EURO-winning captains: Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Ruud Gullit
Four years to the day since Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the trophy for Portugal, UEFA.com shines a light on the 14 EURO-winning captains.
EURO-winning captains
1960: Igor Netto (USSR)
1964: Ferran Olivella (Spain)
1968: Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)
1972: Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
1976: Anton Ondruš (Czechoslovakia)
1980: Bernard Dietz (West Germany)
1984: Michel Platini (France)
1988: Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
1992: Lars Olsen (Denmark)
1996: Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany)
2000: Didier Deschamps (France)
2004: Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece)
2008 & 2012: Iker Casillas (Spain)
2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Youngest EURO-winning captain
25 years and 298 days Ruud Gullit (Netherlands, 1988)
Oldest EURO-winning captain
32 years and 251 days Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece, 2004)
Five of the last seven EURO-winning captains were 31!
EURO-winning captains by position
2 Goalkeepers
6 Defenders
3 Midfielders
4 Forwards
EURO-winning captains by club
3 Real Madrid
2 Bayern
1 Spartak Moskva, Barcelona, Inter, Slovan Bratislava, Duisburg, Juventus, AC Milan, Trabzonspor, Chelsea, AEK Athens
1960: Igor Netto (USSR)
Netto led his country to glory at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the inaugural EURO in France. An inspirational leader and exceptional footballer, the versatile midfielder is probably best remembered for an extraordinary act of sportsmanship at the 1962 FIFA World Cup when he told the referee to disallow a goal against Uruguay because the ball had entered the net from the wrong side. Netto’s devotion to Spartak Moskva brought him five USSR championships and three domestic cups.
1964: Ferran Olivella (Spain)
Although he won only 18 caps for Spain, the Barcelona defender was his country’s captain at the 1964 EURO and carried out the role with discipline and authority. A born-and-bred Catalonian, Olivella spent his entire career with Barça, making 513 competitive appearances for the club from 1956 to 1969. A 5-0 win against Belgium in Brussels in March 1957 marked his first cap while his final match for Spain was a 2-0 home defeat by England in December 1965.
1968: Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)
One of the greatest left-backs the game has seen, Facchetti was the heart and soul of Inter for almost half a century. Club captain during their halcyon era of the mid-1960s, he made 634 official outings, scoring 75 goals, for the Nerazzurri; while, with the No10 on his back, he captained Italy to glory at the 1968 EURO. He was the man who made the right call on the coin toss after Italy’s goalless draw with the Soviet Union, enabling the hosts to progress to the final.
1972: Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
An all-time great, Beckenbauer confirmed his presence on the international stage when he…
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