The 10 Greatest Strikers In UEFA European Championship History Have Been Named And Ranked

Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the best striker in the history of the European Championship ahead of Dutch legend Marco van Basten.

The 36-year-old Juventus forward is Portugal's most capped player and all-time record scorer.

Ronaldo missed out on silverware early in his Portugal career after his side lost 1-0 to Greece in the final of Euro 2004.

However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner captured his first major piece of silverware with Portugal at Euro 2016.

Ronaldo will once again captain Portugal at a major international tournament as the defending champions prepare for the forthcoming Euro 2020.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star will become the first player in history to appear at five European Championships this summer.

And Ronaldo is currently tied with three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini in the all-time top goalscorers at the Euros (both on nine apiece).

Read More:

• Portugal's insane squad depth is proof they're ready to dominate Euro 2020 and beyond
• The best centre-backs in world football
• Cristiano Ronaldo incredibly sprinted box-to-box in just 10 seconds in 87th minute of Spain vs Portugal

PA

Now, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards have ranked the 10 best strikers at the Euros during an episode of the Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast.

Both Richards and Shearer placed Ronaldo top of a star-studded pile, while the pair agreed on Van Basten as second and Thierry Henry came third.

Premier League legend Shearer said that the Portugal captain had taken "goalscoring ability to ridiculous levels now" alongside Lionel Messi.

Meanwhile, former Manchester City right-back Richards claimed Ronaldo has become an "inspiration to any young kid and adult," adding that he "deserves to break the goalscoring record at the Euros."

Posted below are the 10 best strikers in the history of the European Championship.

PA

Alan Shearer (England): Shearer: 10th & Richards: 8th

PA

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden): Shearer: 8th & Richards: 10th

PA

Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands): Shearer: 9th & Richards: 9th

PA

Antoine Griezmann (France): Shearer: 7th & Richards: 7th

PA

Wayne Rooney (England): Shearer: 6th & Richards: 6th

PA

Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany): Shearer: 5th & Richards: 5th

PA

Gerd Muller (West Germany): Shearer: 4th & Richards: 4th

PA

Thierry Henry (France): Shearer: 3rd & Richards: 3rd

PA

Marco van Basten (Netherlands): Shearer: 2nd & Richards: 2nd

PA

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): Shearer: 1st & Richards: 1st

PA

Topics: Micah Richards, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, UEFA, Antoine Griezmann, Alan Shearer, Euros, thierry henry, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9