The EURO 2020 is scheduled to finally take place this year. Hence, it’s the right time to look back and check the most appearances and top scorers of the UEFA European Championship history.
Who are the players who have played the most matches and scored the most goals in the history of the UEFA European Championship?
Let’s have a look at the stats together!
Most UEFA European Championship Final Tournament Appearances
The most EURO appearances has Cristiano Ronaldo. Portuguese winger played 21 European Championship matches.
German central midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is in the second place with 18 matches. He participated in four European Championship final tournaments: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016.
In the 3rd place is Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon with 17 appearances. Buffon represented Italy at four European Championships.
Below, find the list of the players by most appearances in European Championships.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 21
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) – 18
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) – 17
Cesc Fàbregas (Spain) – 16
Andrés Iniesta (Spain) – 16
Lilian Thuram (France) – 16
Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands) – 16
João Moutinho (Portugal) – 15
Nani (Portugal) – 15
Pepe (Portugal) – 15
Sergio Ramos (Spain) – 15
David Silva (Spain) – 15
The UEFA European Championship Final Tournaments Top Scorers
We have 2 top scorers in EURO final tournaments: Michel Platini and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both players scored 9 goals each.
Platini played in only 1 EURO in 1984, scoring 9 goals in 5 matches.
On the other side, Cristiano Ronaldo played in 4 EUROs (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) and the 5th one is ahead, setting 9 goals in 21 matches.
Alan Shearer is in the 3rd place, with 7 goals in 9 matches. He participated in 3 EURO final tournaments (1992, 1996, 2000).
Find the advanced list of the EURO top scorers below.
# | Player | Team | Goals | Matches | EUROs played |
1
|
Michel Platini | France | 9 | 5 | 1984 |
Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 9 | 21 | 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 | |
3 | Alan Shearer | England | 7 | 9 | 1992, 1996, 2000 |
4
|
Antoine Griezmann | France | 6 | 7 | 2016 |
Ruud van Nistelrooy | Netherlands | 6 | 8 | 2004, 2008 | |
Patrick Kluivert | Netherlands | 6 | 9 | 1996, 2000 | |
Wayne Rooney | England | 6 | 10 | 2004, 2012, 2016 | |
Thierry Henry | France | 6 | 11 | 2000, 2004, 2008 | |
Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | 6 | 13 | 2004, 2008, 2012, (2016) | |
Nuno Gomes | Portugal | 6 | 14 | 2000, 2004, 2008 | |
11
|
Savo Milošević | FR Yugoslavia | 5 | 4 | 2000 |
Marco van Basten | Netherlands | 5 | 9 | 1988, (1992) | |
Milan Baroš | Czech Republic | 5 | 11 | 2004, (2008), (2012) | |
Jürgen Klinsmann | West Germany, Germany | 5 | 13 | 1988, 1992, 1996 | |
Fernando Torres | Spain | 5 | 13 | (2004), 2008, 2012 | |
Mario Gómez | Germany | 5 | 13 | (2008), 2012, 2016 | |
Zinedine Zidane | France | 5 | 14 | (1996), 2000, 2004 |
Top Scorers by Tournament
Year | Player(s) | Goals Scored | Matches Played |
1960
|
Milan Galić |
2
|
2 |
François Heutte | 2 | ||
Valentin Ivanov | 2 | ||
Dražan Jerković | 2 | ||
Viktor Ponedelnik | 2 | ||
1964
|
Dezső Novák |
2
|
1 |
Ferenc Bene | 2 | ||
Jesús María Pereda | 2 | ||
1968 | Dragan Džajić | 2 | 3 |
1972 | Gerd Müller | 4 | 2 |
1976 | Dieter Müller | 4 | 2 |
1980 | Klaus Allofs | 3 | 3 |
1984 | Michel Platini | 9 | 5 |
1988 | Marco van Basten | 5 | 5 |
1992
|
Dennis Bergkamp |
3
|
4 |
Tomas Brolin | 4 | ||
Henrik Larsen | 4 | ||
Karl-Heinz Riedle | 5 | ||
1996 | Alan Shearer | 5 | 5 |
2000
|
Savo Milošević |
5
|
4 |
Patrick Kluivert | 5 | ||
2004 | Milan Baroš | 5 | 5 |
2008 | David Villa | 4 | 4 |
2012
|
Alan Dzagoev |
3
|
3 |
Mario Mandžukić | 3 | ||
Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 | ||
Mario Gómez | 5 | ||
Fernando Torres | 5 | ||
Mario Balotelli | 6 | ||
2016 | Antoine Griezmann | 6 | 7 |
Find more regarding the top scorers here.
EURO Teams Stats
The most European championship final tournaments’ matches played Germany: 49.
The most goals scored Germany – 72. Germany also set the most victories (26).
Below find the list of teams by most scored goals in UEFA EURO finals tournament by tournament.
1960 – Yugoslavia 6
1964 – Spain, Russia, Hungary 4
1968 – Italy 3
1972 – West Germany 5
1976 – West Germany 6
1980 – West Germany 6
1984 – France 14
1988 – Netherlands 8
1992 – Germany 7
1996 – Germany 10
2000 – France, Netherlands 13
2004 – England, Czech Republic 10
2008 – Spain 12
2012 – Spain 12
2016 – France 13
Check out also:
UEFA EURO 2020: Stats, Facts & Numbers
UEFA EURO 2020 Stadiums & Host Cities