One of the most well-known and most popular tournaments, the Euro, is coming our way. As all the teams and fans were preparing to witness the best European players and football at its finest, a sudden thought suddenly struck me.
I was thinking to myself about tradition. You know that special confidence a team has because they were great in the past? Even now, some of the favourites to win Euro may use that old glory as a morale booster.
It got me thinking about Euro history and teams with the most trophies. You may have expected to see certain teams listed as the most wonderful in the past, but let’s check how they actually got there.
Germany (3 Titles)
Back when Germany was split into two parts, one of those countries lifted the Euro trophy. In 1972, West Germany qualified for the final tournament, where only four teams competed. The Germans won over Belgium by 2:1 in the semi-finals. In the finals, this national team confronted the Soviet Union and beat them by 3:0.
Two Euros later, this competition featured the same format. The Germans got into the finals only to meet their old rival, Belgium. The Euro previous results show us the exact same score (2:1) these two opponents had eight years before.
Die Nationalmannschaft last won the title in 1996. The contest had a new format, and the Germans played more matches than before. Football enthusiasts could hear the final whistle after Oliver Bierhoff scored a golden goal.
In general, Germans used to have a set of very strong and talented players. They lacked no coaching experts, either. The history of the Euro shows them taking second spot as many as three times at this tournament. I believe that surely tells us enough about their power and resilience.
Spain (3 Trophies)
It was a long time ago that Spain won its first Euro title. Even the contest’s name was different (European Nations’ Cup). The Red Fury hosted Euro 1964 and defeated the defending champions, the Soviet Union, by 2:1 in the finals.
There was a huge gap in Euro history between the first and the second trophy that the Spaniards won. That’s because they waited for 44 years to finally get back on the throne in 2008. La Furia Roja beat the other team with the biggest number of Euro titles, Germany, by 1:0. Fernando Torres’ first half-time goal proved to be enough for Spain to become kings of Europe.
It’s incredible, but the Spaniards were the only ones to defend the Euro title in the history of the Euro contests. Not only that, but the Red Fury completely outclassed one of the main title contenders, Italy. David Silva, Jordi Alba, Torres, and Morata scored a goal each, and let everybody know who reigns in Europe.
