The top 10 goalscorers in European Championship history: Where does Cristiano Ronaldo rank?
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest goalscorers in football history, but where does he rank among the top-scoring players in the history of the European Championship?
Winning the Euros with Portugal still ranks as one of Ronaldo’s greatest-ever achievements as he lifted the famous trophy back in 2016.
We’ve taken a closer look at the 10 top scorers in European Championship history to see where Ronaldo currently ranks.
=5. Nuno Gomes – 6 goals
Ronaldo is the only Portuguese player that has bagged more goals at the Euros than Gomes has. The former Benfica forward played at three tournaments and scored six goals in that time.
=5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6 goals
Sweden’s all-time top scorer managed to bag six goals across 13 appearances at the Euros. The furthest Ibrahimovic ever made it in the tournament was to the quarter-finals in 2004 where his side lost to the Netherlands on penalties.
=5. Thierry Henry – 6 goals
Undoubtedly, one of the greatest forwards of the modern era, it’s no surprise that Henery makes this list. He won Euro 2000 with France and also scored goals at the 2004 and 2008 tournament.
“He’s an exemplary person in football,” former France manager Roger Lemerre told ESPN when discussing Henry.
“He has an exceptional list of honours, he’s equal to the very best.
“And when I say the best, I am of course thinking about Pele, I am thinking about Platini. I think he has been just as influential as the greatest champions.”
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=5. Alvaro Morata – 6 goals
Of all the world class players that Spain have produced in years gone by, none of them have scored more goals than Morata has at the Euros.
Often underrated in the modern game, Mortata’s goalscoring numbers for Spain aren’t to be sniffed at. He’s scored 34 goals for his country in total, with six of them coming at the Euros.
=5. Romelu Lukaku – 6 goals
Like Morata, Lukaku will also be looking to add to his tally this summer. The Belgian forward has appeared at the last two tournaments and has bagged six goals in that time.
The 31-year-old has been in superb form for Belgium of late, having scored 26 goals in his last 25 appearances for his country.
=5. Wayne Rooney – 6 goals
The bulk of Rooney’s goals came during Euro 2004 and had he not limped off with an injury against Portugal in the quarter-finals, who knows what could have happened.
“I just loved that tournament and obviously I never got back to those heights for England,” Rooney told The Overlap when discussing Euro 2004.
“I just loved that time and wanted to play every day, and every minute, but unfortunately it didn’t pan out like we wanted.”
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=5. Patrick Kluivert – 6 goals
Kluivert was at the peak of his powers during Euro 2000 as he bagged five goals and won the Golden Boot in the process. He also scored at Euro 96, taking his overall tally to six goals.
=5. Ruud van Nistelrooy – 6 goals
His fellow countryman also had a great scoring record at the Euros. Impressively, Van Nistelrooy managed to score six goals in just eight appearances for the Netherlands across two tournaments.
=3. Antoine Griezmann – 7 goals
Across the last four major international tournaments, Griezmann has arguably been the most consistent player across all of them.
While Kylian Mbappe grabs most of the headlines for France these days, it’s Griezmann who often keeps their attacks ticking over.
The Atletico Madrid forwards bring much more to the table than just goals, but his scoring figures aren’t to be sniffed at. With seven goals in 11 matches, he’s alongside some elite competition.
=3. Alan Shearer – 7 goals
The Golden Boot winner from Euro 96, Shearer has scored more goals than any other Englishman at the Euros with a total of seven goals to his name.
“It [changed my life] because you’re no longer just ‘Alan Shearer’. I was ‘Alan Shearer Golden Boot winner’, having played against some world-class players at Euro 96, like [Jurgen] Klinsmann,” Shearer told BBC Radio 5Live when discussing the Golden Boot.
“That’s the difference; for you as a person, and for you in terms of your confidence and belief to take with you for the rest of your life, for the rest of your career, is something huge.”
2. Michel Platini – 9 goals
All nine goals that Platini scored came during Euro 84 as the Frenchman played an instrumental role in winning the tournament for his country.
He averaged 1.8 goals per game at the tournament which is a far superior record to anyone else on this entire list. However, he’s still been pipped to the top spot.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 14 goals
Who else? The Portuguese goalscoring machine has bagged 14 goals across 25 appearances and he’s got the chance to add even more goals to his tally later this year.
He won the Golden Boot for his efforts in 2020 and we wouldn’t be surprised if he’s among the top scores once again. Even at the ripe old age of 39, he still knows how to find the back of the net.
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