
Gareth Bale has been in danger of disappearing in a deluge of praise during the last 12 months but the assessment from Fabio Capello takes some beating.
Not only did Capello refer to Bale as the 'No 1 player in the world today', he described him as a cross between Roberto Carlos and Francisco Gento, two of the greatest ever on the left wing.
Now the tricky bit for the England manager: How to stop him...

Main man: Bale shares a joke during training with his Wales team-mates
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| Rank | Team | W/D/L | Pts |
|---|
Cities & Stadiums
The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments
| Year | Winners | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Spain | Germany | Russia / Turkey |
| 2004 | Greece | Portugal | Netherlands / Czech Republic |
| 2000 | France | Italy | Netherlands / Portugal |
| 1996 | Germany | Czech Republic | France / England |
| 1992 | Denmark | Germany | Netherlands / Sweden |
| 1988 | Netherlands | Soviet Union | Italy / West Germany |
| 1984 | France | Spain | Denmark / Portugal |
| 1980 | West Germany | Belgium | Czechoslovakia |
| 1976 | Czechoslovakia | West Germany | Netherlands |
| 1972 | West Germany | Soviet Union | Belgium |
| 1968 | Italy | Yugoslavia | England |
| 1964 | Spain | Soviet Union | Hungary |
| 1960 | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | Czechoslovakia |