In this read, we look into the top scorers of every UEFA European Championship tournament and the football boots the players wore to receive the prestigious Golden Boot award. From Milan Galić in 1960 to Cristiano Ronaldo in 2020, check out the very best goalscorers of European International football from the past 60 years and explore some of the most memorable models from Nike, Adidas, Puma, Gola, Lawrence, Dunlop, Cruyff Sportswear, and Umbro.
France 1960
With a decently successful European campaign and finishing as the Runners Up with Yugoslavia, Milan Galić made the most of the goal opportunities and his total of 2 goals was enough to win the Golden Boot trophy in the very first UEFA European Championship tournament.
During his active career, Galić played for four clubs, namely Proleter Zrenjanin, Partizan, Standard Liège and Reims. The Yugoslavian representative made 51 appearances for his country and scored a total of 37 international goals; making him the second-highest scorer in the history of the national team, only behind Stjepan Bobek with 38. This prolific goalscorer, along with many other talents, most likely had the Adidas Leather Boots on their feet throughout the length of the tournament as these were the new big thing, with combination material uppers for improved flexibility, and the innovation of replaceable screw-in rubber and plastic studs which made the model adaptable to ground conditions on the field.
Galić was not the only goalscorer to have received the Golden Boot award this tournament. In fact, four more names also met the 2-goal mark, including François Heutte of France. The striker played for Rouen, Lille, RC Paris, Saint-Etienne, Reims, and Clermont; scoring a total of 150 club career goals throughout 14 professional seasons.
The Dunlop ‘Rapido’ Boot was a popular choice at the time, thanks to its lightweight build, streamlined flat shape, and foam-padded interior. They were described as "Italian-style" football boots providing unmatched running, dribbling, and shooting abilities. Having compared the few images available of Heutte from this 1960 tournament, the Frenchman most likely opted for the black and white 'Rapido'.
The third receiver of the Golden Boot award in France 1960 was Soviet Union representative, Valentin Ivanov. It was a great tournament for his nation as they went all the way to the final and beat Yugoslavia for the trophy. In his senior club career, Ivanov played 14 seasons with Torpedo Moscow, making 287 appearances and scoring 124 goals. As for his International career, he made 59 appearances for the Soviet Union and managed to grab 26 goals along the way.
Valentin, along with some of his teammates, appears to be wearing the Dunlop Boot which features a white eyestay, white upside-down ‘V’ detail on the lateral and medial sides of the upper, and a predominantly black leather toe, tongue, quarter, and counter.
Dražan Jerković was another Yugoslavian forward who scored 2 in the very first European Championship campaign. Just two years the senior of his goalscoring partner, Milan Galić, Dražan had a much different club career; beginning with Dinamo Zagreb where he stayed for 11 continuous seasons, scoring 96 goals in 142 appearances and ultimately retiring with the Belgium team, La Gantoise, in 1966. His international career actually began with Croatia in the year 1956 where he made only one appearance without scoring. Four years later, he was part of the Yugoslavia National Team, for which he made 21 appearances and scored 11 goals.
In this era, Adidas focused on introducing a boot that would be lighter and more agile than any other on the market. They wanted wearers to improve their striking of the ball, and so the German brand introduced the innovative Adidas Leather Boots built for a comfortable playing experience.
The fifth and final Golden Boot winner of this 1960 campaign in Europe was Soviet Union striker, Viktor Ponedelnik. Like Valentin Ivanov, Ponedelnik also took a gold medal home from the tournament as his nation lifted the trophy in the final. His senior career began with FC Rostov, before moving on to FC SKA Rostov-on-Don, CSKA Moscow, making a return to SKA Rostov-on-Don, and retiring with Spartak Moscow. As one of the top goalscorers of the club, Viktor remains a club legend of SKA Rostov-on-Don with his very own bronze statue outside Olimp-2. His knack for scoring goals continued into the National Team, for which he scored 20 in just 29 appearances.
