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The UEFA European Championship, popularly known as the Euros, is considered second only to the FIFA World Cup. The quadrennial event is played between the top 24 teams from Europe for a chance to be crowned the ultimate champions of the continent.
The Euros gained massive popularity due to the quality of the teams present which makes the competition intense. In the competition's 60-year history, we have had 10 different winners (Germany, Spain, Italy, Soviet Union, Greece, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and Portugal).
The beauty of the Euros lies in the competition's unpredictable nature. Fans can are rarely certain about who the clear favorite in the competition is. The underdogs have an equal chance as any top-tier team. Euro 2004, where Greece were crowned champions, is the best example of the same.
On the same note, let us take a look at the top 5 countries with the most European championship titles.
#5 Soviet Union — Winners: 1960; Runners-up: 1964, 1972, 1988
The winners of the inaugural European Championship were the Soviet Union, who qualified for the championship following Spain's exit from the tournament.
Spain refused to travel to the Soviet Union for the first leg of qualifiers, citing political reasons. This helped the Soviets secure a place in the championship following a walkover victory.
The Soviet Union emerged as a strong side in European football in the following years. They managed to appear four times in the finals and even won on one occasion.
The Soviet Union faced Yugoslavia, the team that ran riot in the qualifiers, in the final. As expected, Yugoslavia gained lead in the 43rd minute. However, six minutes later, Slava Metreveli pulled the game level for his side.
The Soviet Union edged past their opponents in extra-time to be declared the winners of the first-ever European Championship.
#4 France — Winners: 1984, 2000; Runners-up: 2016
Les Bleus' first international trophy came in the form of the 1984 Euro Cup (known as the European Championship back then). The French team led by their captain Michel Platini were playing for the first time since the inaugural championship held in 1960.
The French skipper scored nine goals from five matches and single-handedly earned the cup for the hosts. France's semi-final game against Portugal is considered one of the best Euro games played till date.
By 2000, France were capable of boasting a star-studded squad that included the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram, Laurent Blanc, Robert Pirès, Didier Deschamps and many more. They defeated the current champions Italy (2-1) in the final after equalizing in the 90th minute.
In 2016, Les Bleus came closer to winning the title again only to be denied by Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.
#3 Italy — Winners: 1968, 2020; Runners up: 2000, 2012
In third place is current champions Italy. The Blues have won the coveted Euro trophy twice, with their first win coming in 1968.
With Roberto Mancini at the helm, the Azzuri cruised through the qualifiers without losing a single match. Their daunting form made them one of the favorites to lift the trophy even before the EURO kicked off.
In 1968, Italy emerged as the winners after defeating Yugoslavia in the second round of the final (more about this below) played between the two. It was also The Blues' debut European championship appearance.
With a total of four teams, Italy played their first game against former champions the Soviet Union. They won the match via coin toss (Yes, back then, there were no penalty shootouts to determine the winner. It was just ET followed by a coin toss).
However, that wasn't the only strange rule. The 1968 EURO saw two finals being played between the hosts and Yugoslavia as their first meeting ended in a draw. Italy emerged as the winners in front of their home crowd who came in massive numbers to support their side.
#2 Spain — Winners: 1964, 2008, 2012; Runners-up: 1984
The Spanish side led by Iker Casillas is lauded as one of the best teams in international football in the modern era.
From 2008 to 2012, La Roja won three major international trophies (two of them being the European Championships).
Spain won their first Euro in 1964 when they defeated the Soviet Union in the final to bring the trophy home. The match between Spain and the Soviet Union was highly anticipated as their previous encounter (in 1960) couldn't take place due to political reasons.
After a long wait of 44 years, La Roja's tremendous hard work paid off. They performed persistently throughout the tournament and having rich individual talents by their side made things much easier for Luis Aragonés' men. Spain defeated Germany in the final.
Four years later, Vicente del Bosque took charge and led his side to their second Euro victory in a row. Spain played with a squad full of experience and defeated Italy in the final by a massive scoreline of 4-0.
#1 Germany — Winners: 1972, 1980, 1996; Runners-up: 1976, 1992, 2008
With three titles, Germany earns the top spot in our list. The first two titles were won by West Germany but following the unification of two the former nations, the team is referred to as Germany.
Germany is a team that has produced numerous individual talents. Hence, their international campaigns yielded equal results. Even though Die Mannschaft won three titles in the span of 24 years, it's been 25 years since they last won a UEFA Euro title.
Germany won their first title by defeating the Soviet Union in 1972 and the credit goes to their legend Gerd Muller. They added the second and the third championships by beating Belgium (1980) and Czech Republic (1996).
Joachim Löw's men came close to winning the trophy back in 2008 but Fernando Torres' goal stood between them. Germany has failed to get past the semi-finals since then.
Also Check Out: Euro Cup Winners List 2021
