In recent years, England have been relying on ace striker Halikani to count the hoops, with the Bayern Munich striker entering the quarterfinals against Holland with 12 yards, making him the player with the most knockout games in the history of the Euros. However, the soon-to-be 31-year-old Halikani's role in the team is gradually declining, replaced in three consecutive knockout matches, with some fans pointing out that he has become 'England's Cron', and that becoming the team's negative big name was inevitably the right choice.
Halikani has been the right choice in all six games this year. The 12-yarder had been his sixth trip to the knockout stage of the Europa League, surpassing France's Kishavin (five goals) as the older brother king of the Europa League's knockout stage. Despite entering the wave of record-breaking performances, Halikani has continued his slump this year with just 55 in the final two knockout games. Despite returning to the center of the field often this tournament, there is still no tasty treat in the penalty area, with the Daily Mail commenting that he is England's second lowest-scoring player.
In fact, Halikani's importance in the team dropped significantly. England were replaced in the three knockout matches and the team did play better after they left, but Halikani didn't mind his decline in importance: 'Fantastic achievement! I'm honored for every player and staff. We've been talking about preparation, England are a massive team and everyone is ready to go, even if it's only for five minutes or one minute, there's a chance to help England win the cup.''