Following the trend of this National Team selection, Ponedelnik opted for the Dunlop Boot. This combination-material upper was built for durability and protection but it's also fair to say Dunlop did a fair job of producing an eye-catching design that would break the mould of generic leather high-top boots that look ancient compared to today's modern designs.
Spain 1964
The great Hungarian striker, Ferenc Bene was one of three players in this campaign to have won the Golden Boot award, scoring a total of only 2 goals. His nation finished in third place, earning him and his teammates bronze medals, but Bene is best known for being a part of the gold-medal-winning squad in the 1964 Summer Olympics hosted by Japan, and making two appearances as part of Europe XI between 1972 and '73. His club career with Újpesti Dózsa was incredibly decorated, scoring 303 in 417 appearances.
Bene wore the Adidas Leather Boots designed to be lighter and more flexible than competitor boots such as those of Dunlop, Gola and Lawrence. At this time, the biggest manufacturers were Adidas and Puma. Now Nike dominates the football boot market, however, these German brothers are just behind the American giant.
Dezső Novák was a teammate of Bene in the Hungary National Team, and, this year, Novák also grabbed the European Championship Bronze medal along with the Golden Boot award, despite playing as a defender. Having won gold with Hungary at Japan's Summer Olympics this same year, and a bronze in 1960, Novák later went on to win a second gold medal with Hungary in 1968. After his great club career, he took to management and ultimately retired in '97 with Al-Ittihad long before the widespread popularity of the Saudi Pro League.
Dezső Novák was another great talent to have played in the Adidas Leather Boots which became known for comfort, durability, and adaptability to ground conditions.
The hosting nation had a fantastic year as Spain went the length of the tournament and ultimately lifted the trophy. Chus Pereda was the midfield maestro who scored 2 goals for his country to be awarded the Golden Boot. Born in Medina de Pomar, Pereda never left Spain throughout the entirety of his senior club career in which he played for Indautxu, Real Madrid, Valladolid, Sevilla, Barcelona, Sabadell, and Mallorca. He's best known for winning the European Cup (Champions League) with Real Madrid in the 1957/58 season.
Pereda wore the Gola Europa which was designed for quick reactions with relaxation. These were built with high-quality calf leather and lined with kid leather for a soft and supple feel around your feet. For extra comfort, the tongue, insole, and collar were lined with a soft sponge.
Italy 1968
Finishing as Runners-Up for this campaign was Yugoslavia, however, it was their Left Winger, Dragan Džajić, who won the Golden Boot. He's remembered for being a loyal name of Red Star Belgrade where he made 306 appearances and scored 103 goals, and for being part of the Yugoslavia National Team between 1964 and '79 for which he made 85 appearances and scored 23 goals. In the 1971 Mediterranean Games, Dragan also won gold with Yugoslavia and was a top nominee for the Ballon d'Or award in '68.
Looking at the few photos from 1968 of the Yugoslavian, he appears to be wearing the Lawrence Dart. This unique boot featured a padded insole, an injection-moulded sole, and a durable whole-cut soft leather upper.
Belgium 1972
It was around this time that colour photography became popularised and now we can move from black & white images to see Gerd Müller playing for West Germany in more than a few colours. In this campaign, he scored 4 goals and was the only player to win the Golden Boot award. He played for his hometown club, 1861 Nördlingen, before moving to Bayern Munich and ultimately retiring in 1981 with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. His goalscoring records are mind-boggling; Gerd amassed 487 total club goals in 555 club appearances and 68 goals in 62 International appearances for West Germany.
His first International medal was a bronze from the World Cup hosted by Mexico in 1970, however, Müller struck gold in the following World Cup hosted in West Germany. Some of his most prominent honours include the Bundesliga title (x4), DFB-Pokal (x4), European Cup (Champions League) (x3), European Cup Winners' Cup (x1), World Cup (x1), European Championship (x1), Ballon d'Or (x1), World XI Feature (x3). Such a great player requires the best boots available and so he represented the Adidas 2000, featuring extra soft and water-resistant adicalf leather, foam-cushioned tongue, a nylon sole, and long-wearing Combi studs. With these innovations, Adidas set new standards in athletic footwear.
