Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

My colleague Saj Chowdhury has done a bit of a straw poll in the office and here is our(unofficial) team of Euro 2008.

You can see how it compares to the official team .

Fernando Torres was and deservedly so after winning the cup for Spain.

But his two goals in the tournament weren't enough to get him into our overall team. Have we got it right or have we dropped the ball?

London, England

In my day, were blonde, thrashed themselves with birch twigs after a red-hot sauna and rarely wore clothes.

How things have changed. At London's Harcourt Arms, I discovered that modern-day Swedes come in all sorts of different hair colours: black, brunette, mousey, ginger and fair. I only got to rub shoulders with a handful of Ulrika Jonsson lookalikes as I watched their team capitulate to the Russians.

Vienna

Whenever someone mentions the word "statistics" I can't help but think of past Miss World competitions. And in case my wife is reading this, the last one I watched must have been at least 20 years ago. Yep, that's long before we met, my love.

Anyway, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport website's Player Rater has thrown up some interesting numbers following the completion of the group games at Euro 2008...

Vienna

Spain passed a big test by beating the Swedes and booking their passage to the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 in the process. After ripping apart Russia in their opening game, Fernando Torres and co were made to work really hard for their in Group D.

We always recognised that the Spaniards possessed bags of flair and talent. What we didn't know was if they had the steely resolve that is also needed if you are to win a major tournament. I think we have the answer now.

Birmingham, England

I love Greece. In a month's time, I'll be taking another trip in speedos and flip flops around the islands of the Cyclades.

Football has been on a high in the country since their victory at Euro 2004, with most main tourist resorts doing a roaring trade in Hellas replica shirts ever since.

So when the opportunity arose to go to Athens as part of my Euro 2008 jaunt, it wasn't one to be sniffed at.

London

It's Saturday morning at Television Centre and just minutes to go before I set off on the first leg of my Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 5 Live Euro 2008 Road Trip...

What I'll be doing over the next three weeks is discovering a bit more about the 16 nations taking part in Euro 2008 by meeting the far-flung ex-pat communities dotted all over the UK.

Today I'm heading for Norfolk, where I hope to meet up with a load of Portuguese. Apparently, over the past decade, 50,000 of them have settled there.

Geneva

I was interested to read in the local Geneva newspaper this morning that Fernando Torres and Cristiano Ronaldo are joint favourites to finish Euro 2008 as top scorer.

They are fairly obvious picks having scored so many goals in the Premier League last season. It's also likely that both countries will fancy their chances of a long run in the tournament.

You probably remember that last time the Golden Boot went to , which surprised everyone, so I got to wondering who the other candidates might be this time around.

Welcome to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport's Euro 2008 blog.

Yep, the champagne may still be flowing in Manchester and Glasgow, not to mention Hull, Doncaster, Stockport and other footballing hotbeds around Europe, but already the focus is shifting towards the international arena.

In little over a week, the European Championships will kick off in Austria and Switzerland as 16 countries begin their quest for the .

For some fans, most notably those with an English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh bent, Euro 2008 will have about as much appeal as a in Wolverhampton.

Keep reading this blog for the latest about the Euro 2008 football tournament in Switzerland and Austria.

News and reports will be on the but our experts will bring you behind the scenes access right here.

All of our bloggers are keen to hear your views and we want people to comment on what we have to say.