Portugal national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo is currently leading the Euro top-scorers all-time list. 

Cristiano Ronaldo tops the Euro top-scorers all-time list with 14 goals across five editions of the UEFA European Football Championship.

After making his Euro debut in Portugal in 2004, Ronaldo later netted his first international goal against Greece in the same tournament.

Since then, the Portugal talisman has featured in four more editions of the UEFA European Football Championship in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020.

Legendary French football player Michel Platini features second on the Euro top-scorers all-time list.

Michel Platini previously held the record for the most goals scored in the European Championship with nine goals. His record was surpassed by Ronaldo in 2021.

Having featured in a single edition of the European Championship in France in 1984, Michel Platini netted nine goals to guide his side to the coveted title at home. Michel Platini’s nine goals is still a record in a single European Championship.

England’s Alan Shearer, Antoine Griezmann of France and Spain’s Alvaro Morata share the third spot on the Euro top-scorers all-time list. All three have scored seven goals each in European Football Championship history.

Between 1960 and 2008, the Golden Boot award was presented to the top scorer of each edition of the UEFA European Championship.

Since 2008, if there is more than one player with the same number of goals, the tie-breaker goes to the player who has contributed the most assists. If there is still more than one player, the tie-breaker goes to the player who has played the least amount of time.

Know Euro top-scorers all-time list and the players with most goals in every UEFA European Football Championship.

Euro top-scorers all-time: Know the leading UEFA European Championship goal-scorers

Rank	Player	Team	Goals	Tournaments
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	14	2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020
2	Michel Platini	France	9	1984
3	Alan Shearer	England	7	1992, 1996, 2000
	Antoine Griezmann	France	7	2016, 2020
	Alvaro Morata	Spain	7	2016, 2020, 2024
4	Ruud van Nistelrooy	Netherlands	6	2004, 2008
	Patrick Kluivert	Netherlands	6	1996, 2000, 2004
	Wayne Rooney	England	6	2004, 2012, 2016
	Romelu Lukaku	Belgium	6	2016, 2020
	Thierry Henry	France	6	2000, 2004, 2008
	Zlatan Ibrahimovic	Sweden	6	2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
	Nuno Gomes	Portugal	6	2000, 2004, 2008

Euro top-scorers all-time: Players with most goals in every UEFA European Championship

Year	Top-scorer (s)	Goals
1960	François Heutte (France), Viktor Ponedelnik (USSR), Valentin Ivanov (USSR), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia), Milan Galic (Yugoslavia)	2
1964	Jesus María Pereda (Spain), Ferenc Bene (Hungary), Deszo Novak (Hungary)	2
1968	Dragan Dzajic (Yugoslavia)	2
1972	Gerd Muller (West Germany)	4
1976	Dieter Muller (West Germany)	4
1980	Klaus Allofs (West Germany)	3
1984	Michel Platini (France)	9
1988	Marco van Basten (Netherlands)	5
1992	Henrik Larsen (Denmark), Karl-Heinz Riedle (Germany), Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands), Tomas Brolin (Sweden)	3
1996	Alan Shearer (England)	5
2000	Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Savo Milosevic (Yugoslavia)	5
2004	Milan Baros (Czech Republic)	5
2008	David Villa (Spain)	4
2012	Fernando Torres (Spain), Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Mario Gomez (Germany), Mario Mandzukić (Croatia), Mario Balotelli (Italy), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)	3
2016	Antoine Griezmann (France)	6
2020	Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Patrik Schick (Czechia)	5

Photo credit: Alamy

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar holds the record for being the most expensive football player in the world. He moved from Barcelona to the French capital in the summer of 2017 for a fee that cost PSG a whopping £198 million (�?22 million).

Neymar, who signed for Barcelona in 2013, had a contract until 2021 with the Blaugrana, meaning that the Qatar Sports Investments owned PSG had to meet his release clause of £198 million. 

The unusual transfer had a peculiar route as in Spain, the release clause must be activated by the player himself. This essentially means Neymar, who had won back to back La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League with the club, was pushing for a move.

