The reign of Spain was great result for football

Monday morning and the football"s gone. The season is officially over, the death notice signed late on Sunday night as Michel Platini brought the curtain down on a quite wonderful European Championships and the trophy ended up in the safe hands of Iker Casillas. UEFA president Platini had a big smile on his face and rightly so as Casillas mounted the top of the presentation podium in Vienna and the Spanish celebrations reached a new crescendo. Platini the player was a man who appreciated the finer things of the world"s greatest game. Despite some protestations otherwise he was a great player, not merely a good player and this European Championships, his first as President, have been a great European Championships not a good one. It has been a championship designed to set a new yardstick for the game, a championship when attack minded players and not defence orientated managers took control. More than anything the football displayed in Switzerland and Austria over the past three weeks has restored faith in the beauty of the beautiful game. Defensive coaches and defensive teams didn"t make it past the first round. Defenders - with the exception of the great Russian left-back Zhirkov and Lahm"s winner against Turkey - barely made the headlines. It was a tournament for those players fleet of foot and fleet of mind, a tournament when the wings were often more utilised than the central areas, when the long ball was definitely out of fashion. Late in Sunday night"s final the Spanish boss Aragones was caught on camera gesticulating to his players to get the ball wide. Therein lies real hope for the game played by more people across planet Earth than any other. The European Championships, like the World Cup itself, will always act as a platform as the game moves forward. Across the continent coaches and players alike will look to mimic what was offered in Vienna and beyond for the past weeks and that can only be a good thing. If the new focus in Europe, as these finals suggested, is offensive rather than defensive then those who play the game, be it for money or for fun, and those who watch it are in for a treat. Consider who the real stars of Euro 2008 were as we await the new season with the old one barely in the grave. Top of the list after his match winner in Sunday night"s final is the Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres who brimmed with confidence and threat every time he got on the ball. That perfect goal against Germany was the epitome of Torres at his best, a goal poacher who thrives on quality ball that allows him to exploit weak defenders. Maybe now his Liverpool boss Benitez will accept that Torres is better without a Crouch like beanpole alongside him. Maybe that"s why Benitez wants Robbie Keane as the new foil for Torres. Spain had other heroes. David Villa didn"t get to play in the final due to injury, but he was one of the stars of the winning show. What a pleasure it would be for Arsenal fans to see his pace and guile at the Emirates on a regular basis. Xavi was just brilliant as a creative force and Senna was a rock at the heart of their midfield, Ramos improved with every game at the back and Fabregas did everything and more to prove he is one of the best young players in the world. The Spanish didn"t have a monopoly at flair at these finals. Turkey were mesmerising at times as they refused to throw in the towel on more than one occasion, their excellent little striker Nihat the star of that particular show. Russia too were a joy to watch. Okay so Arshavin never lived up to his glowing reputation, championed in this column last week, when it came to the crunch against Spain in the semi-final, but together with Zhirkov and Pavlyuchenko, he made Euro 2008 a pleasure dome for fans of attacking football. Holland and Croatia were the stars of the show early on. The Dutch re-invented total football at this tournament and their game will be the better for it, their win over Italy in the opening game simply mind blowing in its simplicity and its power. Croatia were more of an acquired taste tactically, but their pride and unity can act as a role model to the likes of Giovanni Trapattoni as he looks to rebuild Ireland in line with this changing face of European football. Portugal played some beautiful football for their own for two games then Chelsea announced that manager Scolari was on his way to Stamford Bridge and they never won a game again. That Ronaldo failed to show as the world"s greatest player may have had something to do with the endless speculation about his future. France were the big flops of the tournament, an ageing team who spent more energy fighting with each other it seems that they did playing for their flag. Likewise Italy can be none too pleased with their contribution to Euro 2008 although their response, by appointing World Cup winner Marcelo Lippi in place of Roberto Donadoni, may yet come back to haunt Ireland. What of the rest? Host nations Austria and Switzerland were so poor that you really have to worry about UEFA"s decision to expand this tournament to 24 teams in 2016 even if it means the FAI can expect to bank huge moneys from qualification. The Czechs looked another ageing side going nowhere fast, Greece were found out for the poor team they are and both Poland and Romania flattered to deceive without ever really fooling anyone. Ultimately the tournament carried on without any interference from the British Isles. Was it better for the experience? It"s a hypothetical question, but one thing is for certain - it was a great European Championships. The best team playing the best football won it. Roll on the new season. * Cathal Dervan is chief sportswriter with the Irish Daily Star Sunday newspaper.