Yugoslavia 1976
In this European Championship campaign, the player to score 4 goals and win the Golden Boot was Dieter Müller, who, if you were wondering, has no relation to either Gerd or Thomas. In this '76 Euro tournament, West Germany finished in second place and so their players came home with silver medals, however, Dieter has picked up more silverware throughout his professional career, such as the Bundesliga title, DFB-Pokal (x2), Ligue 1 Title (x2).
Dieter appears to be wearing the Adidas Brasil model, described as an "ideal all-purpose shoe". The brand was ahead of the game in marketing; they have always known how to make people believe in the Adidas quality, with their direction, "Look for the distinctive Adidas heel patch as your sure sign of quality".
Italy 1980
With the third West German in a row to win the European Championship Golden Boot, it's clear to see that the country was (and still is) a consistent manufacturer of talented goalscorers. In the 1980 campaign, Klaus Allofs scored 3 goals and helped his nation to lift their second title. 5 years prior to this tournament, Allofs began his senior career with hometown club, Fortuna Düsseldorf, for which he scored 71 goals in 169 appearances. His most notable honours include DFB-Pokal (x4), Ligue 1 Title (x1), Coupe de France (x1), Bundesliga Title (x1), and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (x1). Upon retiring from club football, and after 514 total club appearances and 211 total club goals, Klaus returned to Düsseldorf as a manager, but it was at Werder Bremen where he won the Bundesliga Title and the DFB-Pokal.
His choice of footwear was the Adidas World Cup 1979 which is one of the most iconic football boot designs of all time and featured a kangaroo leather upper, a fold-over tongue, and a classic stud configuration.
France 1984
It must be an incredible feeling to win the European Championship in your home country and Michel Platini experienced it like nobody else. Not only did he take a gold medal home, Platini scored a total of 9 goals (5 more than the previous record holder) to grab the Golden Boot award. This highly decorated player amassed 313 club goals over 582 appearances for the likes of Nancy, Saint-Étienne, and Juventus. He also picked up the Ballon d'Or (x3), Coupe de France (x1), French Division 2 Title (x1), French Division 1 Title (x1), Serie A Title (x2), Coppa Italia (x1), European Cup (Champions League) (x2), European Cup Winners' Cup (x1), European Super Cup (x1), Intercontinental Cup (x1), and of course the UEFA European Championship (x1).
Platini also played in the Adidas World Cup 1979 boots, a truly timeless classic. You can still see players and often referees today wearing this model as it has been continuously redeveloped over the years while retaining the "World Cup" or "Copa Mundial" name.
West Germany 1988
Scoring a total of 5 goals, and collecting this year's European Championship Golden Boot, was Utrecht native, Marco van Basten. The Dutchman also helped his nation through to the final and ultimately win their first Euros title. He played for Ajax and AC Milan and made a combined total of 280 club appearances while scoring an impressive number of 218 club goals. Some of his most prominent honours include the Eredivisie Title (x3), KNVB Cup (x3), European Cup Winners' Cup (x1), Serie A Title (x4), Supercoppa Italiana (x2), European Cup (Champions League) (x2), European Super Cup (x2), Intercontinental Cup (x2), UEFA European Championship (x1), Ballon d'Or (x3), FIFA World Best Player of the Year (x1), and the UEFA Best Player of the Year (x3).
He's the first player on this list to wear boots from the 1979-established Cruyff brand. There is very little information available on these Leather Cruyff Boots, however, looking at the pictures of Van Basten, the classic lace-up boots most likely were constructed with supple calf leather.
