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Top scorers in European Championship history


In the history of the European Championship, of the top 10 goal scorers, only two players are still active in international football: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Antoine Griezmann (France). Ahead of UEFA Euro 2020 betting, England’s Harry Kane is the favourite to win the Golden Boot. He’s yet to score in a European Championship, so has some way to go in making this list – but here are the top five goalscorers of all time.
  1. Michel Platini (9 goals)
The Frenchman was influential during the 1984 European Championship and his nine goals in a single competition is a record still unbroken to this day. He scored seven of those in the group stages, including hat-tricks over Belgium and Yugoslavia, as France flew through to the knockout stages. Platini scored a crucial goal in the semi-final against Portugal, netting in the dying stages of extra time to ensure the game wouldn’t go to penalties. He single-handedly won France their first major title, scoring the opening goal of the final against Spain. Put simply, he’s one of the greatest footballers of all-time.
  1. Cristiano Ronaldo (9 goals)
There’s no one better than Ronaldo, and he will look to surpass the current record of nine goals in European Championships this summer, for the defending champions. It’s a surprise that’s he’s only on nine goals, considering his longevity – featuring in four Euros tournaments. He made his debut at Euro 2004, scoring twice en route to the final, as Portugal lost to Greece in what is one of the tournament’s biggest shocks. More recently, he netted three times during Euro 2016, as Portugal beat France in the final. The star man has scored 34 goals for Juventus this campaign and will look to continue that form in the summer for his country. 
  1. Alan Shearer (7 goals)
England striker Shearer certainly knew where the goal was and he remains the Premier League’s top scorer with 260 goals. He was also no stranger to the Golden Boot accolade, winning the award three years running in the English top-flight, as well as winning the Euro ’96 Boot too. He scored five that year as England fell short to Germany in the semi-finals and added to his tally four years later, when the Three Lions couldn’t get out of the group stages. After calling time on his international career in the aftermath of Euro 2000, fans were hoping the Geordie would return for the following tournament but it wasn’t to be.
  1. Antoine Griezmann (6 goals)
With several players tied on six goals, we had to include the French forward, who like Ronaldo, could add to his tally in the summer. All six of Griezmann’s goals to date have come in one tournament, Euro 2016, when the hosts came runners-up to Portugal. He certainly saved his best for the knockout stages, notching a brace against the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16, before scoring another two in the semi-final versus Germany. While he didn’t score and wasn’t on the winning side in the final, Griezmann was named ‘Player of the Tournament’.
  1. Ruud van Nistelrooy (6 goals)

We could have included Sweden legend Zlatan Ibrahimović or the man who broke Irish hearts, Thierry Henry. We could have even included RVN’s compatriot Patrick Kluivert, but instead, the number five spot goes to a man who netted six goals in eight games during two European Championships. At his peak, van Nistelrooy was as deadly as they come in front of goal and averaged a goal every two games for the Netherlands – bettering that in the big tournaments. Scoring four of those six at Euro 2004, where his side reached the semi-finals, ultimately coming third, the Dutchman was named in the ‘Team of the Tournament’.

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