With sixteen countries vying for Europe’s biggest and prestigious soccer crown, UEFA Euro 2012 can kick-off on Friday with host nation Poland seizing 2004 winners Greece.
1. Initially, the primary 2 tournaments in 1960 and 1964 were called UEFA European Nations Cup before being modified to the present name since 1968.
2. Frenchman Michel Platini, who typified the player sporting jersey #10, is that the prime goalscorer in UEFA European soccer Champions history with nine Goals. As per another record, he scored all of his goals in 1984 that makes him the highest goal scorers in one tournament further.
3. Germany has played the foremost variety of matches in all UEFA Tournaments with thirty eight Matches, Netherlands is ranked second with thirty two Matches and Spain is next with thirty Matches.
4. Through the whole thirteen UEFA Euro National Champions, Greece was the sole National Team to win the title while not a neighborhood National Coach. In 2004, Greece won the tournament with German Coach Otto Rehhagel.
5. Portugal (in 2004) was the sole team to lose the ultimate as hosts.
6. Michel Platini is that the solely player to get hat-tricks twice and therefore the solely player to get twice within the same tournament. Platini scored 2 hat-tricks in 2000 whereas Patrick Kluivert and SergioConceicao scored one every in 2000.
7. So far, solely six players have played in four totally different Euro tournaments. Lothar Matthuis (Germany):1980, 1984, 1988 and 2000 – championship 1980. Peter Schmeichel (Denmark): 1988,1992, 1996 and 2000 – championship 1992. Aron Winter (Netherlands): 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 – championship 1988. Alessandro Del Piero (Italy): 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. Edwin Van Der Sar (Netherlands): 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. Lilian Thuram (France): 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 – championship 2000.
8. the biggest attendance within the history of the tournament was recorded at a qualifier between England and Scotland at Hampden Park in 1968. Approximately one hundred thirty,711 individuals were gift to observe the match.
9. So far, Belgium (1972), Austria and Switzerland (2008) are the sole groups to not reach semi-final when tournament were hosted on their lands.
10. David Villa (Spain) became the seventh player to get a Euro hat-trick when Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Sergio Conceicao (Portugal), Marco van Basten (Netherlands), Michel Platini (France), Klaus Allofs (Germany) and Dieter Müller (Germany).
11. Seven of the Spanish team members that started the planet Cup final in 2010 were a part of Barcelona squad. They send a similar variety of players to Poland and Ukraine for the Euro 2012.
12. Spain scored eight goals within the tournament in South Africa with all returning from Barcelona players (David Villa scored five; Andres Iniesta two; Carles Puyol one).
13. Casillas has additional caps than the other player competing within the Euro 2012 tournament with 129.
14. Co-hosts Ukraine are the sole nation creating their debut at this European Championship.
15. Poland are very cheap ranked nation within the FIFA World Rankings (65th) to participate in Euro 2012.
