Spain won the 17th edition of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Football Championship, commonly referred to as ‘UEFA Euro 2024 or Euro Cup’ by defeating England (2-1) in the finals held at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.
- UEFA Euro 2024 hosted by Germany was held from 14th June to 14th July 2024.
- Spain won the Euro Cup for the record 4th time. Spain previously won the title in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
About UEFA European Football Championship 2024:
i.The UEFA European Championship is a quadrennial (held every four years) international football championship organised by UEFA for the European men’s national teams.
ii.24 teams, including the host country Germany, qualified for the 2024 tournament.
Awards and honours:
i.The official all-star team of UEFA EURO 2024 has representatives from Spain, England, France, Germany and Switzerland.
ii.Player of the Tournament: Rodrigo Hernández Cascante (Rodri) of Spain
iii.Young Player of the Tournament: Lamine Yamal of Spain
iv.Player of the Match (finals): Nico Williams of Spain
v.Golden Boot: Six players share the Golden Boot (leading-scorer) award: England’s Harry Kane, Spain’s Dani Olmo, Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo, Germany’s Jamal Musiala, Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze.
Prize Money:
The total prize money for Euro 2024 is 331 million Euro, the same amount as in Euro 2020. Each of the 24 teams gets a minimum of 9.25 million euros.
- Winners: Spain (28.25 million Euro)
- Runner-up: England (24.25 million)
Additional info: The Euro Cup was first held in 1960. The next Euro Cup will be held in 2028 and the tournament will be co-hosted by England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Germany’s Thomas Müller Retires from International Play
Germany’s Thomas Müller (34-year-old) announced his retirement from international football. During his 14-year career, he has played 131 times for Germany and scored 45 goals. He is Germnay’s third-most capped player, after Lothar Matthaus (150) and Miroslav Klose (137).
i.Müller’s final appearance for Germany was as a substitute during the quarter-finals of the Euro Cup against Spain.
ii.Müller made his international debut for the German national team in March 2010.
iii.He has played in four World Cups and four European Championships for Germany. He was also a part of the Germany team which won the 2014 World Cup.
iii.He won the Golden Boot and the FIFA (Fedération Internationale de Football Association) Young Player Award during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
France’s Olivier Giroud Retires from International football
France’s all-time leading goal scorer Olivier Giroud(37 years) announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2024. He scored 57 goals in 137 appearances for France.
i.He is the third most-capped player of France after Hugo Lloris and Lillian Thuram.
ii.He made his debut for France in 2011 against the United States of America (USA).
iii.He was also a part of France’s squad that won the 2018 World Cup by defeating Croatia and became the runner-up of the European Championship 2016.
Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri retires from international football
Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri(32-year-old), a Former Bayern Munich and Liverpool winger, announced his retirement from international football after his 14-year career. He has played 125 matches for Switzerland and scored 32 goals.
i.He is the only Swiss player to appear in seven major tournaments, from World Cup 2010 to Euro 2024.
ii.The 32-year-old made two appearances in Euro 2024 as Switzerland exited from the quarter-finals.
iii.Shaqiri has won the Swiss and German leagues three times each at Fussball Club (FC) Basel and Bayern and has also represented Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer since 2022.
Germany’s Toni Kroos Announces retirement from football
German international midfielder Toni Kroos (34 years old) has announced his retirement from all football after the Euros 2024. He has also played for clubs like Real Madrid; Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
i.Kroos, one of the top ten of Germany’s most capped players, has represented Germany in 114 international matches.
ii.He has won 22 titles and made 463 appearances and has won four Champions League titles, five Club World Cups, four European Super Cups, four La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups while with Real Madrid.
iii.He has won the World Cup with Germany in 2014.
