UEFA Euro 2024: Top scorers of every Euro Cup

UEFA Euro 2024 is starting from 15th June 2024. The hosts Germany will face Scotland in the first match. The competition this time comprises 24 teams. The UEFA EURO 2024 final tournament is scheduled to take place from 14 June to 14 July 2024. The group stage runs until 26 June, with the knockout stage beginning on 29 June. Here's a list of the Top Scores in every UEFA Euro Cup.

Read Also: Franz Beckenbauer to be honoured at UEFA EURO 2024 opening ceremony 

Winners:

1960 - Milan Galić (Yugoslavia) - 2 goals.

Known for his pace, Milan Galic was incredible as a left-foot striker. He had 51 international caps for Yugoslavia between 1959 -1965 scoring 37 goals.

Milan Galic scored the first goal in the first EURO final held in 1960 against USSR. He currently stands second in Yugoslavia's all-time scoring list. Just one goal behind Stjepan Bobek.

1964 - Jesus Maria Pereda (Spain) - 2 goals

Spain had a successful Euro 1964 campaign thanks to Jesús Maria Pereda who was instrumental in it. His talent for scoring goals played a significant role which saw them enter the finals of a major international tournament for the first time ever. He displayed evidence of scoring ability in crucial games throughout the competition thus scoring a goal during the semifinals vs. Hungary.

 He scored the opening goal in the finals against the USSR and it was his assist to Marcelino that led to Spain emerging victorious in the 1964 Finals. Pereda’s importance to Spanish football history was established through his consistent and effective goal-scoring contributions which significantly helped Spain make history by winning the European Championship title for the first time.

1968 - Dragan Džajić (Yugoslavia) - 2 goals

Being one of the most decorated footballers in Yugoslavia, Dragan Dzajic has a record of 85 international appearances which is considered still the highest for his country. It was Dzajic's goal in the semifinals against England that would carry his team to the finals.

It was Dzajic who again brought the lead for his team in the finals only to lose it in the late stages (1-1) and losing the replay of the finals by 2-0.

1972 - Gerd Muller (Germany) - 4 goals

Leading Germany to their first EURO win in 1972, Gerd Muller scored two goals in the final against the USSR. Before the finals, Gerd Muller had also scored six goals in the qualifying rounds and one goal in the quarterfinals. Notably, his crucial strikes came particularly during the semi-final match against Belgium when he sealed victory. Müller employed clinical finishing, as well as great positioning skills, in the penalty area.

This was one of the factors that ensured that the West German campaign was successful, which culminated in them winning the European Championship trophy. He played well during that time, hence cementing his place among the best goal scorers from then to the present time, and also making legends to be remembered in German football history. In the year 1972, Gerd Muller scored a total of 85 goals for his country and his club then, Bayern Munich. A record that was broken by Lionel Messi in the year 2012.

1976 -  Dieter Müller (Germany) - 4 goals

Dieter Muller had scored a hat-trick in his debut. The debut was the semifinals of EURO 1976 against Yugoslavia (4-2).  He displayed outstanding shooting skills during the championship. He had become a hero overnight as his most notable performance was in the semi-final match against Poland where he came in as a substitute scoring three quick goals in less than twenty minutes. His clinical finishing was on full display, turning the game on its head and guiding West Germany to a 4-0 victory.

 Müller's contributions were instrumental in propelling his team to the final, where they ultimately defeated the Netherlands to clinch the European Championship title. His memorable performance in the semi-final solidified his place as a hero of German football during Euro 1974. His finishing was top-class, and with his eye for goal, he completely transformed the game ensuring that West Germany won by four goals to nil.

1980 – Klaus Allofs (Germany)

In a group-stage match, Klaus Allofs scored all three of his goals against the Netherlands. Germany won (3-2) thanks to Allofs hattrick contribution. His hat trick performance was the only hat-trick scored by Germany internationally. Allofs went on to represent Germany in the Euro 1984 and 1986 Fifa World Cup. He retired as the 7th highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga. A record he shared with Euro 1976 Topscorer Dieter Muller.

