As you may know, the United States will soon be hosting the 2024 Copa América Soccer Finals. But there will be another hugely competitive continental competition taking place at the same time.
The European Soccer Championship Finals is, outside of the World Cup, probably the most competitive international soccer competition on the planet. Usually featuring teams of the caliber of France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and England, it’s a hotly contested soccer showpiece that takes place on a four-yearly cycle in between World Cups. The latest edition, the 17th of its kind, is set to take place in Germany in the summer of 2024. And according to usalegalbetting, there are loads of options of great sports betting sites where fans and punters can place wagers on this huge soccer event.
But what are some of the big facts and figures to be aware of as the competition nears? Here we dive into some of the most telling numbers.
Winners of the European Soccer Championships
Since the first tournament was played in 1960, there have been ten different winners of this prestigious event. Two teams – Germany and Spain – have won the competition three times, while a further two teams – Italy and France – have won the event twice. The other teams to have won the Finals are the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece and Portugal.
List of Previous Winners:
1960 – The Soviet Union
1964 – Spain
1968 – Italy
1972 – West Germany
1976 – Czechoslovakia
1980 – West Germany
1984 – France
1988 – The Netherlands
1992 – Denmark
1996 – Germany
2000 – France
2004 – Greece
2008 – Spain
2012 – Spain
2016 – Portugal
2020 – Italy (the Finals were played in 2021 because of the corona virus pandemic)
England, one of the favorites to win the tournament this year, are a notable absentee from the above list. The English narrowly missed out last time, losing the final on penalties to Italy at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London. But with a golden generation of talent, including captain Harry Kane, Premier League Player of the Year Phil Foden, and Real Madrid golden boy Jude Bellingham, hopes are high among fans that this could be their year. In terms of lines, England sit at the top alongside France.
The French are usually there or thereabouts when it comes to the decider in these big events – they famously lost out to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the World Cup Final two years ago. And then it’s the usual suspects who come next in terms of favorites – Germany, Spain and Portugal. Belgium and the Netherlands sit a little further back, while holders Italy have drifted after a poor showing in qualifying. But as the Azzurri proved last time, you can never rule them out.
In terms of looking to place money on this event, it’s worth considering some of the other notable facts and numbers from previous editions.
Notable Facts and Numbers
· This is the 17th edition of the European Soccer Championship Finals.
· Germany have appeared in more Finals than any other team – this will be the country’s 14th appearance.
· World soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo will be appearing at a sixth Finals tournament, more than any other player in history. Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo has also made the most match appearances, with 25 to date, and has also scored the most goals (15).
· Spain are the only team to have successfully defended the European Soccer Championship crown, winning the event in 2008 and 2012.
· France’s Michel Platini scored the most goals at a single European Soccer Championship Finals tournament, notching nine in 1984.
The Highest Ranked Goalscorer by Tournament
Backing the player to score the most goals at the Finals (and therefore securing the Golden Boot award) is a popular wagering option, and all the top sports betting operators are offering lines on this outcome.
Currently France’s Kylian Mbappe and England’s Harry Kane lead the betting ahead of the likes of Ronaldo, Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and Germany’s Kai Havertz. And in terms of the number of goals it will take, well if recent history is anything to go by, then five looks like the magic number:
1960: 2 François Heutte (France), Viktor Ponedelnik (USSR), Valentin Ivanov (USSR), Dražan Jerković (Yugoslavia), Milan Galić (Yugoslavia)
1964: 2 Jesús María Pereda (Spain), Ferenc Bene (Hungary), Deszö Novák (Hungary)
1968: 2 Dragan Džajić (Yugoslavia)
1972: 4 Gerd Müller (West Germany)
1976: 4 Dieter Müller (West Germany)
1980: 3 Klaus Allofs (West Germany)
1984: 9 Michel Platini (France)
1988: 5 Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1992: 3 Henrik Larsen (Denmark), Karl-Heinz Riedle (Germany), Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands), Tomas Brolin (Sweden)
1996: 5 Alan Shearer (England)
2000: 5 Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Savo Milošević (Yugoslavia)
2004: 5 Milan Baroš (Czech Republic)
2008: 4 David Villa (Spain)
2012: 3 Fernando Torres (Spain), Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Mario Gomez (Germany), Mario Mandžukić (Croatia), Mario Balotelli (Italy), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2016: 6 Antoine Griezmann (France)
2020: 5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)