Germany, your record fairytale
This European Championship is already shining with records
By David Needy
17.06.2024, 13:54
No, Thomas Müller is not the strongest player at the European Championship, but the DFB star is still on the verge of breaking a record. The tournament has already offered spectacle and records after just a few days. A few more could soon fall – from Manuel Neuer to Cristiano Ronaldo.
The European Football Championship has only seen seven games in Germany, but these were an exhilarating start to the tournament. After the DFB team’s brilliant 5:1 victory against Scotland in the opening match on Friday in Munich, things are becoming historic left and right at the European Championship. There are still 44 games to play. Will there be a summer fairytale 2.0? Who knows, but Germany can already enjoy a small record fairytale.
The first record was set by Lamine Yamal from Spain. The teenager became the youngest ever European Championship player when the match against Croatia kicked off because he was in the starting line-up. Yamal turns 17 one day before the final and replaced Poland’s Kacper Kozłowski in the 3-0 win in Berlin, who was 17 years and 246 days old when he made his European Championship debut in 2021. Yamal immediately managed an assist for the final score, which of course makes him the youngest assist provider. The 16-year-old saved his first goal (and thus another record) for later. The youngest player in a final so far is former Bayern player Renato Sanches at 18 years and 327 days in Portugal’s victory against France in 2016.
The youngest European Championship goalscorer to date is a Swiss: At the 2004 European Championship, Johan Vonlanthen, then 18 years and 141 days old, scored in the match against France. Germany can also be young: With a dream start in the 10th minute, Florian Wirtz became the youngest German European Championship goalscorer in history. On Friday, the youngster from Bayer Leverkusen was 21 years and 42 days old and replaced Kai Havertz, who scored in the 4-2 win against Portugal at the 2021 European Championship at the age of 22 years and eight days.
Manuel Neuer aims for record
Speaking of scoring goals: The 16 goals scored up to Saturday evening were the most at this point in a European Championship or World Cup since Euro 1976. Another record: In three games (Germany-Scotland, Spain-Croatia, Italy-Albania) three goals were scored before half-time. In the entire 2021 European Championship, this was the case in only two games. With 44 games still to go, the absolute record (4) from the 2004 European Championship with three or more goals in the first half could soon be broken.
One goal in particular stood out because it was the fastest in European Championship history: After Italy made a disastrous throw-in near their own goal, Nedim Bajrami scored a historic goal after just 23 seconds of play. “Scoring a goal at the European Championship was a dream for me. Then you’re like a little child,” he later rejoiced. Until Saturday, the fastest goal at the European Championship belonged to the Russian Dmitri Kirichenko (67 seconds in 2004 against Greece).
DFB goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is also on course for a new record. In the duel against Hungary on Wednesday (6 p.m./ ARD and MagentaTV and in the live ticker on ntv.de) The German number one will be the goalkeeper with the most continental tournament games. With his 17th European Championship appearance since 2012, the 38-year-old is level with the Italian Gianluigi Buffon and can overtake him next Sunday against Switzerland. The best German goalkeeper after Neuer is Toni Schumacher with seven games. If Neuer wins the European Championship, he would also become the oldest European champion ever.
Ronaldo soon to be twice as historic?
And then of course there is the eternal Cristiano Ronaldo. The 39-year-old superstar from Portugal has long been the European Championship record player (25) and record goalscorer (14), and he has also won the most games (12). By reaching the final, Ronaldo would become the player with the most appearances (3) in a European Championship final. But the ambitious striker is naturally also eyeing the record of the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history. If he scored his fifteenth European Championship goal, he would surpass the Austrian Ivica Vastic from 2008 (38 years and 257 days). Ronaldo, in his usual manner, also has his own opinion on records and sees them as a logical consequence of his game: “For me, they are not a goal, I think they come by themselves.”
What other records could be broken? If Germany or Spain lift the silver trophy into the evening sky after the final in Berlin, the fourth European Championship title would be a record and would make the respective country the sole leader in the rankings. So far, Germany has won in 1972, 1980 and 1996, Spain in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
In addition, Thomas Müller could become the DFB player with the third most international matches on Wednesday against Hungary. At the moment he is in joint third place with Lukas Podolski with 130 matches. The Bavarian native cannot catch up with Miroslav Klose (137) even before the final, he would be one game short. Lothar Matthäus has taken the lead with 150 matches.
Negative record only for beer
Of course, beauty cannot be measured in records. But this European Championship has already brought some wonderful goals to watch in the first few days. Be it Jamal Musiala, who humorlessly nails the ball under the crossbar after a wobble, or Niclas Füllkrug’s brilliant shot into the corner. The Albanian record goal is also fantastic, as is the Italian winning goal by Nicolò Barella and the dribbling solo by Fábian Ruiz before his goal to make it 2-0 for Spain against Croatia.
The textiles are also historic. More specifically, the pink and purple away jersey of the DFB team. The shirt “is the best-selling away jersey in the history of all DFB jerseys,” said spokesman Oliver Brüggen from DFB supplier adidas to SID. Particularly popular: Toni Kroos’ number 8. Fans don’t have to worry about shortages, as the jersey is still available online and in shops despite the record.
The Scots set an unofficial historic record with their beer consumption in Munich, when they (almost) drank the Bavarian capital dry. But the popular gesture drink also sets a record in itself, because a beer costs up to seven euros in the stadiums and at fan festivals. There is also a three-euro deposit. That is something to be astonished about. But no one will be cheering.