1 - First held in 1960, this tournament was initially known as the European Nations Cup until 1968.
2 - Between 1960 and 1980, the final stage was contested by just four teams. From the 1980s until 1996, the competition was played with eight teams, and since then it has evolved to adopt a format very similar to the one we see today in the FIFA World Cup.
3 - In its more than 60-year history, the EURO has produced several champions. To date, Germany and Spain are the two teams with the most titles: three each.
4 - The Spanish national team is the only one to have won back-to-back titles, triumphing in two consecutive tournaments: Euro 2008 and Euro 2012.
5 - Germany has won three titles, but only one as a unified country. Its first two victories came when it competed as West Germany (FRG), at a time when the country was divided into East and West.
6 - The first Portuguese player to score a goal in a EURO was António Sousa, a legend at FC Porto, who scored the opening goal in Portugal’s match against Spain at Euro 1984.
7 - Did you know that two countries that no longer exist today have actually won the European Championship? In 1960, the former Soviet Union defeated the former Yugoslavia in the final, and in 1976, Czechoslovakia caused a major upset by beating the powerful West Germany – who had just won the 1974 World Cup – on penalties in the final.
8 - Speaking of countries that no longer exist, do you know where the trophy won by the former Czechoslovakia is? We mustn’t forget that the current Czech Republic and Slovakia emerged from that country. For ranking purposes, the title is awarded to the Czech Republic, as it is considered by UEFA to be the natural successor to the former Czechoslovakia, but the big question is: where can you actually see that trophy? It is located in a town near the border between the two countries.
9 - Germany has not lost a penalty shoot-out in an international competition since that 1976 final.
10 - Michel Platini and Cristiano Ronaldo are the top scorers in the final stages of the European Championship, with nine goals each. However, Platini scored all his goals in a single tournament, in 1984, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo has spread his goals across the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 tournaments.
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