Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has praised Mario Balotelli's attitude ahead of Sunday's Euro 2012 final with Spain.
Balotelli needs one more goal to take the lead in the Golden Boot standings, knowing achieving that aim would take Italy a long way towards lifting the trophy.
It has seemed the 21-year-old has thrived on the responsibility Prandelli has afforded him during these championships, and his semi-final double was proof of that.
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Forza Italia: Mario Balotelli (left) and Gianluigi Buffon (right, top), Andrea Pirlo (centre) and Claudio Marchisio (right) disembark from Italy's team plane on arrival at the airport in Kiev on Saturday afternoon
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Rank | Team | W/D/L | Pts |
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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 |