Euro Legends: Ronaldo, Zidane Among Tournament's Game Changers

• Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the greatest players to feature in the Euros
• The Portugal icon has the record for the most appearances in the tournament
• Ronaldo's nation has won the Euros once and he is among the game-changers

The 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship will see superstars looking to etch their names in the history book by leaving a lasting legacy in the tournament.

Since the competition’s inception in 1960, many superstars have forayed into the tournament, with some leaving their mark and going on to become icons of the game.

According to the BBC, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has played more games than anybody else in the tournament's history and has scored more goals in qualifiers than anyone else.

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The former Real Madrid forward has won the Euros just once in his career, leading Portugal to the title in 2016, and will be hoping to achieve the same result in his final outing this year.

Aside from Ronaldo, other players have also made a name for themselves as game-changers. Sports Brief looks at the top players who have made huge impacts during Euro games.

Top 4 game-changers in Euro tournaments

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo is the joint-leading scorer in European Championship history, with nine goals in 21 games across four tournaments. He is the only player to score in four Euros.

The Al-Nassr forward scored twice in 2004, once in 2008, and three times in 2012 and 2016, becoming the only player to score three goals in two different Euro competitions.

Ronaldo made his Euro debut in 2004, scoring a goal against Greece. By the end of the 2016 Euros, he had tied Michel Platini's record of nine goals. However, after five more goals in 2020, Ronaldo claimed the top place as the all-time top scorer in Euro history.

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2. Michel Platini

Michel Platini, regarded as one of the best footballers of all time, won the Ballon d'Or three consecutive years, in 1983, 1984, and 1985.

The former Juventus forward led France to victory in the European Championship held at home in 1984. His individual effect on the tournament was enormous, scoring nine of France's 14 goals in just five games, Wikipedia reports.

The former UEFA President, who also won two prestigious World Footballer of the Year awards in 1984 and 1985, among numerous other distinctions, scored nine times in the 1984 edition, including hat-tricks in successive group-stage fixtures.

Platini was France's all-time leading goal-scorer until 2007, and he held the record for the most European Championship goals (nine) until 2021, when Ronaldo surpassed him.

3. Zinedine Zidane

Zidane, regarded as one of the greatest players to play in the Euros, was an incredibly skilful creative midfielder who could finish strongly both in the air and on the ground, as well as having a supreme ability to dribble and pass.

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Zizou made his Euros debut in 1996, and despite limited opportunities, he scored for France in penalty shootouts in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Four years later, Euro 2000 was an absolute classic, with Zidane dominating from start to finish.

His rocket of a free kick in the semis propelled Les Bleus to the last four, and in a tense and ill-tempered semi-final against Portugal, he kept his cool to score when France was granted a disputed penalty.

4. Andreas Iniesta

Andreas Iniesta is widely considered as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and was instrumental to Spain’s dominance in back-to-back European championships.

The former Barcelona midfielder helped his country win the Euro title in 2008 and 2012 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first time a national squad had captured three consecutive major world championships.

Iniesta was chosen as the Euro 2012 Player of the Tournament after winning the Man of the Match award in three different matches, as well as the final against Italy which Spain won 4-0.

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The mercurial midfielder, who scored the winning goal for Spain at the 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands, also holds the record as the only player to have won the Man of the Match award at the World Cup Final, Euros Final, and the UEFA Champions League Final.

France unveils squad for Euro 2024

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Didier Deschamps has unveiled France's 25-man squad for the 2024 Euros, including a surprising return for N'Golo Kante.

The 33-year-old made a move to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League last summer after ending his stint at Chelsea and many felt his international time was finished.

However, despite his almost two-year absence from the national team, the French veteran has now been given a chance to represent Les Bleus at the Euros.