Who is the oldest player to have appeared at a EURO?

No longer fated to be remembered solely for his choice of trousers, ‘Pyjama Man’ set a record as the oldest player at a EURO as he helped to steer unfancied Hungary through to the last 16. There they lost 4-0 to Belgium, but Király’s block from Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick was voted UEFA’s Save of the Season for 2015/16.

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Matthaus looking a bit dejected / Ben Radford/Getty Images

Matthäus’s appearance against Portugal at UEFA EURO 2000 had made him the oldest player to figure at a UEFA European Championship – until Király’s intervention – and also marked his 150th and final cap for Germany. He was thoroughly upstaged on the day as Sérgio Conceição scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win for Portugal.

The former Sturm Graz and Austria Wien man came off the bench with 26 minutes left against Poland in a UEFA EURO 2008 group game and salvaged a 1-1 draw for Austria by converting a late penalty. It was his 14th national-team goal on his 50th outing and made him the oldest player to score at a final tournament. Goran Pandev became the second-oldest scorer in EURO history when he struck for North Macedonia against Austria on Matchday 1 of UEFA EURO 2020.

It should first be noted that Ricardo Carvalho was aged 38 years and 53 days when the Portugal squad that he was a part of lifted the UEFA EURO 2016 trophy. However, as he did not appear in the final itself we have given this particular accolade to Mühren.

In the 1988 final in Munich, Mühren delivered the ball for Van Basten to give the Dutch a two-goal lead against the USSR. “Only when we came back to Holland did we realise the madness, the sheer joy and the celebrations that were going on,” he recalled.

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Jens Lehmann in action for Germany in the UEFA EURO 2008 final / MLADEN ANTONOV/Getty Images

Following a successful career with Schalke, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, Lehmann was on course to bow out of international football on a high in 2008, only to be denied a winners’ medal by Spain. It was scant consolation that he established a record that night as the oldest player to have appeared in a EURO final.

The only player over 30 to have scored in a EURO final, Holzenbein met a Rainer Bonhof header in the 89th minute in Belgrade ?to even the scores for West Germany at 2-2 in the 1976 decider, the world and European champions having trailed 2-0 to Czechoslovakia. Antonín Panenka had the final word as Czechoslovakia won the final on penalties.

Roma hierarchy want Granit Xhaka to force through move from Arsenal

Negotiations between Arsenal and Roma over the sale of Granit Xhaka have reached a stalemate and the Serie A side want the midfielder to pressure his current side into reaching an agreement.

Xhaka, currently on international duty with Switzerland at Euro 2020, was thought to be closing in on a move to Jose Mourinho’s new side, but talks have slowed in recent days with an agreement over a transfer fee proving elusive.

Roma’s general manager Tiago Pinto is said to want the midfielder to ‘apply some pressure’ on his current employers to reduce their asking price for the 28-year-old.

Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claim there is an appetite from all parties to complete the transfer but neither club are willing to budge on the figure despite Xhaka agreeing personal terms with the Giallorossi.

Xhaka, who captains Switzerland, has insisted he is fully focused on Euro 2020 but hardly shut down the rumours pertaining to his expected departure when asked recently.

He said: “I have another two years contract in London. And at Arsenal, they know what they got in me. When the time comes and if we can, we’ll talk about a transfer.

“Honestly, I haven’t heard what Mourinho said. But that makes you proud.

“Everyone knows Mourinho and what he has achieved. Mourinho knows how to win titles. You can now see the work I have done over the past few years.”

Arsenal are said to want £17m for the midfielder, who enjoyed a good season personally and is one of the key players in Mikel Arteta’s side. He played 74% of the Gunners’ total minutes in the Premier League and even filled in at left back in the absence of Kieran Tierney.

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Granit Xhaka is a divisive figure among the Arsenal fans / Pool/Getty Images

Xhaka’s contract at the Emirates Stadium runs until 2023 but with the club hoping to raise funds to assist in Arteta’s rebuild of the playing squad, he is one of a number of players who have been made available for transfer.

Signed back in 2016 for in excess of £40m, you can understand why the Arsenal hierarchy are reluctant to lower their asking price. When you consider they’re going to need £30m+ if they’re to land one of Yves Bissouma or Ruben Neves as his replacement, they’re right to stick to their guns.

Twitter reacts to Patrik Schick’s incredible lob against Scotland

The days seem to go by quicker when a major tournament is on. Before you know it, you’re having your lunch and tucking into the first of three successive games. Beautiful stuff.

Scotland braced itself for their first appearance at a major tournament since the 1998 FIFA World Cup, with 12,000 fans allowed into Hampden Park for their opening Euro 2020 group stage fixture with Czech Republic.

And while those 12,000 roared them on like the old days of Hampden, they fell behind to a header from Patrik Schick shortly before half-time.

The 25-year-old rose highest from a cross and powered it beyond a helpless David Marshall, but little did anyone know what would happen minutes after half-time.

Both sides came racing out of the gates, with Che Adams making himself a nuisance and causing the Czech Republic some real problems.

Jack Hendry tried his luck from all of 30 yards out, but his shot was easily blocked. The ball rolled back into Scotland’s own half and into Schick’s path, and…well, have a look for yourself.