On top of that, La Liga regulations say the buyout clause must be deposited with La Liga first and the league then forwards the money to the concerned club. In Neymar’s case, however, the money was directly paid to Barcelona as La Liga refused to accept the attempt by PSG, Neymar and his lawyers. 

Soon after his move was finalized, Barcelona filed a lawsuit against Neymar, demanding him to return the contract renewal bonuses and other claims as part of the damages. The Brazilian was eventually told to pay �?.7 million to the Catalan club.

A year after Neymar’s controversial move, PSG splashed £163 million (�?80 million) to acquire Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco. The then-teenage forward, who is now the second most expensive football player, joined PSG on a season-long loan ahead of the 2017-18 football season. His deal was eventually made permanent in the subsequent season.

Next on the list is former Liverpool winger Philippe Coutinho who completed his much-awaited Barcelona switch in January 2018 for £142m million (�?60 million).

The top five list for most expensive football players is completed by the likes of Joao Felix and Antoine Griezmann. The former moved from Benfica to Atletico Madrid in 2019 for £113 million (�?26 million) while the latter swapped Atletico for Barcelona in the same year for £107.6 million (�?20 million).

Most expensive football players

Player	To	From	Fee (�?	Fee (£)	Year
Neymar	PSG	Barcelona	�?22 million	£198 million	2017
Kylian Mbappe	PSG	AS Monaco	�?80 million	£163 million	2018
Philippe Coutinho	Barcelona	Liverpool	�?60 million	£142 million	2018
Joao Felix	Atletico Madrid	Benfica	�?26 million	£113 million	2019
Antoine Griezmann	Barcelona	Atletico Madrid	�?20 million	£107.6 million	2019

Featured photo: AFP / Lionel Bonaventure

Antoine Griezmann answered his critics in style on Sunday by scoring with a sensational chip as Barcelona thrashed Villarreal 4-1 to keep their faint La Liga title hopes alive. 

After the humiliation of being brought on in the 90th minute against his former club Atletico Madrid, Griezmann was back in the starting line-up at La Ceramica and repaid the faith with a stunning goal, teed up by Lionel Messi. 

"It was the kind of goal only great players can score," said Barcelona coach Quique Setien. "He played a spectacular match."

Messi also laid on a curling Luis Suarez shot into the top corner after Gerard Moreno cancelled out a Pau Torres own-goal that had put Barca in front. Ansu Fati then added a fourth late on. 

An impressive victory for Setien's side reduces the gap back to four points behind Real Madrid, who earlier ground out another 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames, with a Sergio Ramos penalty proving the difference.

Madrid's resilient performance, and their third 1-0 victory in a row, offered a stark contrast to a goal-fest from Barcelona that was certainly easier on the eye but instructive on the title race too. 

An end-to-end contest, full of chances for both sides, showed Messi, Suarez and Griezmann at their free-flowing best yet the defence was opened up with ease by Villarreal, who might have scored more. 

Madrid's discipline and organisation has made them firm favourites with four games remaining. 

"We needed this match a while ago," admitted Setien. "We have to keep adding points and we'll see what happens."

Griezmann had experienced his lowest moment since joining Barcelona on Tuesday in the draw against Atletico but this was the perfect response. 

He celebrated his goal by sharing a warm embrace with Messi. 

Villarreal looked a difficult opponent after winning five games out of six since the restart, a run that has put them in in touching distance of the top four. 

This defeat leaves them three points behind Sevilla, who play Eibar on Monday. 

The first half was perhaps the most entertaining in La Liga since the restart, with four goals and chances for two or three more. 

Barca were ahead within three minutes, Torres diverting Jordi Alba's cross into his own net under pressure from Griezmann at the near post. 

- Ramos on the spot -

But Villarreal were level 11 minutes later as a superb pass from Samuel Chukwueze sent Paco Alcacer scampering in down the right and he did brilliantly to switch to Santi Cazorla on the opposite side. 

Cazorla's drive was parried but only to Moreno, who finished. Messi laid on two sumptuous assists before half-time but the finishes were even better. 