Sweden 1992
This time round, the Netherlands only made it as far as the Semi-Finals and were ultimately knocked out of the tournament by Denmark who even went on to win the European Championship title against Germany. Despite this semi-early exit by the Netherlands, the prolific goalscorer, Dennis Bergkamp, still managed to be awarded the Golden Boot award with his total of 3 goals.
The Amsterdam man played for Ajax, Inter Milan, and Arsenal; combining a total of 552 club appearances and 201 club goals. During this impressive club career, he picked up the Eredivisie Title (x1), KNVB Cup (x2), European Cup Winners' Cup (x1), UEFA Cup (Europa League) (x2), Premier League Title (x3), FA Cup (x4), and the FA Community Shield (x3). He's the second, and last, player on this list to represent the Cruyff brand; although wearing a different model of Leather Cruyff Boots.
Playing as part of the host nation, Tomas Brolin matched Dennis Bergkamp's goal tally to also win the Golden Boot award. Playing as a midfielder and forward, Brolin's club career lasted from 1984 until '98 during which he scored 54 goals in 280 appearances. He also featured 47 times for Sweden and scored 27 goals for the Blue and Yellow. Although retiring early at 28 years of age, Tomas picked up a variety of honours including the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (x1), UEFA Cup (Europa League) (x1), UEFA Super Cup (x1), Coppa Italia (x1), and also featured in the 1994 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.
Brolin wore the Nike Tiempo Premier, a popular choice among world-class talents including Romário of PSV Eindhoven who won the Champions League Golden Boot award in the 1992/93 season.
Denmark's Henrik Larsen also scored 3 goals this campaign, however, his efforts may have been more impactful as his nation ultimately went on to beat Germany 2-0 in the final and lift the European Championship trophy. His senior club career lasted 16 years and Larsen made a total of 368 club appearances and scored 47 club goals. Most notably, the midfielder won the Danish Cup (x3), the Danish Superliga Title (x1), and this European Championship.
Henrik wore the Leather Diadora Boots which were most likely the 'Fuego' model that included foam cushioning around the heel for a comfortable playing experience, and a full leather upper for prolonged durability.
The fourth, and final, player to be awarded the 1992 European Championship Golden Boot was German striker, Karl-Heinz Riedle who played for the likes of FC Augsburg, Blau-Weiß Berlin, Werder Bremen, Lazio, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, and Fulham. He made 465 appearances for these clubs and scored 150 goals, while scoring 16 times for Germany over 42 National Team features. He won the previous FIFA World Cup (1990), the Bundesliga Title (x3), the DFL-Supercup (x3), the Champions League (x1), and the EFL Championship (x1).
As we have already picked up, the Adidas World Cup boot was extremely popular among the best players in around multiple leagues. It's such a classic silhouette that its fold-over tongue and white heel collar tab have inspired a range of modern Adidas styles, not only in football.
England 1996
Although this year is one to forget for England fans, Alan Shearer is one to remember. The striker's 5 goals were enough to take home the Golden Boot award, however, England lost to Germany on penalties after a 1-1 result in the Semi-Finals. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he's best known for having played for his hometown club, Newcastle United, however, he also made 63 appearances for England and scored 30 international goals and amassed 283 goals in 559 senior club career features. Although this Golden Boot award is already impressive, Shearer holds the record of 'Most Premier League goals in a Single Match' with 5 goals, the record for 'Most Goals in Premier League History' (260 goals), and the 'Fewest Matches to Score 100 Premier League Goals' record which he set in just 124 matches. Enlisted in the Premier League Hall of Fame, Shearer was simply a special player.
His choice of footwear was the then-recently-released 1996 Umbro Special which was also famously worn by Michael Owen, Pelé, and John Terry. The Italian-made model featured a kangaroo leather upper, a fold-over tongue, and a stitched outsole, and came in black with white and green trims.
