Lone ranger: The only man to win EURO as player, coach

By Peter Ochieng

The UEFA European Football Championship, simply known as EURO was founded in 1958, contested by UEFA members' senior men's national teams, determining the continental champion of Europe every four years.

It started as a four-team competition, before it metamorphosed into its current format that enrolls 24 teams.

Spain and Germany are the most successful teams in the history of the tournament, having won 4 and 3 titles each respectively. Spain’s last title win was in 2024, when they defeated England 2-1 in the final, when Germany hosted the last edition.

On the other hand, Germany’s last title triumph came way back in 1996. Over the years, multiple records have been set and broken in similar fashion.

The records include Portugal ace Christiano Ronaldo topping the scorer’s chart with 14 goals after 30 matches, spanning 6 tournaments between 2004 and 2024.  

Ronaldo broke former French striker Michel Platin’s record of 9 goals in the tournament, set in 1984.

Unlike the FIFA World Cup or the African Cup of Nations which have been won by three and two men respectively as players and coaches, only one man has won EURO as a player and coach.

And that is where Germany legend Berti Vogts comes in. The former defender was part of the West German side that lifted the second EURO title in 1972, in Belgium.

Only four teams (Belgium, Soviet Union, Germany and Hungary) participated in the fourth edition, with West Germany beating the Soviet Union (modern day Russia) 3–0 in the final. Gerd Müller (twice) and Herbert Wimmer scored for Germany.

The Germany side was captained by defender Franz Beckenbauer. The squad consisted of the likes of Jürgen Grabowski, Uli Hoenes, Jupp Heynckes, Michael Bella and Horst Köppel among others.

When his playing days ended, Vogts became coach of the West Germany under 21 national team, and continued in that role until 1990.

In 1986, he became an assistant manager of the senior national side, juggling his time with the U21 side. He was promoted to manager of Germany in August 1990, succeeding his former teammate, Franz Beckenbauer.

England hosted the 10th EURO edition in 1996, featuring 16 teams for the first time. Germany landed in group C, alongside Italy, Czech Republic and Russia.

Vogts Germany topped the group with 7 points, after beating Czech Republic 2-1, thrashing Russia 4-0 and managing a 0-0 draw against Italy.

Germany then beat Croatia 2-1 in the quarterfinals, before defeating hosts 6-5 via post-match penalties after the semi final match ended 1-1 in regulation and extra time.

On 30th June, 1996, Germany and Czech Republic met again in the final after their group match up.

The Germans won 2-1 after extra time to be crowned champions for the third time, with their head coach becoming the only man to win the EURO title as a player and coach.