Having started back in 1960, the UEFA European Championship has been graced by some of the continent’s best footballers over the decades as is evident by the Euro Cup top scorer list. While Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the most goals in tournament history so far, the list also features many legends of the game who have defined an era of football.
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Below is the top 20 list of top scorers at the European Championships who have scored at least five goals to sit in the all-time greats club.
Euro Cup top scorer list: All-time
| Rank | Player | Team | Matches played | Goals scored | Tournament(s) |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 25 | 14 | 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 |
| 2 | Michel Platini | France | 5 | 9 | 1984 |
| 3 | Alan Shearer | England | 9 | 7 | 1992, 1996, 2000 |
| 4 | Antoine Griezmann | France | 11 | 7 | 2016, 2020 |
| 5 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Netherlands | 8 | 6 | 2004, 2008 |
| 6 | Patrick Kluivert | Netherlands | 9 | 6 | 1996, 2000, 2004 |
| 7 | Wayne Rooney | England | 10 | 6 | 2004, 2012, 2016 |
| 8 | Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 10 | 6 | 2016, 2020 |
| 9 | Álvaro Morata | Spain | 10 | 6 | 2016, 2020 |
| 10 | Thierry Henry | France | 11 | 6 | 2000, 2004, 2008 |
| 11 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | 13 | 6 | 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 |
| 12 | Nuno Gomes | Portugal | 14 | 6 | 2000, 2004, 2008 |
| 13 | Savo Milošević | FR Yugoslavia | 4 | 5 | 2000 |
| 14 | Patrik Schick | Czech Republic | 5 | 5 | 2020 |
| 15 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | 9 | 5 | 1988, 1992 |
| 16 | Milan Baroš | Czech Republic | 11 | 5 | 2004, 2008, 2012 |
| 17 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | 11 | 5 | 2012, 2016, 2020 |
| 18 | Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany | 13 | 5 | 1988,1992, 1996 |
| 19 | Fernando Torres | Spain | 13 | 5 | 2004, 2008, 2012 |
| 20 | Mario Gómez | Germany | 13 | 5 | 2008, 2012, 2016 |
| 21 | Zinedine Zidane | France | 14 | 5 | 1996, 2000, 2004 |
Cristiano Ronaldo | 14 goals in Euro Cup
The player with the most goals in football, Cristiano Ronaldo’s name on this list is no surprise given his prolific goalscoring abilities as well as his longevity in the game. No other player on the list has played five editions of the tournament, which makes him the longest-serving player of the tournament. Ronaldo has 14 goals in 25 Euro games. The player to come close to the record is Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has played in four editions.
Alan Shearer | 7 Euro Cup goals
The prolific English Premier League goal-scorer, Alan Shearer had played in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 European Championships managing to get seven goals for the English national team. His best outing at the tournament, however, came in the 1996 edition where Shearer ended with the Golden Boot scoring five goals.
Antoine Griezmann | 7 Euro Cup goals in 11 matches
One of the current players who can likely close down on Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal tally in the European Championships is France’s Antoine Griezmann. The silky forward, who can play wide as well as through middle, is countd amongst France’s golden generation of footballers and has already amassed seven goals in 11 matches across two editions. At 31, Griezmann might have one good UEFA Euro Cup season left in him.
Euro Cup top scorers list: By edition
| Year | Player(s) | Goals scored |
| 1960 | Milan Galić, François Heutte, Valentin Ivanov, Dražan Jerković, Viktor Ponedelnik | 2 |
| 1964 | Dezső Novák, Ferenc Bene, Chus Pereda | 2 |
| 1968 | Dragan Džajić | 2 |
| 1972 | Gerd Müller | 4 |
| 1976 | Dieter Müller | 4 |
| 1980 | Klaus Allofs | 3 |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | 9 |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | 5 |
| 1992 | Dennis Bergkamp, Tomas Brolin, Henrik Larsen, Karl-Heinz Riedle | 3 |
| 1996 | Alan Shearer | 5 |
| 2000 | Savo Milošević, Patrick Kluivert | 5 |
| 2004 | Milan Baroš | 5 |
| 2008 | David Villa | 4 |
| 2012 | Alan Dzagoev, Mario Mandžukić, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Gómez, Fernando Torres, Mario Balotelli | 3 |
| 2016 | Antoine Griezmann | 6 |
| 2020 | Cristiano Ronaldo, Patrik Schick | 5 |
The first-ever European Championships in 1960 had as many as five joint top scorers in Milan Galić, François Heutte, Valentin Ivanov, Dražan Jerković and Viktor Ponedelnik all of whom scored two goals each. The goal tally of the Euro Cup top scorer remained two for the next two editions as well before Germany’s Gerd Muller scored four in 1972 to create a record.
However, it was France football legend Michel Platini who has the record for most goals in a single Euros edition, when he scored as many as nine goals in the 1984 Euro Cup. The second European Championship edition to have five or more different top scorers was in 2012 when Alan Dzagoev, Mario Mandžukić, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Gómez, Fernando Torres and Mario Balotelli scored three goals each.
The second-highest scorer in a single Euro Cup edition is Antoine Griezmann, who scored six goals in the 2016 Euros. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has become the Euro Cup top scorer in two different editions.
Euro Cup top scorer list: By Nation
| Rank | Countries | Goals | Euro Cup Editions Played |
| 1 | Germany | 78 | 13 |
| 2 | France | 69 | 10 |
| 3 | Spain | 68 | 11 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 65 | 10 |
| 5 | Portugal | 56 | 8 |
| 6 | Italy | 51 | 10 |
| 7 | England | 50 | 10 |
| 8 | Czech Republic | 48 | 10 |
| 9 | Denmark | 42 | 9 |
| 10 | Belgium | 31 | 6 |
The most successful team in the European Championships, three-time Euro winners Germany are the Euro Cup top scorer with 78 goals across 13 editions. No other footballing nation in Europe has qualified for 13 different editions of the tournament over the years.
The second-highest scorer in the tournament as a team is France, who have 69 goals in 10 different editions. Spain, who have have played in 11 Euro Cup finals, have 68 goals as a team, while Portugal have tallied 56 goals in just eight editions of the tournament.
FAQs
Who were the Euro Cup top-scorers in 2020 21?
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Czech Republic’s Patrik Schick ended up as the Euro Cup top scorers for the 2020-21 edition scoring five goals each.
Who were the England Euro goal scorers in 2021?
Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling were England’s top goal scorers at the Euros in 2021 with four and three goals, respectively. England had reached the final before losing to Italy in the penalty shoot-out.
Who was the Euro 2020 top scorer?
The Euro 2020 top scorer was Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrick Schick, both of whom had scored five goals each. However, Ronaldo ended up winning the Goden Boot for his sole assist alongwith the five goals.
