Goals win games – and they can go a long way to winning your country a major championship, too.
Throughout the history of the Euros, some of football's deadliest marksmen have firmly left their mark on the tournament, in some cases firing their team to the trophy.
As the discussion around the race to finish as Euro 2024 top scorer gets going, we take a look back through all of the past Golden Boot winners at the European Championship.
Every European Championship Golden Boot winner
Euro 1960
Milan Galic (Yugoslavia), Francois Heutte (France), Valentin Ivanov (Soviet Union), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia), Viktor Ponedelnik (Soviet Union) – 2 goals
The first ever European Championship (or European Nations' Cup, as it was at the time) featured four teams and lasted just five days, beginning at the semi-final stage – and it ended in a five-way tie for the Golden Boot.
Francois Heutte of hosts France was part of that, but the Soviet Union's Viktor Ponedelnik scored the most important goal of the tournament: an extra-time winner in the final against Yugoslavia.
Third place play-off winners the Czech Republic were the only nation not to have a player get into double figures at Euro 1960.
Euro 1964
Ferenc Bene (Hungary), Dezso Novak (Hungary), Chus Pereda (Spain) – 2 goals
The race for the Golden Boot finished all square once more at Euro 1964, albeit between just three players this time.
Hungary duo Ferenc Bene and Dezso Novak both bagged two goals each during the four-time tournament, as did Spain's Chus Pereda – who scored the opener in the final against the Soviet Union as the hosts claimed their first major trophy.
Euro 1968
Dragan Dzajic (Yugoslavia) – 2 goals
Euro 1968 produced the tournament's first outright Golden Boot winner: Dragan Dzajic of runners-up Yugoslavia.
The winger scored as his country held hosts Italy in the original final, forcing a replay (those were the days) – but he couldn't find the target the second time around, with the Azzurri running out 2-0 winners.
Euro 1972
Gerd Muller (West Germany) – 4 goals
One of the most prolific scorers in international football history, Gerd Muller found the net 68 times in 62 caps for West Germany, winning Euro 1972 and the 1974 World Cup.
'Der Bomber' scored four of the Germans' five goals at those Euros in Belgium, including two as they swept the Soviet Union aside 3-0 in the final.
Euro 1976
Dieter Muller (West Germany) – 4 goals
Four years later, another German – and another Muller – got their hands on the Golden Boot at Euros. This time, it was the turn of Dieter.
The Koln legend hit a hat-trick as West Germany overcame Yugoslavia in extra time to reach the final – where he scored again, only for Czechoslovakia to triumph on penalties via a certain Antonin Panenka.
Euro 1980
Klaus Allofs (West Germany) – 3 goals
For 1980, the Euros expanded to eight teams – and West Germany emerged victorious for the second time in three editions of the tournament.
On this occasion, their leading marksman was Klaus Allofs – who scored all three of his goals in the same game, a 3-2 group-stage win over arch-rivals the Netherlands.
Euro 84
Michel Platini (France) – 9 goals
Michel Platini's haul of nine goals in five games at Euro 1984 remains the most prolific output of anyone in the tournament's history – and you sense it will take some beating.
Up there with the very best players in the world at the time, Platini captained France to their first major title – on home soil, no less – scoring in every game, including a decisive extra-time brace in Les Bleus' semi-final victory against Portugal, chosen as the greatest Euros game ever by FourFourTwo.
Euro 88
Marco van Basten (Netherlands) – 5 goals
Marco van Basten top-scored with five goals en route to glory with the Netherlands at Euro 88 – but one is rightly remembered above all the others.
In the final against the Soviet Union, Van Basten pulled off perhaps the finest volley ever seen, putting his country 2-0 up with an effort from the most outrageous of angles.
Euro 92
Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands), Tomas Brolin (Sweden), Henrik Larsen (Denmark), Karl-Heinz Riedle (Germany) – 3 goals
After six successive tournaments of outright Golden Boot winners, Euro 92 saw the accolade shared once more – between a young Dennis Bergkamp and Tomas Brolin, Henrik Larsen of surprise winners Denmark, and Karl-Heinz Riedle of beaten finalists Germany.
Larsen didn't score either goal as the Danes – drafted in at the last minute to replace Yugoslavia, disqualified due to war in the country – pulled off their finest triumph, but he had struck twice as they saw off holders the Netherlands in the semis.
Euro 96
Alan Shearer (England) – 5 goals
England's home Euros of 1996, the first 16-team finals, saw the Three Lions suffer yet more penalty heartbreak, losing to eventual winners Germany in the last four, but there was individual glory for Alan Shearer.
Revitalised at international level under manager Terry Venables, the Newcastle man scored in all three group games – most notably a brace in the memorable 4-1 thrashing of the Netherlands – and in the semi after just three minutes, which had a nation dreaming that it might actually happen...
Euro 2000
Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Savo Milosevic (FR Yugoslavia) – 5 goals
Neither co-hosts the Netherlands nor FR Yugoslavia made it to the final of Euro 2000, exiting in the semis and quarters respectively, but a player from each side had a share of the Golden Boot.
Three of Patrick Kluivert's goals came as the Dutch demolished FR Yugoslavia 6-1 in that quarter-final – a game in which Savo Milosevic added to his four group-stage strikes with a stoppage-time consolation.
Euro 2004
Milan Baros (Czech Republic) – 5 goals
Milan Baros had scored just twice in 18 outings for Liverpool during the season leading up to Euro 2004, so it was quite a surprise to see him go on a bit of a mad one at the tournament in Portugal.
Having scored in all three of the Czech Republic's group matches – including the winner in a 2-1 win which knocked out Germany – Baros bagged a brace in a 3-0 last-16 defeat of Denmark to send his country into the last four, where they were edged out by eventual champions Greece.
Euro 2008
David Villa (Spain) – 4 goals
Euro 2008 saw Spain lift the trophy for the first time in 44 years – and, just like back in 1964, there was a Spanish top scorer.
David Villa was injured for the semi-finals and final, but his four goals as La Roja won all three games to top their group proved enough for him to pick up the Golden Boot come the end of the tournament.
Euro 2012
Fernando Torres (Spain) – 3 goals
Having scored the only goal in the final of Euro 2008, Fernando Torres scooped the Golden Boot as Spain retained their crown four years later.
'El Nino' was on target in the final once again – although the Spaniards found it considerably more comfortable this time around, romping to a 4-0 win over Italy.
Euro 2016
Antoine Griezmann (France) – 6 goals
One of France's all-time leading scorers, Antoine Griezmann notched six goals as his country hosted Euro 2016 – the first edition of the tournament to feature 24 teams – striking in the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals.
It was the highest tally since compatriot Michel Platini's nine back in 1984, but Griezmann didn't get his hands on the trophy: Les Bleus lost to Portugal in what was – let's face it – one of the dullest finals of all time.
Euro 2020
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Patrik Schik (Czech Republic) – 5 goals
Euro 2024 will be 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo's sixth and, presumably, final Euros – but the record men's international goalscorer was ostensibly past his best even at the last edition three years ago.
Emphasis on 'ostensibly': Portugal's talismanic captain bagged five goals at the pan-European tournament – and in only four games, with the holders crashing out in the last 16. Not a bad return, really – while Czech Republic's Schick managed as many, including that long-range effort against Scotland at Hampden.
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