From Platini’s nine goals to Spain’s two consecutive titles, to Cristiano Ronaldo’s personal collection, these are the records to be broken in the 2024 Euro Cup, which starts on June 14th in Munich:
Platini’s nine goals
Frenchman Michel Platini guided the ‘Bleus’ to the title in the 1984 edition, scoring nine goals, a record in a single edition of the Euros. It seems difficult that a striker can surpass that mark, but Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski, among others, will have up to seven games to end a record that Platini achieved in just five games 40 years ago.
Unreleased bi from Spain
Spain is the only team to have won two consecutive titles, in 2008 and 2012. Germany, champions in 1972, reached the final in 1976, but were defeated by Czechoslovakia on penalties. Italy, the current champion, will try to be the second team to achieve this feat.
4 a 0
It is the most elastic score recorded in a European Cup final, precisely for Spain, and against Italy, in 2012.
CR7 top scorer
Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer in Euro history with 14 goals, far ahead of Platini’s nine. Among the greatest active scorers, only Antoine Griezmann (6 goals), Romelu Lukaku and Robert Lewandowski (5 each) can come close to the Portuguese star, as well as Harry Kane (4).
25 games for CR7
CR7 has another record, having played the most games in the continental tournament, with 25 in total, a number that will increase in Germany.
Among his main pursuers, only his compatriot Pepe (19) will be able to come closer, if he is called up by coach Roberto Martínez.
The others are already retired: João Moutinho (19), Bastian Schweinsteiger and Leonardo Bonucci (18), Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini (17).
endless CR7
The Portuguese striker will also become the first player in Germany to compete in six editions of the Euros, a record he shares with former Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas (5).
Proud to represent Portugal again at the Euros. Let’s go with everything! #SharingThePassion pic.twitter.com/48D7P6mYac
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) May 21, 2024
The three-time champions
The teams with the most titles are Germany (1972, 1980 and 1996) and Spain (1964, 2008 and 2012), followed by France (1984 and 2000) and Italy (1968 and 2020). The ‘Mannschaft’ is also the one that lost the most finals (1972, 1992 and 2008) along with the extinct Soviet Union (1964, 1972 and 1988).
O veteran Vastic
At 38 years and 257 days, Austrian Ivica Vastic became the oldest player to score a goal in the continental tournament in 2008, after converting a penalty against Poland. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has already turned 39, can add to this milestone in Germany.
O ‘velho’ King
The oldest player to have played in a Euro Cup game is Hungarian goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, famous for playing wearing baggy pants, who was 40 years and 86 days old when his team was eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16 of the 2016 edition.
The youngest
The youngest player to have played in a European Championship is Polish Kacper Kozlowski, who played against Spain in 2021 at the age of 17 years and 246 days. The youngest person to score is Swiss Johan Vonlanthen, who at 18 years old and 141 scored against France in 2004.
Nine goals in one game
The record for most goals in a game is Yugoslavia’s 5-4 victory over France in the first phase in 1960, in the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Biggest goals
The biggest defeats in the history of the competition are the 5-0 defeat by France over Belgium and Denmark over Yugoslavia, both in 1984. In 2021, Sweden repeated the score against Bulgaria and, in 2000, the Netherlands beat Yugoslavia by 6 to 1.
France, the best attack
France finished three editions with the best attack in the competition, with 14 goals in 1984 (five games) and 13 goals in 2000 (six games) and 2017 (seven games). The Netherlands also scored 13 goals in one edition in 2000.
Beyond the hat-trick
A feat that no player has achieved so far is scoring four goals or more in the same European Cup game. Seven players, however, achieved a hat-trick: Michel Platini (two in 1984), the Germans Dieter Müller and Klaus Allofs, the Dutch Marco Van Basten and Patrick Kluivert, the Portuguese Sérgio Conceição and the Spanish David Villa.
67 seconds
The fastest goal was scored by Russian Dimitri Kirichenko, against Greece, in 2004, just one minute and seven seconds into the game.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