Belgium/ Netherlands 2000
In a tournament dominated by France, Patrick Kluivert scored 5 and played a key role in taking the Netherlands as far as the Semi-Finals. Despite being knocked out by Italy via penalty shootout, the Dutch striker still picked up the Golden Boot award. Kluivert started his senior club career with Ajax in 1994 for which he featured 70 times and scored 39 goals. Going on to play for AC Milan, Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia, PSV, and Lille, Patrick had an incredible career in which he amassed 149 club goals over 343 appearances. From 1994-2004, he also picked up 40 international goals during 79 appearances for the Oranje, however, some of his most notable honours are the Eredivisie Title (x3), Dutch Super Cup (x2), UEFA Champions League (x1), UEFA Super Cup (x1), and La Liga Title (x1).
During this Euro's tournament, Kluivert wore the Adidas Predator Precision II which are some of the coolest boots on this entire list. In fact, this was the first Predator model that included a velcro-securable fold-over tongue and replaceable Traxion studs. In 2023, Adidas even remastered the model for a limited edition release.
Savo Milošević also hit the 5-goal mark in this tournament, meaning he took home the Golden Boot award alongside Kluivert despite only going as far as the Quarter Final with FR Yugoslavia. The forward picked up 197 club goals in 476 club appearances in his senior club career which lasted 16 years. Having represented FR Yugoslavia and Serbia, he made 102 combined international appearances and scored 37 goals. Some of his most notable honours include the EFL Cup (x1), Russian Premier League (x1), Yugoslav Cup (x1), and the First League of Serbia and Montenegro Title (x2).
Although models such as the Nike Tiempo Air Brasilia 3, and the Nike Air Rio Zoom II may look like likely matches, the model worn by Savo was the Nike Tiempo Premier 3 M (1998) which barely changed since the previous edition. The most notable introduction to this version was the royal blue swoosh on the soleplate.
Portugal 2004
This was a crazy and unpredictable Euro's tournament as all the favourites to win it, such as France and Italy, came nowhere near the final, yet Milan Baroš and the Czech Republic made it into the Semi-Finals and Greece beat all the odds to lift their one and only European Championship title. Scoring 5 goals throughout this 2004 campaign, Baroš was awarded the Golden Boot award. He also has collected many other prestigious honours such as the UEFA Champions League Title (x1), Ligue 1 Title (x2), EFL Cup (x1), FA Cup (x1), Trophée des Champions (x1), Süper Lig Title (x1), and the Czech Cup (x1).
The Nike Mercurial Vapor II R9 was the signature Nike boot of 'O Fenômeno', the Brazilian Ronaldo. These featured innovative technologies, synthetic and lightweight uppers for speed and performance, and came in bright colourways. Although worn predominantly by Ronaldo and Thierry Henry, Milan Baroš showed he fits right into that famed goalscoring category.
Austria/ Switzerland 2008
Born in 1981 in Langreo, Spain, David Villa was playing at the perfect time to be a part of Spain's Golden Generation which lifted three consecutive international titles. In this 2008 campaign, Villa scored 4 times which was enough to receive the Golden Boot award; he had the Midas Touch. With a well-decorated list of honours, including the Copa del Rey (x3), Supercopa de España (x3), La Liga Title (x3), UEFA Champions League (x1), UEFA Super Cup (x1), FIFA World Cup (x1), UEFA European Championship (x1), and the JFA Emperor's Cup (x1), Villa is a legend of Spanish football and the sport as a whole.
For this European Championship, Adidas had released a collection of boots in the Adidas F50 TUNiT 16 model to represent each participating country. Of course, Villa wore the Spain version which came in a predominantly red colourway and featured an adiDot upper for all-weather play, improved touch and control.
Poland/ Ukraine 2012
The top scorer, and receiver of this year's international campaign, was Fernando Torres with 3 goals which helped Spain ultimately win their third European Championship title. Some of Torres' most notable honours include the UEFA Champions League (x1), FA Cup (x1), UEFA Europea League (x2), FIFA World Cup (x1), UEFA European Championship (x2), and the Segunda División Title (x1).
