BERLIN: Prior to the final match today (July 14) between Spain and England, here are a few of the records that were broken during the past month at Euro 2024.
Youngest player and scorer:
Spain’s rising star Lamine Yamal created history during his country’s first match against Croatia as he became the youngest player to ever participate in a European Championship game at the age of 16 years and 338 days. This achievement surpassed the previous record set by Poland’s Kacper Kozlowski, who was 17 years and 246 days old when he played at Euro 2020. Hailing from Barcelona, Yamal further etched his name in the history books by becoming the youngest player to score a goal at the Euros during Spain’s 2-1 victory over France in the semi-finals, at the age of 16 years and 362 days.
Oldest scorer:
Luka Modric made history as the oldest goalscorer of the tournament after scoring in Croatia’s last match, a 1-1 draw against Italy. At 38 years and 289 days old, he surpassed the previous record held by Austrian Ivica Vastic by 32 days. Unfortunately, Croatia’s elimination in the group stage marked the end of Modric’s appearances in the tournament.
The fastest-ever goal:
Albania’s Nedim Bajrami scored the quickest goal in European Championship history, finding the back of the net after only 23 seconds in their match against Italy. Bajrami shattered the previous record of 67 seconds set by Dmitri Kirichenko of Russia against Greece in 2004. Despite his impressive feat, Albania ended up losing the game 2-1. Merih Demiral of Turkey later scored the second-fastest goal in the tournament, scoring against Austria in the round of 16 after just 57 seconds.
Oldest player:
Portugal defender Pepe set a new record as the oldest player ever at a European Championship when he played in his team’s opening game against the Czech Republic at the age of 41. He then surpassed his own record when he appeared in the quarter-final against France at the age of 41 years and 130 days. This achievement surpassed the previous record set by Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, who was 40 years and 86 days old when he played at Euro 2016.
Ronaldo’s sixth Euros:
Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 39, aimed to secure the title of the oldest goalscorer but was unable to surpass his own record of 14 goals during Portugal’s journey to the quarter-finals. He notably missed a penalty against Slovenia in the round of 16. Despite this, Ronaldo did manage to achieve other milestones. Making his debut in the tournament back in 2004, he participated in his sixth European Championship in Germany, setting a new record. With a total of 30 appearances, Ronaldo has played at least seven more games than any other player.
