Oldest Goalscorers in European Championship History | Footy Accumulators (2024)

The oldest player to ever score in the European Championships is Ivica Vastic of Austria, at the age of 38. It came in Euro 2008, which Austria hosted, though he was a surprise addition to the squad. Prior to the tournament, he had not played international football in over two-and-a-half years, but was selected in the team by manager Josef Hickersberger.

It was not a successful tournament for the side, as they accumulated just one point from a possible nine, and finished third in their group, above Poland on goal difference. They scored only one goal in their three games, but this came courtesy of Vastic, as he scored an injury-time penalty to equalise against Poland in a 1-1 draw. He came on as a second half substitute, and by doing so won his 50th international cap.

The ex-Inter Milan forward Goran Pandev is second on this list, netting in the European Championships at 37 years old. This came in the most recent tournament at Euro 2020, as he scored North Macedonia’s first ever goal at a major tournament, a 28th minute equaliser against Austria. However, after looking like they were set to gain a huge point, the game was taken away from them in the late stages, with goals from Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautovic securing a 3-1 win for their opponents.

With three losses from three, North Macedonia finished bottom of their group with just two goals scored. However, Pandev’s strike put him just behind Vastic for the record of oldest goalscorer. He retired after the tournament as his nation’s all-time top scorer with 38 goals.

Zoltan Gera is perhaps most known for his time in England playing for both West Brom and Fulham, but he is also the third oldest goalscorer in European Championship history. At 37 years and 62 days, he scored for Hungary in a 3-3 draw against Portugal, which was the final game of the group stages of Euro 2016. It was a stunning goal, as he produced a half-volley from 25 yards out to open the scoring. This goal later ended up being voted the ‘goal of the tournament’.

His side went on to squander the lead three times in this game. However, they still managed to finish top of their group to advance to the knockout stages. They were then eliminated by Belgium, who beat them 4-0 in the Round of 16. At the time, Gera was the second oldest scorer at the tournament, before Pandev overtook him in 2021 by 260 days.

At the age of 36, Gareth McAuley scored for Northern Ireland against Ukraine in Euro 2016. This goal made him the second oldest scorer in competition at the time, though he has been overtaken twice since. It was an important strike, as it marked Northern Ireland’s first goal in a tournament for 30 years. The goal was the first in a 2-0 win, which was also the nation’s first victory in the European Championship. They finished third in their group, but advanced to the Round of 16, where they played against Wales. McAuley found the net once more, but it was at the wrong end as they lost 1-0.

The only active player in this top five is arguably one of the greatest to ever play the game in Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese legend scored five times at Euro 2020 at the age of 36, and has the opportunity to climb to the top of the list this summer. He was the tournament’s top scorer despite playing just four games. At 39-years old, he has just been named in Portugal’s squad, and is set to play an important role once more in the attack, as the nation hope for another deep run.

Ronaldo is the competition’s leading goalscorer with 14 goals, five more than the next highest, who is France’s Michel Platini. He has taken part in five tournaments, the most of any player, and will extend that to six in June. In 2016, he won the trophy for the first time, though was substituted with an injury in the first half of the final. Therefore, he will be desperate for another chance to play in that game, with this potentially being the final international tournament of his career.

After a successful individual season for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, in which he netted 33 times and provided 11 assists in just 29 games, Ronaldo will be hoping to extend this form going into the tournament. In Euros qualifying, he was the second highest scorer with 10, four behind Romelu Lukaku.

As Euro 2024 quickly approaches, there are some players who could be potentially playing in their final tournament. A goal for Cristiano Ronaldo would make him the competition’s oldest ever goalscorer, but who could join him in the top five?

Luka Modric is the most likely player to enter the list in this tournament as he hopes for success with Croatia. He is already the sixth oldest scorer in history having scored at Euro 2020 at the age of 35, and will have what is most likely a final opportunity to climb above Goran Pandev into second at the age of 38. This season, he has scored two goals for Real Madrid.

Another player that could enter this list is the Italian defender Leonardo Bonucci. Last summer, he revealed his intentions to retire from football this summer. After leaving Juventus in September, he joined Union Berlin, before signing for Fenerbache on loan in January. Earlier this year he noted his desire to play for Italy in the Euros, and if he makes the squad and scores a goal, he will enter the top 5 oldest goalscorers at 37 years old. He scored at Euro 2020, with what was Italy’s most important goal, the equaliser in the final against England.

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