by European Championship football players include some of the best players in history. The competition’s all-star top scorers list is shown here.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Since the competition’s founding in 1960, there have been sixteen European Championships.
- In the history of the Euros, just one player has ever scored nine goals or more.
- Even though Germany has scored the most goals in the competition’s history, no player has scored more than five goals on the continental level.
The biggest football award, the World Cup, has greater worldwide renown than the European Championship. However, due to the smaller number of competitors, especially prior to the tournament’s expansion to a 24-team format, the Euros are extremely competitive.
It was twenty years after the competition began before the Euros invited more than four teams to the championship round. Because of the simplified setup and four-year interval between editions, very few players were able to accumulate a sizable goal total. Since UEFA first introduced the competition in 1960, just one player has accumulated double digits for total strikes.
A single productive summer will rarely be sufficient to rank among the all-time top scorers in this world of narrow margins and few goals. These players have scored the most goals in Euros history, largely maintaining a productive edge over multiple tournaments.
12. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a 39-year-old striker, praised his return to the Swedish national team for Euro 2020, describing it as “the return of God.” However, his humility was misplaced, as few players could have pulled off the flying backheel. Ibrahimovic became frustrated with his international colleagues’ performance.
11.Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry, a former France World Cup winner, made his European Championship debut at Arsenal, scoring three times in front of Zinedine Zidane. He was recalled to the under-21 squad for 1999, a period he described as “like a Hollywood script.”.
10.Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku, a talented club player, made his professional debut 11 days after turning 16, scoring 11 goals in six years. However, he struggled to lead his team to the European Championships between 2016 and 2020, scoring 53 goals in 56 caps.
9.Nuno Gomes
Nuno Gomes is the only player in European Championship history to score and receive a red card in the same game. In the 2000 Euro 2000 semi-finals, Gomes scored a penalty but was sent off for a controversial incident. His scoring career resumed in 2004 and 2008.
8.Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney, despite being a natural goalscorer, became the most prolific player in Manchester United’s history and England’s national team’s history, scoring consecutive group-stage braces at Euro 2004. However, his golden summer was halted by injury, and he only managed two more goals.
7.Nistelrooy
Manchester United canceled a deal to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy before Euro 2000 due to a knee injury. He missed the tournament. He scored four goals at Euro 2004 to help the Netherlands reach the semi-finals after joining United. He relied on close-range finishes.
6.Alvaro Morata
Alvaro Morata, the most prolific Spanish player in European Championship history, faced public backlash during the group stage of Euro 2020, with fans verbally abused and even his wife and children wearing family-name shirts. Despite missing a penalty, Morata defended his performance, knocking out Croatia in the round of 16 and equalizing against Italy in the semi-finals.
5.Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Kluivert, the only Dutch national team player to score more goals than three, made history by not converting any of his 40 penalty shots. Despite missing two penalties at the international level, Kluivert scored his first goal in the Euro 2000 semi-final against Italy, securing the game’s Golden Boot award and advancing Italy to the final against France.
4.Antoine Griezmann
Didier Deschamps highly rates Antoine Griezmann, a World Cup-winning French manager who played in 84 internationals between 2017 and 2024. Deschamps hailed Griezmann as one of the greatest players of all time, and his value extends beyond his goal record, as he demonstrated creativity and a selfless defensive work ethic at Euro 2020.
3.Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer scored his first goal for England in Euro 1996, amidst a two-year absence. Despite previous struggles, Shearer’s performance was praised by manager Terry Venables, who deemed him the top scorer and England captain.
2.Michel Platini
Michel Platini’s dominance at Euro 1984 was unparalleled, with his five-match hat-tricks and two perfect hat-tricks in four days. Platini’s performance was watched by Zinedine Zidane, who witnessed his 119th-minute winner against Portugal and the opening goal of the final against Spain.
1.Cristiano Ronaldo
Lothar Matthaus played for Germany in the European Championships, a match that Cristiano Ronaldo missed. Ronaldo, a legendary player, has been a key player in the competition since helping Portugal reach the final in 2004. In 2016, Ronaldo missed his second appearance in a Euro 2016 final due to a sprained knee. Despite this, he returned with encouragement and a goal from Eder, his first and only goal at the Euros, to win the tournament. Matthaus’s appearance was a significant moment for Ronaldo.