After chesting the ball down in the centre circle, Messi touched and turned, leaving his marker for dead. 

He drove through two Villarreal defenders before pushing the ball left to Suarez, who arrived from the angle on the edge of the box and curled first time into the far corner. 

If that was power, Griezmann's was finesse, Messi and Suarez combining before Messi dragged back to the Frenchman, who caressed a delightful chip over Sergio Asenjo and in. 

Messi thought he had his goal in the second half but Arturo Vidal was offside. 

Suarez was taken off, presumably rested, and Fati added a fourth off the bench. The teenager cut in from the left and pulled his shot back inside the near post. 

After edging out Getafe on Thursday, through a Ramos spot-kick, Madrid repeated the trick at San Mames, their captain's nerve from the spot combining with a gutsy display for a pivotal win. 

Ramos was perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty himself late on when, off the ball, he seemed to slip and tread on the foot of Raul Garcia, but Madrid escaped. 

Instead, the defender's 10th goal of the season, the best tally of his career, proved decisive.

"It's a massive win," said Ramos. "We knew today was going to be one of the biggest games that we have left. 

"It's always a difficult game away at Bilbao and we saw it like that. We're happy with another crucial three points that put more pressure on Barcelona." 

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Jose Jordan

With the coronavirus bringing football across the world to a screeching halt, all clubs are facing a financial crunch with all revenue streams being affected. Such a situation would open the transfer market to new possibilities in the summer, increasing the likelihood of player swaps, loan deals while free agents are also likely to be in heavy demand.

One such swap deal doing the rounds in the rumour mill of late is that of Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann. 

Having struggled with a lack of depth in the centre-forward department, Barcelona are intent on signing a new striker this summer. And Lautaro Martinez has emerged as their top target. Inter Milan, meanwhile, are adamant that Barcelona pay the Argentine’s release clause of �?11 million. But a lack of funds is proving to be a stumbling block in the deal. 

Read | Barcelona in chaos: What is happening at Camp Nou?

Given the situation, a swap deal between Martinez and Griezmann could prove to be a win-win situation for everyone. 

Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann joined Barcelona last summer in a mega-money deal from Atletico Madrid. But the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has struggled to make the desired impact at Camp Nou. There is a sense that the Frenchman hasn’t been able to get in sync with his teammates, which has been apparent on the field on numerous occasions.

Till date, Griezmann has managed just eight goals in 26 La Liga appearances, while chipping in with four assists. He has six more strikes from the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Champions League combined, taking his tally to 14 in 37 matches.

Lautaro Martinez

Martinez joined Inter Milan in the summer of 2018 from Argentine outfit Racing. He had a decent debut season in Italy, bagging nine goals in 35 matches. But the 22-year-old has stepped it up a notch this season.

In contrast to Griezmann’s form, Martinez has been a key element of Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan side this season. The 22-year-old Argentine has netted eleven goals in 22 Serie A matches, forming a deadly partnership with summer signing Romelu Lukaku. In addition, he has bagged five more goals in six Champions League matches as well.

Read | Why it is time for Barcelona to cut their losses on Ousmane Dembele

Why Barcelona would benefit from the swap

Luis Suarez is entering the final years of his career. The Uruguayan has shown signs of age catching up over the past couple of seasons and has had to battle serious injuries as well. So, Barcelona are in need of a centre-forward to replace the seasoned campaigner and take over the mantle of being the spearhead of the attack alongside Lionel Messi.

To that end, Martinez makes total sense for the Catalans. At 22, he is still young and would be a long-term solution for the Catalans. Martinez, in many ways, plays similarly to how Luis Suarez operates. A deadly finisher, the former Racing star has speed, is sharp and intelligent in his movement and is capable of executing a neat link-up play in the final third.

Moreover, having played with Messi at the international level, the Argentine already has some sort of understanding with the Barcelona captain, something that has clearly lacked in Griezmann’s partnership with him. 

