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Records Cristiano Ronaldo could break at EURO 2020

June 7, 2021Jo Jo0 Comments

Filed UnderSoccer

The EURO records the Portugal forward holds, the marks he can further improve and the ones in his sights.

Cristiano Ronaldo has devoted much of his career to rewriting the European football history books. Approaching his fifth EURO finals (a record, of course), he has his sights on a few more milestones.

Here is a collection of the EURO records he can break, the ones he can extend and those he will have to wait a few more years for.

Records Ronaldo could break at EURO 2020

Most finals campaigns

Seventeen men have appeared in four EURO tournaments, beginning with Lothar Matthäus and Peter Schmeichel back in 2000. Ronaldo is among them and he will strike out alone if he features this summer. He is the last man standing of the 11 who notched up number four in 2016.

Players who have graced 4 tournaments

Final tournamentsPlayerTeamYears
4Cristiano RonaldoPortugal2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Lothar MatthäusWest Germany/Germany1980, 1984, 1988, 2000
4Peter SchmeichelDenmark1988, 1992, 1996, 2000
4Alessandro Del PieroItaly1996, 2000, 2004, 2008
4Edwin van der SarNetherlands1996, 2000, 2004, 2008
4Lilian ThuramFrance1996, 2000, 2004, 2008
4Olof MellbergSweden2000, 2004, 2008, 2012
4Gianluigi BuffonItaly2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Petr ČechCzech Republic2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Zlatan IbrahimovićSweden2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Andreas IsakssonSweden2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Kim KällströmSweden2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Jaroslav PlašilCzech Republic2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Lukas PodolskiGermany2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Tomáš RosickýCzech Republic2000, 2004, 2012, 2016
4Bastian SchweinsteigerGermany2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
4Darijo SrnaCroatia2004, 2008, 2012, 2016

Most finals goals

Ronaldo marked his EURO debut against Greece on 12 June 2004 with a goal – his first for Portugal! – and has since registered eight more across 21 finals appearances. A tally of nine means he heads into UEFA EURO 2020 level with France’s Michel Platini, whose goals all came at EURO ’84.

9 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
9 Michel Platini (France)
7 Alan Shearer (England)

Most appearances (including qualifying)

Ronaldo needs three more appearances to surpass Gianluigi Buffon’s all-time high of 58 appearances in EURO competition, qualifying and finals – the 36-year-old could end the tournament on 63 matches. His 56 to date have resulted in 36 wins, 12 draws and eight defeats.*

58 Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
56 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
51 Mario Frick (Liechtenstein)

Most goals in a single finals game

Only seven men have scored EURO hat-tricks and, perhaps surprisingly, Ronaldo is not in their number. The Juventus forward has a decent collection of international match balls, though, bagging nine hat-tricks for Portugal including, on two occasions, four in a game.

Oldest scorer in a final

Just one player aged over 30 has scored in a EURO final: Bernd Hölzenbein was 30 years and 103 days old when he headed West Germany’s late equaliser against Czechoslovakia in 1976 to prompt extra time and, ultimately, Antonín Panenka’s place in penalty posterity. Ronaldo will be aged 36 years and 156 days on 11 July, date of the EURO 2020 decider.

Multiple EURO-winning captains

If Portugal triumph at Wembley and Ronaldo keeps the armband then he will join Spain’s Iker Casillas (2008 and 2012) as the only man to have captained sides to two EURO successes.

EURO records Ronaldo holds

Most finals appearances: 21

Ronaldo is in a league of his own having missed a solitary match in his nation’s last four campaigns – he sat out the final group game against Switzerland in 2008, with Portugal already through. His nearest rival is former Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who made 18 appearances.

Most goals including qualifying: 40

If Ronaldo occupies a league of his own for the previous category then he’s on another planet for this one. His haul of 40 goals in EURO qualifying and finals is almost as many as the next two players combined: Zlatan Ibrahimović (25) and Robbie Keane (23).

Most EURO final tournaments scored in: 4

Ronaldo managed two goals at EURO 2004, one in 2008, three in 2012 and three more in 2016 to move ahead of seven players who had scored at three EUROs. He remains the only player to score three or more in multiple EUROs.

Scorers in 3+ EUROs

UEFA EURO 2024, anybody?

Ronaldo will be 39 when EURO 2024 comes around. Would you bet against him being in Germany for it? If he is, these records will be up for grabs:

Oldest EURO scorer

38 years 257 days Ivica Vastic (Austria, 2008)

Oldest outfield player to feature at EURO

39 years 91 days Lothar Matthäus (Germany, 2000)

Oldest player to feature in EURO final

38 years 232 days Jens Lehmann (Germany, 2008)

Oldest player to win EURO

37 years 23 days Arnold Mühren (Netherlands, 1988)

Ronaldo’s EURO finals match log

DateOppositionScoreWLDGoalsStage
12/06/2004Greece1–2L1Group
16/06/2004Russia2–0WGroup
20/06/2004Spain1–0WGroup
24/06/2004England2–2 (W on pens)WQuarter-finals
30/06/2004Netherlands2–1W1Semi-finals
04/07/2004Greece0–1LFinal
07/06/2008Turkey2–0WGroup
11/06/2008Czech Republic3–1W1Group
19/06/2008Germany2–3LQuarter-finals
09/06/2012Germany0–1LGroup
13/06/2012Denmark3–2WGroup
17/06/2012Netherlands2–1W2Group
21/06/2012Czech Republic1–0W1Quarter-finals
27/06/2012Spain0–0 (L on pens)LSemi-finals
14/06/2016Iceland1–1DGroup
18/06/2016Austria0–0DGroup
22/06/2016Hungary3–3D2Group
25/06/2016Croatia1–0WRound of 16
30/06/2016Poland1–1 (W on pens)WQuarter-finals
06/07/2016Wales2–0W1Semi-finals
10/07/2016France1–0WFinal
* Ties decided in extra time or on penalties are classed as either wins or defeats.

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