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20 Greatest European Championship Moments of All-Time

By Jon O'brien

Famous figures from football history gathered on the pitch before the European Cup final between Leeds United and Bayern Munich, (back row from left) Marquitez, Matt Busby, Miguel Munoz and Keizer, (front row from left) Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa, Jose Augusto, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Famous figures from football history gathered on the pitch before the European Cup final between Leeds United and Bayern Munich, (back row from left) Marquitez, Matt Busby, Miguel Munoz and Keizer, (front row from left) Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa, Jose Augusto, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) /
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Famous figures from football history gathered on the pitch before the European Cup final between Leeds United and Bayern Munich, (back row from left) Marquitez, Matt Busby, Miguel Munoz and Keizer, (front row from left) Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa, Jose Augusto, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Famous figures from football history gathered on the pitch before the European Cup final between Leeds United and Bayern Munich, (back row from left) Marquitez, Matt Busby, Miguel Munoz and Keizer, (front row from left) Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa, Jose Augusto, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) /

The history of the European Championship may not quite stick in the memory as much as the World Cup, but since its inception way back in 1960, it’s produced almost as much drama, intrigue and wonder as its more global counterpart.

With the newly-expanded 15th edition set to kick off at the Stade de France on June 10 – the last time that the prestigious tournament will be staged in just one country – we’ve trawled through the archives to find the greatest and most significant incidents the competition we all know and love as the Euros has had to offer over the past 56 years.

From show-stopping golden goals and jaw-dropping displays of skill to highly intense penalty shootouts and hot-headed meltdowns, not to mention possibly the most surprising winners of a major international trophy ever – these are the kind of moments that we’ll be hoping to see plenty more of this summer.

Next: The very first match