FourFourTwo magazine voted the 10 best names in the history of EURO finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) is the only player still playing in the list of the 10 greatest names in EURO.
In the list of FourFourTwo magazine, the Spanish team has 4 names appearing in the top 10.
10. Peter Schmeicel (Denmark)
Denmark entered EURO 92 as a stand-in for Yugoslavia due to political conflict, and the rest is history. Coach Richard Möller Nielsen’s team swept every opponent on the way to the final, before defeating Germany 2-0 to win the championship. Besides hero Henrik Larsen in attack, the remaining mark must definitely belong to goalkeeper Peter Schmeicel.
The former Man Utd player made countless important saves, blocking a penalty from Marco Van Basten in the semi-finals to help the team participate in the final match. In the final, Peter Schmeicel excellently kept a clean sheet in front of a series of good German players such as Stefan Effenberg and Jurgen Klinsmann.
Peter Schmeichel helped the Danish “dark horse” win EURO 1992.
9. Gerd Muller (West Germany)
Gerd Muller was the key for West Germany in the EURO 1972 qualifiers. When he officially appeared in the tournament, the “bomber king” scored 4 goals in just 2 matches to help the team win the championship.
Two years later, Muller continued to score in the final between West Germany and the Netherlands, thereby winning the 1974 World Cup final.
Up to now, Gerd Muller is still the only player to have scored in both the World Cup final and the EURO final.
8. Fernando Torres (Spain)
Fernando Torres’s goal against Germany in the EURO 2008 final ended the decade-long drought of the Spanish national team. Despite losing his starting position to David Villa at EURO 2012, Torres still became co-owner of the top scorer title with 3 goals, including 1 goal in the final against Italy.
With 2 championships and 2 goals in 2 consecutive finals, Torres ranked 8th on the list of the greatest players in EURO.
7. Marco Van Basten (Netherlands)
Striker Marco Van Basten rose to fame thanks to his success at Ajax and AC Milan in the late 80s and early 1990s. Despite all the glory at club level, fans will probably always only remember one thing. Van Basten’s moment in orange shirt.
The stunning volley in the EURO 1988 final against the Soviet Union is known as the most beautiful goal in European Cup history. This goal by Van Basten also helped the Netherlands win the first major title in the team’s history. As an individual striker born in 1964, he became the owner of the top scorer title that year with 5 goals.
6. Michel Platini (France)
Michel Platini was one of the best players in the world in the 1980s. The French midfielder also helped Les Bleus win the first major title in the team’s history by winning the EURO 1984 championship.
In that year’s tournament, Platini scored 9 out of the team’s 14 goals, including a hat trick against Belgium and the opening goal in the final against Spain. Platini became the top scorer of the tournament and of course, was voted the best player of the tournament.
5. Iker Casillas (Spain)
Iker Casillas was the captain during the golden era of Spanish football (2008-2012). The former Real Madrid goalkeeper held an inviolable position in La Roja’s wooden frame, throughout the period when the team won the 2010 World Cup and won two consecutive EURO championships (2008 and 2012).
Casillas kept clean sheets in both European Cup finals he attended. At EURO 2012, Casillas also kept clean sheets in 5 out of 7 main matches. At EURO 2008, Casillas also contributed greatly to helping Spain overcome Italy in the quarterfinals by successfully saving penalties twice.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for the team in 2003, before helping Portugal advance to the EURO 2004 final at home (losing to Greece in the final). 12 years later, Ronaldo lifted the EURO 2016 championship trophy, after defeating host France in the match in Paris.
With 5 EURO appearances (not including EURO 2024), Ronaldo is the player with the most appearances (25 matches) and the most goals (14 goals) in the tournament’s history. Striker Al Nassr is also the top scorer at EURO 2020.
If he wins the upcoming tournament in Germany, Cristiano will be the greatest player in EURO history.
3. Zinedine Zidane (France)
Zinedine Zidane was the most important factor in the French team that won World Cup 98. Two years later, Zidane continued to shine to bring home the EURO 2000 championship. The former Real Madrid midfielder played a total of 4 EURO tournaments, but Perhaps the tournaments in Belgium and the Netherlands are where Zidane’s best memories are kept at this tournament.
The famous French player scored 2 goals in that year’s tournament, helping France all the way to the final and winning the championship after defeating Italy. Les Bleus that day also became the first team since West Germany in 1974 to hold both the World Cup and EURO crowns at the same time.
2. Andres Iniesta (Spain)
If Xavi is the best player at EURO 2008, his colleague at both team and club level – Andres Iniesta – is the best player at EURO 2012.
Just 2 years after scoring the decisive goal to help Spain win the World Cup, Iniesta continued to shine brightly at EURO with 2 assists. Throughout the tournament, Iniesta only did not play for 22 minutes after 6 matches, played a full 120 minutes in the victory over Portugal in the semi-finals, and 86 minutes in the 4-0 victory over Italy in the final.
1. Xavi (Spain)
Xavi is the soul of Spain’s playing style, during the team’s golden era from 2008 to 2012. 2012.
Spain is the only team in history to have successfully defended the EURO championship (2008 and 2012). Xavi also became the first player to assist in two consecutive EURO finals. The talented Spanish midfielder was voted by FourFourTwo as the best player in the tournament’s history.
