Which international hot-shot has found the net more than anyone else in European Championship tournaments?
The European Championship has been part of the staple diet of continental football fans since 1960.
Careers have been made, legacies born, superstars created throughout the 16-edition history of the tournament.
The 17th edition lands in Germany this summer, a fresh opportunity for the next batch of undiscovered icons to stamp their name into European households.
Read more: Best football players in the world | Best football players of all time
The nature of free-to-air TV – and the widespread audience it draws in – magnifies the achievements of those who star in major international tournaments, converting good, solid football players into remembered players.
These top goalscorers have booked permanent residence in the heads of millions due to their exploits at particular Euro tournaments – but which superstar boasts the record?
RadioTimes.com brings you the round-up of the most successful goalscorers in European Championship history.
Who has scored the most goals in a single European Championship tournament?
=3. Marco van Basten (Netherlands, Euro 1988 – 5 goals)
Marco van Basten announced himself on the international stage as he helped the Netherlands win the 1988 Euros.
He missed the opener but soon made up for it – grabbing a hat-trick against England, bagging the winner in the semi-final against West Germany, and then scoring one of the great tournament goals with his decisive volley in the final against the USSR.
=3. Alan Shearer (England, Euro 1996 – 5 goals)
Euro 1996 would end in heartbreak for hosts England, who went out against Germany on penalties in the semi-final, but Alan Shearer was one of the stars of the tournament.
The forward scored 22 minutes into their opener against Switzerland and never looked back, finding the net against Scotland and then bagging a brace against the Netherlands before giving the Three Lions an early lead against the Germans, which was eventually cancelled out.
Shearer’s exploits caught the eye of Man Utd and Real Madrid that summer, but he would sign for hometown club Newcastle United instead.
=3. Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands, Euro 2000 – 5 goals)
Patrick Kluivert’s five goals in five games were instrumental in helping the Netherlands reach the semi-finals, where they went out on penalties against Italy, as joint hosts of Euro 2000 – but he was forced to share the golden boot.
He bagged the opener against Denmark and France to help the Dutch top the group before scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 destruction of Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals.
=3. Savo Milošević (Yugoslavia, Euro 2000 – 5 goals)
Sharing the golden boot with Kluivert at Euro 2000 was Yugoslavia’s Savo Milošević. The forward made more than 100 appearances on the international stage in total and scored 37 times, but the tournament on the millennium was surely his finest moment.
Milošević scored twice in a 3-3 draw against Slovenia in the opener, grabbed the winner against Norway, and found the net in a 3-4 defeat, which was enough to ensure qualification to the knockout stages. He then scored a consolation goal in the 6-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
=3. Milan Baroš (Czech Republic, Euro 2004 – 5 goals)
Czech Republic reached the semi-finals of Euro 2004, losing to eventual winners Greece in stoppage time, as rising star Milan Baroš caught the eye.
He became their youngest Euros goalscorer when he found the net to help them to a 2-1 comeback victory in their first game against Latvia, before bagging to help them beat both the Netherlands and Germany to top the group. Baroš wasn’t done, either, as he scored a brace in the 3-0 quarter-final win against Denmark to finish as the tournament golden boot winner.
=3. Patrik Schick (Czech Republic, Euro 2020 – 5 goals)
Patrik Schick’s five goals at Euro 2020 were not enough to win the golden boot, but they do earn him a place on this list.
The towering frontman helped Czech Republic shock the Netherlands on their way to a semi-final exit at the hands of Denmark. He scored against the Dutch and the Danes, as well as against Croatia in a 1-1 draw, but it’s the second of his brace in a 2-0 win against Scotland that is best remembered – as he found the net from 45 yards out.
=3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Team, Euro 2020 – 5 goals)
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more Euros goals (14) than any other player, and will hope to add to that tally this summer.
He found the net five times at the last tournament, and edged out Schick for the golden boot as he also provided an assist.
2. Antoine Griezmann (France, Euro 2016 – 6 goals)
Tournament hosts France reached the Final of Euro 2016, narrowly losing to Portugal to see their dreams of a third title crushed, and Antoine Griezmann’s dazzling displays were a key part of that run.
The graceful attacker scored six times in total, including braces in the round of 16 and semi-final, and provided three assists – deservedly winning the player of the tournament award.
1. Michel Platini (France, Euro 1984 – 9 goals)
It’s hard to argue against Michel Platini’s performance at Euro 1984 being the greatest in the competition’s history.
The attacking midfielder captained France to their first European Championship triumph on home soil and bagged nine of their 14 goals.
That included a perfect hat-trick against Belgium in the group stages, a stoppage-time winner in the semi-final against Portugal, and the opener in the final against Spain.
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