With it not being long until football mania sweeps across Europe, there’s never been a better time to evaluate stats from some of the best players in the world. Although lifting the European Championship trophy is undeniably the top prize for football players representing their country, being the leading goalscorer is arguably second-best.
In this article, we take a look at some of the top goalscorers for various categories. It’s worth mentioning that some of these players will be participating in the upcoming 2024 UEFA European Championships.
This post can help to give you an idea of the expectations for some of these players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane, alongside some other players who seemingly excel when they represent their country. Naturally, this information can prove to be useful when looking at Euro 2024 betting odds.
Top Goalscorers In European Championship History
Although there is often a debate surrounding whether Ronaldo or Messi is the best, when it comes to the Euros, only one can participate. It will probably come as a shock to nobody to know that Cristiano Ronaldo sits on top of the all-time top goalscorers in European Championship history. He has attended 5 iterations of the event so far, first registering goals back in 2004.
Just counting the goals scored during the final tournament (Excluding the qualifying stages), Ronaldo has racked up a total of 14, putting him 5 clear of the current second place. He may add even more goals to his tally in June/July of 2024, as he is expected to take part in yet another European Championship for Portugal.
Here’s an overview of the top 10 goalscorers, including what countries they represented:
| Player | Goals Scored | Country |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 14 | Portugal |
| Michel Platini | 9 | France |
| Antoine Griezmann | 7 | France |
| Alan Shearer | 7 | England |
| Thierry Henry | 6 | France |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 6 | Sweden |
| Patrick Kluivert | 6 | Netherlands |
| Romelu Lukaku | 6 | Belgium |
| Alvaro Morata | 6 | Spain |
| Nuno Gomes | 6 | Portugal |
Top Goalscorers In European Championship Qualifying History
While the hosts of the upcoming European Championship automatically progress to the group stages of the tournament, the other spots are determined via qualifying matches.
Again, Cristiano Ronaldo leads the pack in this category, with a total of 41 goals from 44 appearances. However, this top 10 list includes some new faces, with Harry Kane and Robbie Keane both making an appearance.
The top goalscorers for the qualifying stage of the European Championships are as follows:
| Player | Goals Scored | Country |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 41 | Portugal |
| Harry Kane | 23 | England |
| Robbie Keane | 23 | Republic of Ireland |
| Robert Lewandowski | 22 | Poland |
| Romelu Lukaku | 21 | Belgium |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 19 | Sweden |
| Hakan Sukur | 19 | Turkey |
| Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | 18 | Netherlands |
| Jan Koller | 18 | Czechia |
| Jon Dahl Tomasson | 18 | Denmark |
Top Goalscorer Year On Year
Now it’s time to look at the top goalscorer for different iterations of the European Championship. Interestingly, Ronaldo isn’t so dominant when it comes to this statistic, although he has still been the top goalscorer in two different iterations of the tournament.
The tournament with the top goalscorer took place in 1984 when Michel Platini put on a show for the French spectators by finding the back of the net 9 times in total. It was due in part to these efforts that France lifted their first-ever European Championships trophy.
Here’s a look at the top goalscorers year on year since the inception of the tournament in 1960:
| Tournament Year | Top Goalscorer(s) | Number of Goals |
| 2020 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Patrik Schick (Czech Republic) | 5 |
| 2016 | Antoine Griezmann (France) | 6 |
| 2012 | Fernando Torres (Spain), Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Mario Gomez (Germany), Mario Mandzukic (Croatia), Mario Balotelli (Italy), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) | 3 |
| 2008 | David Villa (Spain) | 4 |
| 2004 | Milan Baros (Czech Republic) | 5 |
| 2000 | Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Savo Milosevic (Yugoslavia) | 5 |
| 1996 | Alan Shearer (England) | 5 |
| 1992 | Henrik Larsen (Denmark), Karl-Heinz Riedle (Germany), Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands), Tomas Brolin (Sweden) | 3 |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten (Netherlands) | 5 |
| 1984 | Michel Platini (France) | 9 |
| 1980 | Klaus Allofs (West Germany) | 3 |
| 1976 | Dieter Muller (West Germany) | 4 |
| 1972 | Gerd Muller (West Germany) | 4 |
| 1968 | Dragan Dzajic (Yugoslavia) | 2 |
| 1964 | Jesus Maria Pereda (Spain), Ferenc Bene (Hungary), Dezso Novak (Hungary) | 2 |
| 1960 | Francois Heutte (France), Viktor Ponedelnik (USSR), Valentin Ivanov (USSR), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia), Milan Galic (Yugoslavia) | 2 |
Top Goalscorers Broken Down By Country
Representing your country at the highest level of football competition is something that many players around the world dream of. Of course, getting an appearance here and there for your country is not the end goal, with each individual looking to make their country proud, should they step onto the pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been consistently good for Portugal. However, there are some individuals, such as Mario Gomez of Germany, who seemingly come alive when playing at an international level.
Our final goalscorer table breaks down the leading plays for various countries. Keep in mind that the figures shown below apply only to the final portion of the tournament and not to qualifiers:
| Country | Player and Goals |
| Belgium | Romelu Lukaku with 6 Goals |
| England | Alan Shearer with 7 Goals |
| France | Michel Platini with 9 Goals |
| Germany | Mario Gomez and Jurgen Klinsmann, each with 7 Goals |
| Italy | Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, each with 3 Goals |
| Netherlands | Patrick Kluivert and Ruud van Nistelrooy, each with 6 goals |
| Portugal | Cristiano Ronald with 14 Goals |
| Spain | Alvaro Morata with 6 Goals |
Get The Latest Euro News And Betting Tips
Here at BetVictor, you can place bets on the upcoming iteration of this tournament, with a huge host of Euro 2024 odds available in our sportsbook. We offer a handful of different matches for all of the games throughout the event, with in-play betting options becoming available as soon as the match gets underway. You can also wager on the outright winner of the entire tournament, with the current favourites being England, France, and Germany!
Stay up to date with everything related to Euro 2024 by following the BetVictor blog. From previews of some of the largest games to Euro betting tips that span across different markets, we’ve got you covered.
