Euro 2008: Where are they now?

By Paul Kennedy, Special to SI.com, Soccer America

Fernando Torres has fought to stay healthy since scoring Spain's Euro-clinching goal -- he hasn't appeared in a month for Liverpool. Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

It was six months ago that fans were treated to a scintillating European Championship. Here's a look at how the leading actors of Euro 2008 are now faring:

SPAIN. No team has captured the World Cup two years after winning the European Championship since West Germany did it in 1974, but Spain will certainly be one of the favorites to win the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Spaniards were clearly the best team at a tournament notable for its high quality.

Moreover, Spain fielded a young team, with stars Fernando Torres, Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta, David Silva and Sergio Ramos all younger than 25. The oldest starters were Brazilian-born Marcos Senna at 31 and captain Carles Puyol and Joan Capdevila at 30. Such was Spain's depth that Fabregas and Xabi Alonso (only 26) were used off the bench for most of the tournament.

Spain hasn't missed a beat since Vicente del Bosque replaced as Luis Aragonés as head coach. It won its first four World Cup qualifiers and opened up a four-point lead in Group 5. Del Bosque is already looking toward the future. Barcelona's Bojan Krkic, 18, debuted for Spain in September, and 20-year-old midfielder Juan Mata was brought into the Spanish team for its friendly against Chile in November.

FERNANDO TORRES. Torres' goal against Germany in the final capped a brilliant '07-08 season. El Niño scored 33 goals -- 24 in the EPL -- in his first season at Liverpool. His second season got off to a rocky start, however. Hamstring injuries have kept him in and out of the lineup all season. With the Reds leading the English Premier League race, coach Rafa Benítez has said there is no guarantee he would start Torres. "The players have to compete for their positions in the side, be it Torres or anyone else," Benítez said. "Torres has to improve, if he does and he is fit, then I will decide what to do, although I expect to be criticized."

DAVID VILLA. Until his injury in the semifinals against Russia, Villa was the best striker at Euro '08. He scored a hat trick in the first Russia game and added the winning goal against Sweden. He typified the secret to the Spanish success: determination, teamwork -- and lots of skill. After Euro '08, Villa returned to Valencia, where he averaged almost 20 league goals a season in his first three years. He has been on course to top that mark, scoring 12 goals in his first 13 games to put Valencia in the hunt for La Liga title.

LUIS ARAGONÉS. A 30-year coaching career took the Wise Man of Hortaleza to eight different Spanish clubs before he was hired as Spain's national team coach in '04. He had already announced before Euro '08 that he was quitting as Spain coach at the end of the tournament, so it was no surprise when word leaked out during the finals that he would be headed to Turkey to coach Fenerbahçe. How long the 70-year-old Aragones would last at Fener was a matter of conjecture. Elimination from the Champions League and the worst league start in two decades left the Istanbul club in crisis.

ANDREI ARSHAVIN. No player's stock increased as quickly at Euro '08 as did the 27-year-old striker's following two sensational performances against Sweden and Russia. He was suspended for the first two games but coach Guus Hiddink thought so much of the Zenit St. Petersburg striker that he included him in his 23-player squad anyway.

Arshavin immediately became the hottest player on the summer transfer market. There was only one problem -- there were no takers. Zenit hoped to get $30 million for Arshavin, but the price tag was too high. Zenit rebuffed a bid from Barcelona, and Arsenal rejected Arshavin as being too old to rate a $30 million price tag. Now Zenit must wait until the January transfer market for a deal to be cut. Struggling Real Madrid could land Arshavin, and Arsenal has thrown its hat back into the ring.

LUKAS PODOLSKI. The 23-year-old striker is an enigma. He has been tremendous for his adopted Germany but unimpressive at Bayern Munich. Podolski was named the top young player at the '06 World Cup and was again outstanding for Germany at Euro '08, beginning with his two goals against his native Poland in the opening game. Podolski scored only nine goals in his first two seasons at Bayern, and things got worse this fall. His future at Bayern Munich was in doubt after coach Jürgen Klinsmann left him out of the Bayern squad for a game against Borussia Mönchengladbach in mid-November. Klinsmann insisted Podolski was not fit but he played against England four days later.