Despite Germany being on the crest of a wave thanks to the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as manager, Die Mannschaft followed up a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, in which Xavi's side grabbed a point in the last minute, with a first-ever home defeat against Greece.

Mavropanos deserved his man-of-the-match award

That 1-0 scoreline sent shockwaves around Europe, but no one can argue that it wasn't deserved, and one player stood out more than any other on the night.

West Ham's defensive colossus Konstantinos Mavropanos simply refused to be beaten, and his excellence in the centre-back position continued to frustrate the German attack.

Indeed, taking a look at his individual performance in the match reveals an astonishing level of excellence.

His 17 defensive contributions were the most of any player across the 90 minutes, as were his 12 clearances.

Mavropanos won all five of his aerial duels and all 10 of his ground one-on-ones. He wasn't dribbled past at all, and his one last-man tackle also gave him top billing.

Even his 47 total touches and four passes into the final third only placed him second, so it's no wonder he won a deserved man-of-the-match award.

Four years since he left Arsenal

Although it's been four years since he left Arsenal, and he barely got a look in during his time there, it's worth pondering whether the Gunners may have been too hasty in allowing Mavropanos to move on.

Certainly, West Ham are enjoying the fruits of his labour, and at 28 years of age, he's really coming into his own now.

During this season alone for the Hammers, only Jarrod Bowen has more than the centre-back's four goals in the Championship.

Mavropanos' 77.78% tackle success is by far and away the best of any West Ham player in 2026/27, and his 50 clearances to date are only bettered by defensive partner Max Kilman (68).

Kilman's 49 headed clearances top his colleague's 29, though no one can match the Greek's 12 interceptions this season.

A 68.42% success rate in one-on-one duels can't be beaten by any squad member who's attempted at least 50 this season, and only Kilman, again, has won more headed duels (35) than Mavropanos' 34.

Good reason for Mikel Arteta's decision

In terms of his passing ability, here too the defender excels, and though there may be other colleagues who have a higher percentage of completion success, his 87.23% can't be argued with.

Indeed, 595 passes place him second in the squad in this regard, and merely strengthens his offering.

Arsenal will point to having one of the best defences in Europe as a perfectly acceptable reason why Mavropanos was always going to have to be moved on, though there must be a part of Mikel Arteta that thinks about what might have been.

With the Hammers already into their stride in the Championship, there's every reason to expect that, injuries notwithstanding, they can bounce straight back up to the Premier League at the end of the current campaign.

West Ham must look after Mavropanos if he wants to stay

That would give Mavropanos another chance to test himself against the very best that English football has to offer, and further establish himself as one of the best at his craft.

The East Londoners will surely be indebted to him, Bowen and others who made the decision to stay with the club despite their relegation, and were Mavropanos to indicate that he sees his future with West Ham should they get promoted, it's in the club's best interests to look after him financially.

Many times in the past, their best players have moved on to pastures new because of an inability to pay players what they're worth.

If Daniel Kretinsky et al. truly want to ensure that West Ham scale the heights again in future, then there can be no dilly-dallying when it comes to contract renewals and the like.

Having already won the prestigious Hammer of the Year award last season, if he were to do so again, there'll be uproar amongst the East London faithful if the club haven't managed to secure Mavropanos for the next few seasons.

The strength of his performance against Germany will have awakened all of European football to his abilities and his dependability, and there's likely to be a queue of suitors at the London Stadium if there's even the smallest inkling that the centre-back could be persuaded to move on.

All the player himself can do in the meantime is continue to bring an elite level of performance into every game, and trust that's enough to earn him a new deal.