The Eurocopa is one of the most important championships in the world of football. Since its founding on July 6, 1960, this tournament, which Spain has won three times, the country with the most titles along with Germany, has experienced great moments throughout its history. Several of the best footballers of all time have participated in this tournament, which has been a turning point for numerous teams. There are several questions that must be taken into account, one of the most relevant being who is the player with the most appearances in the final stages of this competition.
Since his debut in 2004, in the edition held in Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo, a modern football legend, is the player with the most matches played in the final stage of the Eurocopa. With 25 games played, the former player of Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Juventus has made history in this tournament, one of the most important when it comes to national teams. The Portuguese, a living legend of the capital’s team, has been part of his country’s squad on five occasions: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2021. Now, he will continue to increase this number, as he has been called up again, so he will participate in his sixth appearance in this championship.
Another important question is who is the immediate pursuer of Cristiano Ronaldo? It is surprising because few expect Joao Moutinho, Pepe, or Bastian Schweinsteiger to be among the best-placed players in this particular ranking. Regarding the Braga player and the Porto defender, it should be noted that they have remained on the field in a Eurocopa final stage a total of 19 times. It is true that Moutinho will not be able to increase this number, as he has not been called up by his coach, but the former Real Madrid player will and will break the tie with his former national team colleague. As for the German player, who made his Eurocopa debut in 2004, the former Bayern Munich player has played 18 matches in the final stage of this championship, one of the most important in the world of football. It should be noted that he was a runner-up on one occasion, as he was part of the Germany team that fell to Spain in the 2008 edition, held in Austria and Switzerland. In Vienna’s Prater, Schweinsteiger witnessed the beginning of the golden era of the ‘team of everyone’ in national team tournaments, which led them to complete the Eurocopa-World Cup-Eurocopa cycle, something that no one had done before.
The top five players with the most Eurocopa matches, including qualifiers and final stages, played are:
– Cristiano Ronaldo, with 69 matches
– Luka Modric, with 59 matches
– Gianluigi Buffon, with 58 matches
– Mario Frick, with 51 matches (interestingly, he has not played a single final, as he was part of the Liechtenstein national team)
– Peter Cech, with 50 matches
The five players with the most matches in the Eurocopa final stage played are:
– Cristiano Ronaldo, with 25 matches
– Joao Moutinho, with 19 matches
– Pepe, with 19 matches
– Bastian Schweinsteiger, with 18 matches
– Leonardo Bonucci, with 18 matches
These players have left their mark on the Eurocopa with their numerous appearances and have contributed to the history of this prestigious tournament. Their dedication and talent have made them stand out among the best players to have graced the Eurocopa stage.