This year, the Spaniard wore the Nike T90 Laser IV 'Clash Pack' alongside Robert Lewandowski and Wesley Sneijder. The upper material of this model was a synthetic-based 'Kanga-Lite' which was designed to mimic popular kangaroo leather and withstand any playing conditions.
France 2016
France and their talented goalscorer, Antoine Griezmann had an incredible tournament, showing their collective group of world-class players to all eyes across the globe. Although losing in the final against Portugal, Griezmann picked up 6 goals along the journey and became the only Golden Boot winner of the campaign. Throughout his senior club career, the Frenchman played for Real Sociedad, Atlético Madrid, and Barcelona. In total, he scored 196 club goals in 531 appearances but also scored 44 in 130 international appearances for France. Having won the FIFA World Cup (x1), Copa del Rey (x1), Supercopa de España (x1), UEFA Europea League (x1), UEFA Super Cup (x1), and the UEFA Nations League (x1), Antoine looks to extend his list of honours with Atlético Madrid and France.
Designed to grab the attention of everybody on and off the pitch, the Puma evoSPEED 1.5 Tricks came in bright pink and yellow colours; although not loved by all quite like Marmite. Thankfully for Puma, Griezmann managed to pick up some positive publicity for this unique model via his goalscoring abilities.
Europe 2020
The most recent player to have been awarded the European Championship Golden Boot is Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite Portugal being knocked out by Belgium in the Round of 16, nobody outscored Ronaldo's 5. The forward has had an incredible career in which he has scored 547 goals in 700 club appearances and 130 goals in 208 Portugal appearances. Well known for having played at Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and currently Al Nassr, he is one of the most decorated football players of all time. Here is a summary of his honours: Premier League Title (x3), FA Cup (x1), EFL Cup (x2), FA Community Shield (x1), UEFA Champions League (x5), La Liga Title (x2), Copa del Rey (x2), Supercopa de España (x2), UEFA Super Cup (x2), FIFA Club World Cup (x4), Serie A Title (x2), Coppa Italia (x1), Supercoppa Italiana (x2), Arab Club Champions Cup (x1), UEFA European Championship (x1), UEFA Nations League (x1), Ballon d'Or (x5), and the FIFA World Player Of The Year (x1).
Playing in the signature Nike Mercurial Superfly CR7 'Spark Positivity' boots, Cristiano was provided with a truly unique fit, optimum flexibility, improved touch on the ball, and a well-supported ankle and foot. With technologies and modern materials such as Duragon WT, Engineered Mesh, Titan Synthetic, and Avail Q Lining, this boot is easily and unsurprisingly the most innovative on the list.
As we have journeyed through the rich history of the UEFA European Championship, each Golden Boot winner has not only etched their name in footballing history but also showcased the evolution of the game through their footwear. From the classic designs of the early tournaments to the technologically advanced boots of today, each pair has been a witness to moments of brilliance, heartbreak, and unbridled joy on the pitch.
These top scorers, donning their iconic boots, remind us of the ever-evolving nature of football. They are testaments to the fact that while the game changes, the essence of football – the passion, the skill, and the glory – remains timeless. Whether it's the leather-clad feet of Galić in 1960 or the high-tech boots worn by Ronaldo in 2020, each player and their choice of boots have left an indelible mark on the beautiful game.
As we look forward to the outcome of this year's campaign and future tournaments, new players will rise, new boots will debut, and new records will be set. But the legacy of the Golden Boot winners will always inspire the next generation of footballers and fans alike. Here's to celebrating the past, enjoying the present, and eagerly anticipating the future of European football.
Thank you for joining us on this journey through the history of the Euros' Golden Boots. May the stories of these incredible athletes and their trusty boots continue to ignite the spirit of football in all of us.
The big question is: what's your favourite football boot from this list? Leave your comments below!
England 1996 :)