The Portuguese phenom who is set to play his sixth Euro leads the chart.
The UEFA Euro or the European Championship is a tournament organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It consists of the premier nations under UEFA and is a determinant of the best team in Europe.
It comes second after the FIFA World Cup in the list of the most-watched global football tournaments in the world. The tournament has been held every four years since 1960, but missed out on 2020 due to the widespread COVID-19 pandemic.
It was held in 2021 with the name UEFA Euro 2020. Italy were the champions of that tournament, as they beat England in the final on penalties. This year’s tournament will be the 17th edition of the European Championship.
Germany will serve as the host nation of this year’s edition, with the tournament to be held from June 14 to July 14. It will be the third time that Germany will host the Euros, but this is the first time that they will host the full tournament solo. 24 teams will play at the tournament, with the final set to be played in Berlin.
Historically, many great players have graced the tournament. In this article, let us take a look at the top 12 all-time UEFA European Championship (EURO) goalscorers.
12. Alvaro Morata (6 Goals)
Alvaro Morata has been an efficient striker for the Spanish national team. He has managed to score six goals at the UEFA Euro competition. Morata played at the UEFA European U-19 Championship for the first time in 2011. He scored seven goals for his side and helped them win the tournament.
He then received his debut call-up for the U-21 team at the 2013 UEFA European U-21 Championship. He has been an integral part of Spain’s attacking output.
11. Thierry Henry (6 Goals)
Thierry Henry managed to score six goals at the UEFA Euros. He received 123 caps for France and was an out-and-out performer for the French team. He earned his first call-up to the U-20 French squad after his strong showing with Monaco in June 1997.
The legendary Frenchman managed to score three goals during the UEFA Euro 2000 and helped them win the tournament by ending up as their leading scorer.
10. Zlatan Ibrahimović (6 Goals)
Zlatan Ibrahimović was a champion of the Swedish national team. He netted six goals during his time at UEFA Euro competitions. He could have plied his trade for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Sweden. However, he chose Sweden as his national team.
He debuted for the national senior team on January 31, 2000 in a friendly game against the Faroe Islands. Ibrahimović managed to score in a World Cup qualification match against Azerbaijan on October 7, 2001. He competed at the 2002 FIFA World Cup with the Swedish national team. Ibrahimović helped his team qualify for the Round of 16.
Also read: Ranking top five best strikers at Euro 2024
9. Patrick Kluivert (6 Goals)
Patrick Kluivert has managed to score six goals during his time in this competition. He earned his debut for the country in a European qualifying game against the Czech Republic on November 16, 1994. He scored a hat-trick in the Netherlands’ 6-1 win over Yugoslavia at the European Championship in 2020.
Kluivert also helped the Netherlands qualify for the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 2024 by donning the legendary No. 9 shirt.
8. Romelu Lukaku (6 Goals)
Romelu Lukaku has managed to score six goals in the history of the UEFA Euro. He went on to make his debut in a friendly game against Croatia on February 24, 2010. Lukaku is Belgium’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Bernard Voorhoof and Paul Van Himst.
Lukaku has been an integral part of Belgium’s goalscoring threat over the years. He will be part of the UEFA Euro 2024 yet again.
7. Nuno Gomes (6 Goals)
Nuno Gomes has scored six goals during his time. He’s represented Portugal at every level and has a spectacular goalscoring record. At the age of 19, Gomes played for the first time in a friendly match against France.
He was part of every game for Portugal at Euro 2004. Gomes managed to net the match-winning goal against Spain and helped his team qualify for the quarter-finals.
6. Wayne Rooney (6 Goals)
Wayne Rooney has scored six goals in the tournament’s history. Rooney was eligible to play for Ireland due to his Irish ancestry. However, he represented England and called himself a proper Englishman.
Rooney became the tournament’s youngest scorer on June 17, 2004. The player even scored a brace in the game as England beat Switzerland 3-0.
5. Ruud van Nistelrooy (6 Goals)
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward Ruud van Nistelrooy also managed to score six goals at the tournament. He has 70 caps for the Dutch national team and managed to net 35 goals.
On November 18, 1998, Van Nistelrooy played his first game for the senior national team in a friendly against Germany. He showed his attacking threat throughout his career.
4. Antoine Griezmann (7 Goals)
Antoine Griezmann has managed to score seven goals in the history of the competition. He has been a prolific performer for the French national team and will the main attacking threat for France, along with Kylian Mbappe at UEFA Euro 2024. He is a versatile player who drops deep and creates chances for the forwards.
Also read: Ranking top five best left-wingers at Euro 2024
3. Alan Shearer (7 Goals)
Alan Shearer managed to score seven goals during his time at UEFA Euro competitions. He debuted for England against France in February 1992. Shearer also scored a goal in his debut game.
Shearer managed to play a crucial role for England at UEFA Euro 1996, by scoring the first penalty in the shootout against Spain and in turn leading them to the semi-final against Germany. He had scored against Germany in the semi-final, but the Germans equalized and then won the game in a penalty shootout.
2. Michel Platini (9 Goals)
Michel Platini managed to score nine goals at the UEFA Euros. Platini played for the French military team. He also represented the French U-23s and the French Olympic team.
Platini played his part for the French football team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He led France to a championship win at the 1984 Euros. Platini ended up as their leading scorer at the tournament.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (14 Goals)
What can you say about Cristiano Ronaldo? The man is a machine and keeps on scoring. He has scored a mammoth 14 goals at the UEFA Euros and is set to score even more, as he will once again lead Portugal at UEFA Euro 2024. He is a timeless machine who keeps on performing at his beast level year-after-year.
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