History is on Cristiano Ronaldo’s doorstep once more as five records lie within his grasp for Euro 2020.
“I don’t chase records, records chase me,” Cristiano Ronaldo said last month.
The Juventus star has achieved so much that breaking records is almost like second nature. He insists they come to him, and not the other way round. And this summer’s European Championship should be no different either, with the following five records in his sights.
Most appearances in the finals
Ronaldo is currently one of 17 players to have appeared in four Euro tournaments (2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016). But the star will take the record outright this summer by making his fifth appearance.
Below are the list of players to have played in four Euro tournaments.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Lothar Matthäus (West Germany/Germany – 1980, 1984, 1988, 2000)
- Peter Schmeichel (Denmark – 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000)
- Alessandro Del Piero (Italy – 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008)
- Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands – 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008)
- Lilian Thuram (France – 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008)
- Olof Mellberg (Sweden – 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012)
- Gianluigi Buffon (Italy – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Petr Čech (Czech Republic – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Andreas Isaksson (Sweden – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Kim Källström (Sweden – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Jaroslav Plašil (Czech Republic – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Lukas Podolski (Germany – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Tomáš Rosický (Czech Republic – 2000, 2004, 2012, 2016)
- Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
- Darijo Srna (Croatia – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Top European Championship scorer
Just one goal is all Ronaldo needs to surpass Juventus and France icon Michel Platini as the all-time top goalscorer of the European Championship. The pair are tied on nine goals apiece and CR7 will no doubt relish this one.
| Pos | Player | National Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) | Michel Platini | France | 9 |
| 2) | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 9 |
| 3) | Alan Shearer | England | 7 |
Check out the full top 10 list of scorers in European Championship history here.
Most appearances including qualifying games
Ronaldo is just two games behind Juventus teammate Gianluigi Buffon in the all-time list. The former Italy goalkeeper has made 58 appearances in the European Championship, including qualifying games.
But Ronaldo only has two appearances fewer than Buffon on 56 matches. The Portugal skipper, therefore, needs to play at least three times this summer to take the record.
- Gianluigi Buffon (Italy – 58 games)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal – 56 games)
- Mario Frick (Liechtenstein – 51 games)
Back-to-back European titles as captain
If Portugal retain their crown, Ronaldo will join former Real Madrid teammate Iker Casillas as the only captain to lead his team to back-to-back European titles.
Casillas was the first player to do upon helping Spain win Euro 2008 and 2012.
The oldest scorer in a European final
Age has never stopped Ronaldo before and he surely would love to prove it again in the final. If the 36-year-old scores a goal, he’ll have broken yet another record as the oldest player to score in a European Championship final.
Bernd Holzenbein is the current record holder. The former forward scored for West Germany in the Euro 1976 final aged 30 years and 103 days old.
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