European Championship all-time top scorers

Ronaldo's goal fest at Euro 2020 has taken him top of the tree
Ronaldo's goal fest at Euro 2020 has taken him top of the tree / Alex Pantling/Getty Images
facebooktwitterreddit

Goals. We love watching them, and luckily, footballers love scoring them - particularly at the Euros.

And there is nothing better than witnessing a screamer fly into the net in a major international tournament, hosting some of the continent's most powerful and entertaining nations.

Happy France GIF by FIFA - Find & Share on GIPHY

Over the years, the European Championships have provided us with some of the sport's most prolific goalscorers in football history, doing what they do best for the country they love.

But who are the top 20 goalscorers in the competition's illustrious history, you ask? Look no further than the following.

*Editors note - players level on goals scored have been ranked based on their goals to game ratio.


20. Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp
The magician / Gary M. Prior/Getty Images

Country: Netherlands
Goals: 4

The Netherlands have produced some great forwards (as this list suggests) and Dennis Bergkamp is one of the best.

Four goals in the prestigious tournament for the graceful Dutchman.


19. Zinedine Zidane

A Genius
A Genius / AFP/Getty Images

Country: France
Goals: 5

A winner of the European Championships with France in 2000, Zinedine Zidane racked up five goals over his long international career in this competition.

Two of those came in the space of a couple of heart-breaking minutes against England in 2004.


18. Mario Gomez

Mario Gomez
Big celebrations / Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Country: Germany
Goals: 5

Mario Gomez was a big fan of goals, and he got plenty of them for Germany.

He grabbed five in our European competition, making him one of the biggest hitters for his nation.


17. Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres
The boy / Martin Rose/Getty Images

Country: Spain
Goals: 5

Ah, the blonde, bouncing locks. How we miss them in our lives.

Fernando Torres - a two-time European champion with Spain, a golden boot winner, and most importantly, a beautiful man.


16. Jurgen Klinsmann

Jurgen Klinsmann
Klinsmann and the Queen / Getty Images/Getty Images

Country: Germany
Goals: 5

Jurgen Klinsmann scored goals, won trophies and did funny celebrations.

Here he is even giving the Queen a giggle.


15. Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski
If only Lewandowski's Poland teammates were as good as him / Dmitry Lovetsky - Pool/Getty Images

Country: Poland
Goals: 5

Robert Lewandowski, widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, doesn't score at major international tournaments.

That's the narrative that has followed the Pole around for much of his legendary career, largely through no fault of his own. At the Euros at least, he's proved the doubters wrong - even though his goals have largely been in vein.

14. Milan Baros

Czech forward Milan Baros celebrates wit
A Premier League hero / ODD ANDERSEN/Getty Images

Country: Czech Republic
Goals: 5

If you remember Milan Baros tearing up the Premier League for Liverpool, you've lived through an elite era of football.

He was also pretty prolific for Czech Republic, and scored five at the Euros.


13. Marco van Basten

Country: Netherlands
Goals: 5

The natural line of progression: Jurgen Klinsmann, Milan Baros, Marco van Basten.

The Dutchman was a genius, and scored possibly the competition's most iconic goal ever in the final, winning the tournament for his nation. Say no more.


12. Savo Milosevic

Savo Milosevic
A goal-getter / Phil Cole/Getty Images

Country: Serbia (then Yugoslavia)
Goals: 5

Nicknamed Miss-a-lot-evic in England (of course he was) Savo Milosevic silenced his doubters on the European platform.

Five goals, the same number as a whole bunch of elite forwards.


11. Romelu Lukaku

Belgium v Russia - UEFA Euro 2020: Group B
Lukaku has a stellar record for Belgium / Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images

Country: Belgium
Goals: 5

Remember when Romelu Lukaku was widely criticised for a slight dip in form at Manchester United and essentially written off?

Yeah, 90min does too.

Luckily, 90min also chose to overlook that hyperbole, knowing just how prolific the Belgian was in front of goal. He notches time and again, and more impressively, scores all sorts.

10. Nuno Gomes

Nuno Gomes
Emotion / Ben Radford/Getty Images

Country: Portugal
Goals: 5

Nuno Gomes tore up Portugal with Benfica, spent a couple of pleasant years in the picturesque city of Florence, and somehow ended up finishing his career in Blackburn.

Football is a funny old game, eh?


9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Zlatan / Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Country: Sweden
Goals: 5

No introduction needed.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will still be coming out of international retirement to play for Sweden well into his fifties, notching his eighth and ninth goals at Euro 2032.


8. Thierry Henry

French forward Thierry Henry celebrates
One of the greatest to ever do it / VALERY HACHE/Getty Images

Country: France
Goals: 5

The greatest player to have graced the English shores, and a World Cup / European champion to boot. Thierry Henry.

An unstoppable force of nature in our beautiful game.


7. Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney, David Beckham
Ah, good times / Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Country: England
Goals: 5

Take us all back, please.

The year is 2004, and a teenage Wayne Rooney is pulling France, Croatia and Switzerland's collective pants down. He was destined to bring football home, but broken metatarsals had other plans.


6. Patrick Kluivert

Patrick Kluivert
A Netherlands legend / Gary M. Prior/Getty Images

Country: Netherlands
Goals: 5

Another Netherlands star on the list - and not the last, once again.

Patrick Kluivert was a brilliant striker to watch, and he dazzled us with five beauties in European matches.


5. Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Predator in front of goal / Getty Images/Getty Images

Country: Netherlands
Goals: 5

Of course Ruud van Nistelrooy hit five goals in a shorter space of time than all the other fivers on this list.

The former Manchester United star could find the net from anywhere - although he mainly opted to do so from the penalty area. A poacher like no other.


4. Alan Shearer

England v Holland
Iconic celebration / Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Country: England
Goals: 7

The highest player on the list to have never won the tournament. Alan Shearer bagged seven goals in nine matches, including five in 1996, when we all temporarily believed football was actually coming home.

So close, yet so far.


3. Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann
Griezmann loves the Euros - and France, for that matter / Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

Country: France
Goals: 7

Antoine Griezmann must have thought it was his fate to win the European Championships in 2016, but he couldn't drag France over the line.

Still, his two goals in the semi-final gave supporters a night they'll never forget.


2. Michel Platini

Michel Platini
A one-man tournament / Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

Country: France
Goals: 9

A three-time Ballon d'Or winner. A European Championship winner. The second highest scorer in the competition's history.

Here's how he did it. 1984: Two hat-tricks in two group stage matches and a winner in the other. A 119th minute winner in the semi-finals. A key goal in the final. Nine goals in FIVE GAMES.

Insane.


1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo
Gunning for top spot / Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Country: Portugal
Goals: 14

We were all waiting for this guy, weren't we?

Fact: Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 14 more goals in European Championship history than Lionel Messi. Case closed on our goat.

Also, he won the bloody thing in 2016 as a player and then as a manager and/or motivator on the sidelines in the final. He can do it all.