1984 – Michael Platini (France) – 9 goals

Michael Platini scored a staggering 9 goals in 5 appearances in the Euro 1984. Still considered as one of the greatest French players alongside Zidane, Henry. Platini’s Euro 1984 performance hailed him with comparisons to Diego Maradona. Platini started his Euro 1984 campaign as the only goal scorer in France’s opening game against Denmark.

He then went on to score two back-to-back hattricks against Belgium (5-0) and Yugoslavia(3-2). Platini went to shine in the knockout stages as well with a last-minute screamer against Portugal (2-1) in the semifinals and an incredible free-kick goal against Spain in the finals of Euro 1984.

1988 – Marco Van Basten (Netherlands) – 5 goals

Considered as the Dutch master. Marco Van Basten scored 5 goals in Euro 1986. Considered as the one best Dutch player in the 1986 Euro’s, Van Basten scored a hat-trick against England in the Group 2 game. Van Basten scored a last-minute goal to put Netherlands through to their first-ever Euro finals.

In the finals, Van Basten scored an incredible volley against the Soviet Union leading them to Euro 1986 victory. Van Basten went on to bring incredible contributions to the Dutch in the 1990 World Cup, to AC Milan in 1989 and 1990, and to land Barcelona their first European Cup by scoring the winning goal in the final as well.

Read also: All-time Top Goalscorers of UEFA Euros

1992 – Henrik Larsen (Denmark), Karl-Heinz Riedle (Germany), Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands) – 3 goals 

The top goal scorers in Euro '92 jointly are Henrik Larsen, Karl-Heinz Riedle, and Dennis Bergkamp. They played a big role in their teams.

Henrik Larsen was a very important player for Denmark when they shocked Europe by winning the 1992 European Football Championship. During the championship, he scored important goals, one of which was witnessed in their first group match against France. His single goal was enough to give them a 2–1 triumph over the French in Group 1 games ensuring their surprising journey past this stage. This made him one of their key players because Larsen managed to score despite being put under pressure.

Karl-Heinz Riedle had a central role in Germany’s Euro 1992 campaign. His key company comprised of putting away some rather weighty goals indicating his prowess when in sight of a goal. In the final match against Czechoslovakia, Riedle’s goal-poaching gifts were instrumental as they helped his country cross the line. This steady behavior together with his art of scoring at the right moments made him the leading goal-getter for Germany in all ages. 

Dennis Bergkamp, who played for the Netherlands, had a more laid-back performance in Euro 1992. Even without scoring goals directly, Bergkamp illustrated his genius during the tournament. He was heavily involved in the front three build-up for the country, as he would always start attacks or create scoring chances for his teammates. Bergkamp’s level of technical skills and vision made him vital for the Netherlands, even though they failed to make it out of the group stage.

1996 - Alan Shearer (England) – 5 goals

Alan Shearer came out as the Euro 1996 Top scorer after a 21-month international goal drought. He scored 5 goals against Switzerland, Scotland, the Netherlands (twice) and Germany. He even contributed to penalty goals against Spain and Germany.

But England lost to Germany in the semi-finals ending Shearer’s goalscoring campaign. He went on to play in the 1998 Fifa World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. Shearer went into the Euro 86 campaign as the 1994-95 English Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers.

2000 - Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Savo Milošević (Yugoslavia) – 5 goals

Patrick Kluivert’s performance in Euro 2000 made the Netherlands' favourites to win the trophy. Kluivert opened his scoring against Denmark(3-0) and France(3-2) in the group stages. His hattrick against Yugoslavia propelled Netherlands to the semifinals of Euro’ 2000. Italy defeated the Netherlands in the semi-finals ending their dream campaign. Kluivert achieved success with Ajax winning the Uefa Champions League in 1995 and went on to become Barcelona’s leading scorer winning La Liga in 1997-98 and 1998-99.

