5 Euro records that will probably never be broken

#3 Most Goals Scored in the Final Tournament – Michel Platini – 9

Fantasy football enthusiasts may well squeam when I say that their main forward will struggle to score two-thirds of the above tally, never mind excel it. Robert Lewandowski, Oliver Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Cristiano Ronaldo and Thomas Müller would all be quick to toss their name into the ring as the apprentice that could dethrone Platini from holding this record, but it’d be a short-sighted challenge.

The first hurdle arises in actually getting the game time to convert so many goals; Lewandowski will find this aspect especially tough. As for the rest, rotation and replacement could prove the main culprits in minimising their chances; many of the favourites for the Golden Boot come from teams with flexible front-lines, unlikely to have the opportunity to play every minute.

Defences naturally tighten in major tournaments and, while players can crack under pressure to commit the occasional blunder, it’s rare that we see a cataclysm like Germany’s 7-1 mauling of Brazil in the 2014 World Cup.

Teams are more cautious and take far fewer risks at the back. Platini was a revolutionary of his time, spearheading the French midfield to inconceivable honours and it takes a player of this character to come anywhere close to matching 9 goals. Lewandowski’s qualifying tally (13) was heralded as phenomenal and that was over a course of 18 matches against mediocre opposition, not teams of typical Euro pedigree.