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Concluding the series looking at the players who impressed so much playing for their countries at the European Championships that it was enough to earn them a big money move once the tournament was over.
For Part One click here; for Part Two click here; and Part Three click here.
Mario Mandzukić
Croatia failed to get out of the group stage at Euro 2012. Despite that striker Mario Mandzukic impressed by scoring thee goals, and that was enough to persuade Bayern Munich to make a big money move for him.
He had just established himself with fellow Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, but Bayern paid €13 million (£11 million) for the Croat.
He won two league and cup doubles during his career with them as well as the Champions League and Club World Cup in 2013, before moving on to Atlético Madrid and Juventus.
Davor Šuker
Another Croat striker had impressed 12 years earlier at Euro 96, including a stunning goal in which he lobbed the Danish and Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.
Three goals in his side’s run to the quarter-finals was enough to persuade Real Madrid to buy Šuker from fellow la Liga side Sevilla. In his first season at the Bernabeu he won the league and that was followed by the Champions League the year after.
He subsequently had a spell in English football, playing first tor Arsenal and then their London neighbours West Ham.
Jean-Pierre Papin
Papin was already a star of French football by the time the 1992 European Championship was held. He had been the top scorer in Ligue 1 for five successive seasons, had won the Ballon D’Or, and had won four league titles with Marseille.
Although France were eliminated at the group stage, Papin scored twice and AC Mikan then paid what was a world record fee for him immediately after the tournament. However, he never really established himself with the Italian side due to injuries, and a rule that meant only three foreigners could play in the side at any one time.
Two years later, he was transferred to Bayern Munich for a fraction of the price Milan had originally paid for him.
Nuno Gomes
Nuno Gomes was the star of Portugal’s run to the semi-finals in 2000, claiming four goals, and attracting much attention from abroad.
The Benfica player was not short of offers after the tournament was finished and he eventually opted to join Fiorentina.
In hs first season in Italy, he helped Fiorentina win the Coppa Italia, but his second season was less successful, and the financial collapse of the club and subsequent relegation to Serie B, saw him return to Benfica.
He ended his career with a brief stint at Blackburn Rovers.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.