Read | Antoine Griezmann: A signing that Messi still can’t fathom

In the process, they would be offloading a player who has failed to fit into the side and won’t have to spend a large sum of money on recruiting a striker.

What Inter Milan would gain from the transfer

A lot of Griezmann’s issues at Barcelona have stemmed from the fact that he has largely been used on the left flank. While he used to play in such a role in the past at Real Sociedad, the 29-year-old has played some of his best football playing in a central role in recent years. 

At Barcelona, Griezmann has averaged a goal every 226 minutes when playing on the left flank across all competitions (eight in 23 games). In comparison, the Frenchman has scored a goal every 177 minutes playing through the middle (six in 13 matches), showing the stark difference in his effectiveness when playing centrally.

At Inter, the 29-year-old will be deployed through the middle, playing off of Romelu Lukaku. And Griezmann has already displayed that he thrives while playing with a strong, physical striker upfront �?with Diego Costa at Atletico Madrid and with Olivier Giroud for the France national team.

Read | Should Inter Milan give Mauro Icardi another shot next season?

Inter Milan, then, will be adding a world-class goalscorer and a World Cup winner to their ranks, who is in his prime years and would fit seamlessly into the scheme of things under Antonio Conte. This should enable them to take a step further in their attempt to knock Juventus off their perch in Italy.

Potential Problems

Griezmann’s wages could pose a problem to Inter Milan, but given that he will be getting a chance to start afresh, the two parties can work out an arrangement.

Another potential stumbling block could be that Inter will be trading a player seven years younger to the one they will be getting in the deal. Once again, that can be worked out by Barcelona converting the transfer from just a direct swap to a player-plus-cash deal.

Verdict

There are likely to be an issue or two when it comes to working out the logistics of the deal, but a swap of Lautaro Martinez and Antoine Griezmann between Inter Milan and Barcelona will benefit all parties involved.

Read | Ultimate XI of players coached by Antonio Conte

Griezmann would be able to put his woes at Camp Nou behind him and start anew, playing in a position and a system he thrives in. Martinez, on the other hand, will get to move to his dream club and play alongside his idol, Lionel Messi. 

Barcelona would be getting their hands on an ideal long-term replacement for Luis Suarez, while Inter Milan will get a world-class player in his peak years who will help them close the gap to Juventus. A win-win scenario for everyone.

The promise of turning things for better at the Camp Nou seems to be withering away as the goal scoring form of Antoine Griezmann has taken a backseat. What started as a promising display of sportsmanship and clinical finishing on the pitch earlier this season, has now been clouded by a failure to communicate between the two unparalleled forwards of our generation �?Griezmann and Lionel Messi.

The 28-year-old Frenchman has been facing a lot of heat due to his sloppiness on the pitch and has only been a recipient of a mere four goals in 15 appearances across all competitions. Giving the benefit of the doubt to the Blaugrana, Griezmann’s performances with his former club Atletico Madrid were spell binding where the Frenchman lead the attack for the Los Rojiblancos. Barcelona expected a similar performance from the Frenchman, but the star forward has failed to live up to his price tag of 120 million euros so far.

Many would argue that he is enduring a poor run of form but if you look closely, the bitter truth of his strained relationship with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez is evident on the pitch.      

The holy trinity is incomplete

FC Barcelona’s President Josep Maria Bartomeu's aspirations to have an MSN (Messi-Suarez-Neymar Jr) like effect from the very beginning has gone for a toss. Barcelona’s European adventures have been less than satisfactory with the most disappointing result coming against Slavia Prague at home in the Champions League.

Credits: AFP/ Josep Lago

The formidable attacking trio the club had in Neymar, Suarez and Messi seemed like an irreplaceable entity, but the lack of trust that both Messi and Suarez have on the Frenchman has drained the entire scheme of things. Messi has time and again refuted reports of any disparities with Griezmann, but the Argentinian forward seems to be going back on his words.

In the recently held encounter against Slavia Prague, there were only four passes between the pair of Messi and Griezmann, three of which came from Messi to the Frenchman. What’s more worrisome is the fact that in the four Champions League encounters this season, the duo has exchanged just 18 passes which is substantially low if considered the fluid passes exchanged between the forwards of various top clubs in Europe.