What an effort, what confidence. A moment in European Championships history that Schick has etched and one that will live on forever.

The Guardian even veered away from their seemingly automated score updates to appreciate the effort.

But obviously not everyone was too happy with Scotland going two down…sorry, lads.

While Schick tore it up with Sampdoria a few years ago, he’s had mixed spells since with Roma, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.

Obviously, your opinion of him varies based on which of those experiences you endured.

And everyone loves an ill-advised big-money move off the back of a major tournament. Do your thing, Everton.

Who’s looking forward to Schick trying his luck from the halfway line in every game a la Charlie Adam, then?

Who is Patrik Schick? Czech Republic’s early Euro 2020 hero

Euro 2020 fever is gripping everyone around the continent, and we do love it when a wonder goal is scored to bring the tournament alive.

Well, for this particular edition, Patrik Schick is the man we can thank for scoring the first sensational goal of the tournament, after he caught David Marshall cold from 49.7 yards (the furthest goal since records began in 1980) to double Czech Republic’s lead over Scotland.

But what else has Schick achieved in his career and was such a spectacular goal really a surprise? Here’s a deep dive into everything there is to know about him.

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Schick is a threat in the air, but also competent with the ball at his feet / Pool/Getty Images

Schick, like many of his Czech Republic international teammates, is very dangerous in the air, making the most of his 6’2 frame.

But thinking that’s his main strength is many teams undoing, as Schick is more than capable with the ball at his feet and is known to have a crisp left-footed finish on him.

Not only can he score all kinds of goals, he’s also good at dropping deep to bring his teammates into play – either via cute link-up play with his back to goal, or having turned to spin his marker.

Schick is a graduate of Sparta Prague’s academy, who currently are nurturing young striker Adam Hlozek – a player featured in 90min’s Our 21 series for Euro 2020 and one tipped to reach the very top of the game.

He was a pretty prolific goalscorer from an early age, and starred for Czech Republic at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level. In fact, his form was so good for the latter, that it didn’t take long for interest from abroad to be firmed up with an offer.

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Things didn’t go well for Schick at Roma / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/Getty Images

Sampdoria were the side to take a punt on 20-year-old Schick in the summer of 2016, paying Sparta €4m for his services.

In his first season in Italy, Schick bagged 11 goals in 32 Serie A games, and soon Juventus were sniffing around. But after triggering a release clause in his contract, thought to be worth €30m, he failed two separate medicals, and instead it was a loan deal to Roma that was concluded.

Sadly, his stay in the Italian capital was less than fruitful – he scored just five goals in 46 appearances – and he departed I Giallorossi in 2019 to join ambitious Bundesliga newbies RB Leipzig – managed by now Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann.

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Schick has found form in Germany / Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Schick had often been played out of position at Roma, but he was back up front in Germany and showed exactly what he could do in his favoured role.

Injuries hampered his 2019/20 campaign, but the Czech still struck up a pretty decent partnership with Timo Werner – when he was a prolific goalscorer back in Germany.

Ten goals in 22 appearances was enough to persuade Bayer Leverkusen to fork out €26.5m for him, and there he’s netted 13 goals in 36 games in all competitions to date.

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Schick doesn’t have a great injury record / Paolo Rattini/Getty Images

One thing that’s hampered Schick’s progress is his tendency to pick up niggling injuries.

He’s never been sidelined by one particular problem for any length of time, but the 25-year-old averages three to four injuries per season looking at his track record.

Last season, he was sidelined for over a month at Leverkusen with a muscle fibre injury, while he also has a history of minor ankle problems.

Czech Republic have quietly assembled a strong squad in the past couple of years, and Schick is the inspiration up top.

In his country’s opening Euro 2020 clash against Scotland, he rose highest to glance past David Marshall to give his side the lead, before scoring a goal of the tournament contender at the beginning of the second half.

Pouncing on a mistake by Jack Hendry, Schick expertly lobbed the ball over Marshall as he sprinted over the halfway line – netting with precision from nearly 50 yards.

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Schick has a decent strike rate for his country / GEOFF CADDICK/Getty Images

Schick’s not played as many internationals as you might have expected him to, but his goalscoring record is impressive nevertheless.

He scored three Nations League goals during the 2018/19 campaign, four in Czech Republic’s Euro 2020 qualifiers and two in their opening game of the tournament against Scotland.

13 and counting for the gifted forward.

Patrik Schick scores crazy long-range goal in Euro 2020 clash with Scotland

Goodness me.

Throw in your Schick puns. Partridge it up. And pick your jaw up off the floor when you get the chance, because Patrik Schick scored an absolute banger in the Czech Republic’s Euro 2020 clash with Scotland on Monday afternoon.

Having headed in a first-half goal to put the hosts 1-0 down, the Bayer Leverkusen forward went one better seven minutes into the second half.

Picking the ball up on the halfway line as his side broke away on the counter, Schick took one look up, spotted Scottish goalkeeper David Marshall off his line and launched an unreal David Beckham-esque lob over his head and into the net.

You can catch the goal below.

It was much to the despair of the crowd at Hampden Park – who hadn’t seen their Tartan Army in a major tournament fixture for 23 years – and condemned them to defeat ahead of Friday’s group clash against England.

Have you ever seen a better European Championship goal than that?

Goodness me.