi Hernandez won Uefa's player of the tournament award, though one can make a good argument for his teammate Marcos Senna, whose quiet and confident performances played a big part in setting the foundation for Spain's possession brand of football that finally brought them the trophy they so richly deserved.

Team of the tournament: Spain
Player of the tournament: Marcos Senna (Spain)
Disappointment of the tournament: Greece (no points and a solitary goal for the defending champions)
Buffoon of the tournament: Raymond Domenech
Match of the tournament: Netherlands v France 4:1, with honourable mentions to Spain v Russia 4:1 in the group stage and Turkey v Czech Republic 3:2
Goal of the tournament: Nihat Kahveci's winner against Czech Republic; Wesley Sneijder against Italy; Bastian Schweinsteiger against Portugal; David Villa's second goal against Russia; Dani Guiza against Russia in the semi-final; Fernando Torres' winner in the final - take your pick, all were brilliant
Miss of the tournament: Mario Gomez from less than two metres against Austria
Free kick of the tournament: Michael Ballack in the same match, the only goal scored from a free kick at Euro 2008
Fans of the tournament: Dutch