�?Lionel Messi �?Antoine Griezmann: 4 passes

Antoine Griezmann �?Lionel Messi: 1 pass

Chemistry still in the build. [squawka] pic.twitter.com/pkim1mOk0x

�?Barca Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 5, 2019

"Messi is not someone who talks a lot, and neither am I, so it is a little difficult for us to communicate," a simple statement made by Griezmann a while back is now being echoed across clubs in Europe. The mood in the camp is still eerie and uneasy as far as Messi and Griezmann are considered and it tends to get worse witnessing Suarez and Messi stealing the limelight while the Frenchman waits for a miracle.

Lately, in a La Liga encounter against Celta Vigo, the lack of faith was prevalent when Messi ran down the pitch and into the opponent’s penalty area where Griezmann was waiting with ample of space on the left flank. The Argentinian didn’t acknowledge the presence of Griezmann on the left and took a shot which was deflected by the cross bar. It was just another night of superhuman abilities of Messi when he struck three goals, which included two sublime free kicks while Griezmann waited in the dark.

The chemistry is still lacking.

Messi gets away with not passing to Griezmann but no one cares because his name is not Ronaldo ‍♂�?a href="http://twitter.com/hashtag/Valverde?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Valverde #BarcaSlavia pic.twitter.com/TwTRC2YX1E

�?t (@tylermatel) November 5, 2019

Was it a panic buy?

In order to fulfil the wish of the fans and continuous persuasion from club icons like Messi and Suarez, Barcelona were in full swing to bring Neymar back to the Camp Nou. But after the negotiations fell through, the need of rectifying that damage was evident as an ageing attack was a question that needed answers. Bartomeu convinced Griezmann for a move to Barcelona but the news of the transfer received mixed responses.

Also Read: Neymar and Barcelona: An unfulfilled partnership in 2019

The fans weren’t entirely satisfied as they believed it was a compensatory signing for Neymar. But the crux of the matter remains as despite a dip in form, Griezmann’s transfer has not yet been entirely fruitful. If the club needs to regain their European glory, the club captain and the Frenchman needs to reconcile their differences and embark on tough waters together.

Feature image courtesy: AFP/ Jorge Guerrero

The onset of the 2019-20 La Liga season has also brought new player to its shores. While some switched fulfilling their childhood dreams of playing under their idols, for some it was the beginning of a completely new tangent in their lives. All in all, the summer transfer window was exciting, to say the least as we saw some big names making the moves to some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Here we look at the top signings in the summer transfer window that are tipped to surpass the expectations of their managers and fans alike in Spain.

Joao Felix

(Benfica to Atletico Madrid)

The teen prodigy from Portugal, Joao Felix has made his move from Benfica to Atletico Madrid and will be now playing under the supervision of Argentinian coach Diego Simeone. Felix rose through Porto’s youth ranks and has the goods to play as a winger or an attacking midfielder.

He has the speed and the age to outrun some of the world’s best defenders which were evident on his debut for Atletico in La Liga. Patience is the key with Felix as the �?26 million wonder might just come through.

Antoine Griezmann

(Atletico Madrid to Barcelona)

World Cup winner in 2018 and the leading man for Simeone in Spain’s La Liga, Antoine Griezmann’s move to Barcelona didn’t sit well with Atletico’s fans. Although swaying towards the Catalan giants, Griezmann has been brought in to fill in for the faltering pace of Luis Suarez.

The Frenchman has made a strong start with the Blaugrana in the domestic campaign and might just be the key to help them propel towards a sixth European title. To procure his services, Barcelona shelled out �?20 million to drive him to Camp Nou.

Eden Hazard

(Chelsea to Real Madrid)

Eden Hazard to Real Madrid had been speculated for a long time with Zinedine Zidane showering praise for the Belgian at every given instance. Chelsea were reluctant at first but finally gave in after receiving �?00 million from the Spanish giants.