Savo Milosevic’s performance at UEFA Euro 2000 made him the joint top-scorer in the UEFA Euro 2000. Milosevic scored goals in the crucial moments of group-stage matches. His contributions helped a raging comeback against Slovenia, securing qualification to the quarter-final by scoring against Norway. But Milosevic’s brilliance was not enough to counter Yugoslavia’s collective team shortcomings. Milosevic found the net even in Yugoslavia’s crushing quarter-final defeat to the Netherlands. Kluivert went on to earn 102 caps for Serbia and went on to score 220 goals in 600 appearances.

2004 - Milan Baroš (Czech Republic) – 5 goals

Milan Baros’s outstanding performance for the Czech Republic earned him the accolade of the tournament’s top scorer with five goals in only four games. Baros's ability to bring goals for his team at critical moments played a pivotal role in the Czech Republic’s journey to the semi-finals. An opening goal against Latvia, A goal, and an assist to overcome a two-goal deficit against Netherlands to win 3-2.

He led his team to the semifinals by scoring two goals against Denmark (3-0). The Czech Republic lost to Greece(0-1) in the semifinals ending their impressive unbeaten run. He played 93 matches scoring on 41 of them. A record making him the second-highest scorer for the Czech Republic behind only Jan Koller.

2008 - David Villa (Spain) – 4 goals

Scoring four goals in four performances established David Villa as the poster boy of Spain's triumphant run at UEFA EURO 2008. He earned the tournament’s Golden Boot despite staying out in the semifinals and finals due to an injury. Villa scored an incredible hat-trick in the opening game against Russia to win 4-1.

A last-minute winner against Sweden showcased his clutch scoring ability and sharp finishing propelling Spain into the Semi-finals. Villa went on to earn the silver boot in the 2010 World Cup. He was the first Spanish player to reach 50 international goals. He retired with 59 goals in 98 international appearances.

2012 - Fernando Torres (Spain) – 3 goals

Being the goalscorer in the finals of Euro 2008. Fernando Torres continued his incredible run in the Euro 2012 scoring three goals and one assist. Torres made his first impact scoring twice against the Republic of Ireland and securing a 4-0 win and qualification to the next round. His efficiency in the finals against Italy earned him the Golden Boot and Spain the Euros.

Torres scored all of his goals coming from the bench and his performance helped Spain win the championship twice in a row. Torres has also been the winner of the FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa League. He holds the record of being the fastest player in Liverpool history to score 50 goals. Torres is still the third-highest goalscorer of all time for Spain.

Read Also: Euro 2024: Every squad of the UEFA Euro 2024

2016 - Antoine Griezmann (France) – 6 goals

Antoine Griezmann’s tally of six goals and two assists in the UEFA Euro 2008 made him the third-highest goalscorer for the Euros currently. Griezmann started his campaign with a last-minute shot on target helping France to register a 2-0 win against Albania. Griezmann helped Spain recover from the halftime deficit by scoring twice against the Republic of Ireland.

Griezmann scored a goal and assisted Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet in a 5-2 quarter-final win. Griezmann scored two goals against Germany(2-0) leading France to their third EURO final. Following a 1-0 defeat in the finals, Griezmann went on to become the man of the match in the Final of the 2018 World Cup redeeming himself. Earning over 120 caps and scoring 44 goals made him the fourth-highest goalscorer for France.

2020 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 5 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo currently holds the record as the highest goalscorer in Euros. 5 of the total 10 goals came from his 2020 appearance in the UEFA Euro. Ronaldo started his campaign with a goal against Hungary leading to a 3-0 victory. Despite Ronaldo’s contribution in the second game Portugal suffered a shocking 4-2 defeat.

In the final group game against France Ronaldo helped Portugal qualify for the knockouts by scoring a goal in a 2-2 draw. Portugal couldn’t retain the championship after suffering a 1-0 loss against Belgium in the last 16 of the UEFA Euro 2020. Ronaldo is gearing up to represent Portugal in UEFA Euro 2024. Being one of the most successful players in the football history.