Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player in EURO history with a championship in 2016 and a set of records that will be maintained in many subsequent EUROs.
Scored the most goals at EURO finals: Ronaldo made his EURO debut against Greece on June 12, 2004 with a goal. Since then, he has scored 13 more goals in EURO finals to break the record held by French legend Michel Platini (9 goals). In the top 10 players with the most goals in EURO finals, no player is still playing.
Attended the most EURO finals: Ronaldo has attended 5 EURO finals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020), an achievement no other player in history has reached. Pepe and Luka Modric are players who are still playing but have only attended 4 EURO finals. It is difficult for these two veterans to surpass the record of the Portuguese superstar.
Most matches played: Ronaldo played 25 matches at EURO finals and missed only one match in the 5 EUROs he attended, which was the final match of the group stage between Portugal and Switzerland in 2008, when “Seleccao” has secured a place in the next round. Behind Ronaldo are two compatriots Joao Moutinho and Pepe with the same 19 matches.
Scored in 3 different EURO periods: To date, Ronaldo is still the only player in history to score in 3 or more EURO periods. CR7 scored 2 goals at EURO 2004, 1 goal in 2008, 3 goals in 2012 and 2016 and 5 goals in 2020.
Most appearances, including qualifying rounds: Ronaldo surpassed Gianluigi Buffon to become the player with the most appearances in EURO, including qualifying rounds (64 matches compared to 58 matches). The player with the closest record to Ronaldo is Luka Modric with 53 appearances.
Most goals scored, including qualifying rounds: Ronaldo has scored 50 goals, including qualifying campaigns, more achievements than the next two people combined, which are Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden – 25 goals) and Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland – 23 goals).
With his current form, Ronaldo is sure to attend EURO 2024. Thereby, he faces the opportunity to become the oldest player to score at the European Championship. The current record is held by Ivica Vastic (Austria – 38 years and 257 days). Currently, Ronaldo is 39 years old.
