A
number of top goal scorers in Europe became scoreless while playing in the UEFA
EURO.
Scoring goals is an incredible achievement for every footballer, especially in major competitions, either at the club or international level. For forwards, this is their main task, besides providing assists, opening the space in the final third, or going deep in the second line to help win the ball from the opposition sides.
However, plenty of top goal scorers turn blunt in front of the goal when they compete in top-level
international tournaments. France’s current star, Kylian Mbappe, is the most recent example. The top scorer in the 2022 FIFA World Cup as well as the Ligue 1 Golden Boot winner in the past few seasons has been unable to find the back of the net in EURO. He has been scoreless since the 2020 edition and has yet to open his account in Germany 2024, despite helping Les Blues snatch a narrow 1-0 win over Austria at the opener.
Mbappe is actually not the only name falling into such misfortune. Here are the other notable European goal scorers who were scoreless in EURO history.
David Beckham (England)
Beckham might not have been a forward, but he was one of the consistent goalscorers in big games or tournaments, especially through his sublime free kick. The England captain in the 2000s might have scored one goal in each FIFA World Cup edition. Yet, his luck ran out in Euros.
During his career with The Three Lions, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar was the first choice in EURO 2000 and 2004. He played in all England games but remained scoreless. None of his free-kick attempts found the back of the net. However, he contributed in a different way, through his famous bending crosses and set pieces. Beckham provided five assists in those two editions: three in Netherlands-Belgium 2000, including one for Alan Shearer's goal in a historic 1-0 win over Germany, and two in Portugal 2004.
Ole Solskjaer (Norway)
Beckham’s teammate at Old Trafford, Ole Solskjaer, had the same misfortune. The famous supersub who kept Manchester United tickets in huge demand, especially due to their treble wins in 1998 and 1999, became toothless in the final third while playing for his country in EURO 2000. Solskjaer played in all Norway games at the group stage versus Spain, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia without making a single contribution. Netherlands-Belgium 2000 was the only Euro Solskjaer ever played. The former Cardiff City and Manchester United boss netted 23 goals in 67 matches, but none were scored in major tournaments.
Lineker was one of the anomalies in football history. The Englishman was a prolific goalscorer for his clubs, including Leicester City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Barcelona. He was once the star for the Three Lions in the 1980s and 1990s too, and he featured in two FIFA World Cups and two EUROs.
In the FIFA World Cup, Lineker bagged 10 goals in total. He even won the World Cup top scorer award in Mexico in 1986 with six goals. However, he was unlucky in EURO. The former J-League
side, Nagoya Grampus Eight, was scoreless in both EURO 1988 and 1992. The player who never received a yellow card in his career only managed to make two assists, one in each edition. England had a poor campaign in both editions as they headed to exit at the group stage.
Pedrag Mijatovic (Yugoslavia)
Pedja was a deadly striker in his peak years. He was part of the Yugoslavia golden generation in the late 1980s and 1990s. The former Valencia and Real Madrid man joined the squad when the U20 team won the FIFA U20 World Cup in 1987. Unfortunately, the Balkan War meddled with their prospective success. Yugoslavia was banned for two years within the 1992–1994 period. However, this did not stop Mijatovic from reaching stardom.
He was instrumental in helping Real Madrid win La Liga in 1997 as well as the Champions League in 1998, when he himself scored the only goal of the game in the final, beating Juventus 1-0. Overall, he bagged 115 goals in 321 matches for all his clubs.
On the national team, Mijatovic helped Yugoslavia qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and EURO 2000. Yet he was unable to net a single goal in both competitions. The forward, with 73 international caps, only contributed three assists, one in France in 1998 and two in the Netherlands-Belgium 2000.
Cristian Vieri (Italy)
The Italian striker in the late 1990s and early 2000s was known for his eye for goals. Vieri was strong in the aerial duel, positioning, and power. He was Italy's first choice in major tournaments, unless he was injured. The frontman nicknamed 'Bobo' was even a top scorer in La Liga 1998 and Italian Serie A 2003.
In the FIFA World Cup, Vieri scored nine goals, five in France in 1998 and four in Japan and Korea in 2002. However, he was scoreless in the Euro. The former Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Juventus man had to be ruled out for the 2000 edition due to his injury, while in Portugal in 2004, he could barely be in peak form despite playing in three games. Gli Azzurri eventually failed to progress to the knockout stage.
Gheorghe Hagi (Romania)
Another star from Eastern Europe, Gheorghe Hagi, was scoreless too while playing in three EURO editions. The former playmaker could not find the back of the net in EURO 1984, 1996, and 2000. Nevertheless, that did not mean he was unable to lead his team to progress further. In his third attempt, Hagi successfully brought Romania to the quarterfinals of EURO 2000 after beating England 3-2. The former Real Madrid and Barcelona man provided only one assist during his participation in both editions. Such was in contrast to his performance in the World Cup, when he managed to bag three times and set up six goals in the 1990–1998 editions.
Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
Cruyff might have been a legend. He was the playmaker as well as a decisive goalscorer in De Oranje. He registered 33 goals in only 48 international fixtures, including three goals in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, when the Netherlands advanced to the final. Yet none of those goals were scored in EURO 1976. The former Ajax and Barcelona man was heavily involved in sealing one berth for the final four in Yugoslavia. However, the Netherlands failed to replicate his success in the previous two years. Cruyff was scoreless, and De Oranje lost to the eventual champions, Czechoslovakia, in the semifinal. He then did not take part in the third-place playoff against the host Yugoslavia.
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