The end of Euro 2000 means that footballing astronomists can pack away their telescopes for a few weeks content that there are new comets to track over the years to come.

All the stars that were expected to shine, did so. In Zinedine Zidane's balletic displays for France we have seen the brightest of all on the contemporary plane, a glorious fusion of grace and beauty allied to the raw nerve that allowed him to convert that golden goal penalty late in extra-time against Portugal in the semi-final.

Luis Figo's sulky response to the situation, taking off his shirt and skulking to the bench, should not disguise the impression he and Manuel Rui Costa made for Humberto Coelho's side, proof that football can be played off the cuff within a clever tactical framework.

Patrick Kluivert and Dennis Bergkamp, prompted by the 'pit-bull' bite of Edgar Davids, illuminated and excited, even if the orange carnival came to a devastating early close, while David Beckham and Paul Scholes emerged with some pride from the shambles of England's exit.

In a very different manner, the defending of Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro and Paolo Maldini, combined with the work-rate of Demetrio Albertini and Luigi Di Biagio, demonstrated some suns burn seem to burn for ever.

But what the star-gazers wanted was to witness the birth of new, hitherto unknown talents, the next generation. In a tournament which offered almost everything, they were present in abundance too.

As Romania waved goodbye to the brooding Gheorghe Hagi, who let himself down with his behaviour against Italy, they could point to his successor, Inter Milan's Adrian Mutu.

Clever, incisive, and above all willing to take defenders on, the 21-year-old graduated instantly to the big stage, probing England to distraction in Charleroi.

Mutu's promise has been a secret known by some, yet equally impressive was the even less heralded left-sided wing-back Christian Chivu.

Only 20, his capacity for getting forward and hitting the opposition where it hurts was felt most by England, yet throughout the tournament he carried attacking threat and a defensive discipline.

David Beckham created goals against both Portugal and Germany but was forced to come inside during the Romania defeat. Eastern Europe's left-sided thrust was not confined to Chivu, although, at 32, Yugoslavia's Ljubinko Drulovic was given a belated opportunity to make his mark on the world stage. The quality of his delivery showed his arrival was long overdue.

Equally impressive was Slovenia's Mladen Rudonja, whose supply allowed Zlatko Zahovic to live up to his reputation as a top-class striker.

The thrust and drive of Boudewijn Zenden was a feature for Holland. Two years ago, against Brazil in the World Cup semi-final when Marc Overmars was injured, Zenden froze, unable to take advantage of the inexperience of Ze Elias.

By this tournament however, the Barcelona player had matured mentally, while retaining his physical prowess to such an extent that Overmars was forced to play on the right.

With so many left-siders on display, England's poverty in that department was all the more graphic but there were other successes as well. Spain's Gaizka Mendieta reproduced the skills he had shown for Valencia in the Champions League while Pavel Nedved of the Czech Republic was arguably the unluckiest player in the tournament to not to make the knock-out phase.

But, of course, the players who will be remembered most will be those on display in the final.

When Fiorentina lost at Old Trafford in the Champions League, there were many who scoffed at the display of Francesco Toldo, belittling the suggestions that Sir Alex Ferguson had run his eye over the goalkeeper.

They will not be laughing now after witnessing his athleticism and heroics against the Dutch.

For all that, Zidane has once again shown his brilliance for France. Les Bleus have moved on since the World Cup because of the cutting edge they now possess. Arsene Wenger's tutelage of Thierry Henry has turned a misdirected talent into a superstar.

Still only 22, Henry represents a bright future for the game. Let's just hope the Premiership starts to rear some home-grown crops rather than hot-housing the imported version.