The European Championship (EURO) is the second-grandest worldwide cup competitors, second solely to the FIFA World Cup. Thriving on this quadrennial competitors is a surefire manner of turning into a European legend. This is the reason each participant value their salt pushes as exhausting as potential to go away a mark.
As we await to congratulate the successful crew, prime scorer, and the Participant of the Event of EURO 2024, let’s take a stroll down reminiscence lane and honor a handful of forwards who’ve left an ever-lasting footprint within the competitors’s historical past. Proceed studying to satisfy the 5 gamers with probably the most objectives + assists in EURO historical past.
#5 Marco Van Basten (EURO 1988): 6 Purpose Contributions
Main with poise and style, Netherlands icon Marco Van Basten led his nation to European Championship glory in 1988. The legendary center-forward scored 5 occasions and offered an help in 5 video games, ending as not solely the competitors’s highest scorer but in addition its finest participant.
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner scored an outstanding hat-trick in opposition to England in a Group 2 conflict, propelling the Netherlands to a 3-1 win. He then scored the successful aim in opposition to Germany within the semi-final and a thunderous volley in a 2-0 win over the Soviet Union within the last. He additionally assisted Ruud Gullit for Holland’s opening aim.
#4 Milan Baros (EURO 2004): 6 Purpose Contributions
Czechia legend Milan Baros made his European Championship debut in 2004. The formidable striker proved to be a menace contained in the opposition space, scoring a tournament-high 5 occasions and offering an help. Baros’ finest efficiency got here within the quarter-final conflict with Denmark. He scored a superb brace to information Czechia to a 3-0 victory. Sadly, Baros fired a clean within the semi-final assembly with Greece and his nation crashed out after struggling a 1-0 defeat.
The previous Liverpool striker additionally featured in EURO 2008 and 2012. Nonetheless, he couldn’t replicate his 2004 heroics, failing to attain even as soon as in both event.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo (EURO 2020): 6 Purpose Contributions
Cristiano Ronaldo — the main scorer in European Championship historical past with 14 objectives — was at his blistering finest in EURO 2020. Regardless of taking part in solely 4 video games earlier than Portugal’s Spherical-of-16 exit, Ronaldo scored 5 occasions and offered an help, rising because the competitors’s joint-leading scorer alongside Patrick Schick.
Ronaldo, 39, made historical past in EURO 2024, turning into the primary participant in historical past to play in six iterations of the competitors. Sadly, the Al-Nassr celebrity couldn’t prolong his document of scoring in each EURO marketing campaign, bowing out within the quarter-finals with out scoring regardless of making an attempt a competition-high 23 pictures.
#2 Antoine Griezmann (EURO 2016): 8 Purpose Contributions
Antoine Griezmann was the Participant of the Event as France reached the European Championship last in 2016. The Atletico Madrid attacker chipped in with six objectives and two assists over the course of the marketing campaign. Griezmann was at his sensational finest within the semi-final conflict with Germany, scoring each objectives in France’s 2-0 victory.
The next two EURO campaigns have been disappointing for Griezmann. In EURO 2020, he solely scored as soon as in 4 video games as Les Bleus exited the competitors within the Spherical of 16. In 2024, he neither scored nor assisted in six matches, reducing a annoyed determine as his crew crashed out after a 2-1 defeat to Spain within the semi-finals.
#1 Michel Platini (EURO 1984): 10 Purpose Contributions
One of many best European gamers in historical past, Michel Platini was by far probably the most impactful participant in EURO 1984. In his first and solely European Championship marketing campaign, Platini scored a staggering 9 occasions and offered an help.
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner scored in every of the 5 video games in EURO 1984, together with two hat-tricks in Group 1 wins over Belgium (5-0) and Yugoslavia (3-2). Platini scored the opening aim for France from a direct free-kick in a 2-0 win over Spain within the EURO 1984 last.
