Records that were broken during EURO 2024
EURO 2024 has drawn to a close, cementing Spain’s legacy in the sport as the first four-time European champions. However, that wasn’t the only record broken during the tournament…
Youngest player: Lamine Yamal (Spain) – 16 years, 338 days
FC Barcelona’s latest prodigy, Lamine Yamal, became the youngest player in Euro history when he took the field in Spain’s opening game against Croatia.
At just 16 years and 338 days, he surpassed Polish player Kasper Kozlowski and pushed English superstar Jude Bellingham to third place in the youth list. Despite this, Bellingham remains the youngest player to have participated in two Euros.
Youngest goalscorer: Lamine Yamal (Spain) – 16 years, 362 days
It was fitting that Yamal scored his goal in the semifinal against France, just before turning 17. The figure of 16 years and 362 days sounds more magical than 17 years and 1 day – even though it’s only a five-day difference.
Youngest manager: Julian Nagelsmann (Germany) – 36 years, 327 days
At 36, Nagelsmann is still young enough to play, but he has been coaching for eight years already and done exceptionally well. Though Germany was stopped in the quarter-finals this time, their entertaining style was a testament to Nagelsmann’s skill.
Youngest captain: Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary) – 23 years, 243 days
Typically, the captain’s armband is given to the most experienced players on the team. However, Szoboszlai showed true leadership qualities in a match against Scotland when his teammate Barnabas Varga collapsed after a severe collision. Instead of just watching, Szoboszlai rushed to grab the stretcher and helped his friend – that’s what leaders do!
Youngest debut goalscorer: Arda Güler (Turkey) – 19 years, 114 days
Injuries and tough competition haven’t allowed Arda Güler to show his true potential at Real Madrid, but at the Euros, the Turkish wonderkid displayed his talent by scoring a screamer against Georgia in his first match.
By doing so, he became the youngest debut goalscorer, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s previous record of 19 years and 128 days from 2004
Oldest goalscorer: Luka Modric (Croatia) – 38 years, 289 days
On the other end of the age spectrum, Real Madrid legend Luka Modric became the oldest goal scorer in Euros history by scoring against Italy. The previous record was held by Austrian Ivica Vastić, who was 38 years and 257 days old when he scored against Poland in 2008.
Oldest player: Pepe (Portugal) – 41 years, 117 days
Modric’s 38 years pale in comparison to Pepe, who continues to play at 41 years old like a young deer on the field. To illustrate his longevity: Pepe made his debut for Portugal a month after Lamine Yamal was born. Seventeen years and five Euros later, Pepe is still going strong as a key player!
Most EUROs: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 6
Five Euros is impressive, but six is legendary. Cristiano Ronaldo has now appeared in six European Championships since 2004.
Surprisingly, this was the first Euros where Ronaldo didn’t score. His previous tournaments: 2004 (2 goals), 2008 (1), 2012 (3), 2016 (3), and 2021 (5) total to 14 goals – Euros record.
Most assists: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 7
Although Ronaldo didn’t score this time around, he managed to register two assists, thus surpassing Czech legend Karel Poborský.
Fastest goal: Nedim Bajrami (Albania) – 23 seconds
Incredibly, four of the six fastest goals in Euros history were scored during this tournament. However, none could beat Albanian Nedim Bajrami, who shocked Italy (and the world) by scoring already in the 23rd second of the match.
Fastest goal in knockout stages: Merih Demiral (Turkey) – 57 seconds
One of the aforementioned quick goals happened in the knockout stages when Turkish defender Merih Demiral scored against Austria in the 57th second. If not for Bajrami’s goal a week earlier, this would have been the fastest goal in Euro history – the previous record was held by Russian Dmitri Kirichenko, who scored 67 seconds in, in 2004 against Greece.
Latest goal in regular time: Kevin Csoboth (Hungary) – 99 minutes and 32 seconds
In addition to early goals, there were plenty of late goals in this Euros, like Jude Bellingham’s 90+5 minute goal and Mattia Zaccagni’s 90+8 minute goal, which saved England and Italy, respectively.
However, the latest goal in regular time was scored by Kevin Csoboth, who gave Hungary a 1-0 victory over Scotland in their last group match. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to get them to the play-offs.
Most bookings: Turkey vs. Czech Republic – 18
When it comes to the most card-heavy matches in history, the 2006 World Cup match between Portugal and the Netherlands, known as the Battle of Nuremberg, comes to mind, with Russian referee Valentin Ivanov issuing four red cards and 16 yellow cards.
During this Euro, Turkey and the Czech Republic nearly matched that, with Romanian referee István Kovács issuing a record 18 yellow cards, in addition to two red cards. Since this match also took place in Germany, perhaps it will be remembered as the Battle of Hamburg?
