Soccer is a team sport, but as is the case with other team sports, viewers and fans are looking for that single individual that sparks his or her team to greatness.
The Euro 2016 has seen its slew of top stars really carrying their squads through the tough opening round and into the quarterfinals where the pressure will mount on them. Which players made their mark in the opening round?
The Group of Death is usually the one most viewers get excited about in a major tournament. Group E fits that bill at this year's Euro competition. The contestants include Belgium, Italy, Ireland and Sweden, all teams more than capable of making a long run in the tournament.
From 2008-2012, Spain was the best team in the world. Then 2014 happened and the team was not only knocked off its throne, but utterly humiliated.
La Furia Roja will look to regain its dignity and perhaps its crown in the Euro 2016 as it tries to make history and win the tournament for a third straight time.
But Group D poses a very real struggle for Spain as it is one of the toughest groups of the tournament.
Spain will see threats from the Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia.
Group C is shaping up to be one of the more hotly contested groups in the Euro 2016 tournament with the heavy front runners playing against a few teams that could surprise.
Group B of the 2016 Euro is undeniably one of the more fascinating to keep an eye on with four teams capable of getting out of the group and making it to the knockout stages.
In fact, as it stands, this group has no bonafide favorite, which should make for some interesting drama.
The Euro 2016 gets underway in less that one month. On June 10, France will kick off the tournament at home against Romania in Group A, starting its quest to claim its first major trophy since 2000.
Group A is an interesting group featuring one clearcut favorite, two sides with decent chances of moving on and one team that could surprise if everything falls right.
When it was announced a few years back that the Euro 2016 would be expanded to 24 teams instead of the 16 of previous years, there was anticipation that this would allow for "lesser" European sides to get into the tournament.
Anytime that the idea of best player in the world is brought up the list starts and ends with two names - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When looking at 2014, picking the top player between Messi and Ronaldo seems like a futile and uninteresting task. So instead, Latin Post.com's David Salazar and Edwin Molina, as part of our Best of Soccer in 2014 feature series, are looking at players not named Ronaldo or Messi, who deserve some credit in 2014.