Hazard will fit perfectly at the Santiago Bernabeu as he can take the role on an offensive front which the Los Blancos have been lacking since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Also, it was time for Real’s president Florentino Perez to bring back the Galactico era back to the Bernabeu.

Frenkie De Jong

(Ajax to Barcelona)

The Catalonians paid �?5 million to get one of the hottest properties in world football at present to bring him to Camp Nou. Despite a stellar season with Ajax in the Netherlands, his notable performance against Barcelona’s arch-nemesis Real Madrid was the highlight of what was about to come.

Ernesto Valverde was pleased that the versatile midfielder will don the colours of the Blaugrana in the 2019-20 campaign.

Nabil Fekir (Lyon to Real Betis)

Real Betis swooped just in time to bring Lyon’s Nabil Fekir to Spain, otherwise, Liverpool were up and running to get the French international to Anfield. Fekir possesses the ability to play both as a forward or an attacking midfielder, switching roles at ease.

Betis had to offer �?9.75 million and the Frenchman is already up and running, having scored two goals in his first three domestic appearances in the league. 

Feature image courtesy: AFP/ Gabriel Bouys

Antoine Griezmann said he knew it would be tough settling in at Barcelona, but it may have proven harder than he thought.

Barca play at home to Inter Milan on Wednesday looking for lift-off in the Champions League after a goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund made for an underwhelming start to their latest bid for success in Europe. 

Griezmann also has something to prove after two steady but unspectacular months, elevated by moments rather than the consistency Ernesto Valverde would have hoped for when the Frenchman's 120-million-euro release clause was activated last summer. 

"Against Bilbao he was not as involved as we would like," Valverde said at the start of the season. "But it is also up to the team to allow our strikers to participate more." 

When Griezmann scored twice in the next game, against Real Betis, before tossing glitter above his head at Camp Nou, it felt like he had made his big introduction and not just because of the theatrics. 

But five La Liga games have since brought only one more goal and assist while a handful of rather muted displays have left a sense of a player finding his feet, despite excelling in La Liga for the past nine seasons. 

After last week's win over Villarreal, Griezmann was asked about his start at Barcelona. "It's different," he said. "It's a different type of football, a different position and I knew it was going to be difficult to adjust. 

"But I feel like I'm improving every game and that's it. Three goals, it's not bad right? I can do better, but I just arrived. I work for the team and if I can score or assist, even better." 

Griezmann has reason to defend himself. He joined a team that after five games had posted its lowest points total in 25 years, with last season's collapse against Liverpool still lingering, not least for Valverde, whose future is never secure. 

He also arrived as one of the world's premium strikers but found his new club pursuing Neymar for the duration of the summer, as if the Brazilian might add something he could not. 

There were relationships to repair too, with Barcelona's fans and players, after Griezmann not only turned them down 12 months before but embarrassed them, by announcing his decision in a documentary. 

- Inconsistency -

"I've spent very little time with him to be honest," Lionel Messi told Diario Sport last month. "Since I returned, I’ve been injured and training on my own. 

"They went on tour and when they came back we saw each other a little in the dressing room but I’ve not been there in the training sessions. We’ll have the opportunity to share a lot of things."

Once in position, Griezmann has been played in "different positions", three times down the middle as a lone striker and five times on the left of the front three. 

In his eight games, there have been six different attacking combinations, the revolving pair around him involving all of Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele, Rafinha, Carles Perez, Ansu Fati and Messi. 

"He is a player who can play in several positions," Valverde said. "We have to see who plays but it's clear the system has to accommodate the players." 

When he announced he would be leaving Atletico in May, Griezmann said he wanted a fresh challenge and he would have been under no illusions about the inevitable dimming of status alongside the likes of Messi, Suarez and Dembele. 

The emergence of the 16-year-old sensation Fati and 21-year-old Perez has added two more into an already-crowded attacking roster. 

But consistency has been hard to come by in a team ridden with inconsistencies and in that context, Griezmann's start has been encouraging. Against Inter, he will hope for something more.