With the upcoming tournament, Slovakia will host 16 teams as an independent nation for the first time. Will any of these records be broken on Slovak soil?
Two nations share the title of the most successful in this age category. Spain has converted 9 final appearances into 5 titles, while Italy has also secured five championship trophies but required two fewer final matches to achieve this. However, Italy's last overall triumph dates back 21 years. In contrast, Spain had the opportunity to add a sixth title recently but fell short against England in the 2023 final.
Spain is also associated with this record. In the group stage of the most recent UEFA Under-21 Championship on June 24, Spain faced Croatia. Just 20 seconds into the match, Abel Ruiz scored, catching fans off guard. Despite expectations of a high-scoring game, this remained the only goal of the match.
Scoring a hat-trick is commendable, but some young forwards have gone even further. Jan Chramosta (Czech Republic) against Andorra in 2012 and Gojko Kačar (Serbia) against Hungary in 2008 each netted five goals in a single qualifying match. No player has matched this feat in playoff or final tournament matches, making a five-goal performance in the finals an unbroken milestone in youth football.
Some Under-21 European Championship matches have filled stadiums comparable to senior tournaments. A testament to this is the record attendance in 2023, where 44,338 spectators watched the quarterfinal between Georgia and Israel, surpassing the previous record from the 1996 final in Barcelona, which had 35,500 attendees. While Slovak stadiums may not challenge this record, surpassing the total attendance of the last tournament is a realistic goal.
Another record held by Spain occurred in 2005 during a qualifying match against San Marino, resulting in a 14:0 victory. Notable players like David Silva, Fernando Llorente, and Jesús Navas contributed to the scoreline. The return leg was similarly dominant, ending 10:1. For the highest victory in final tournaments, attention turns to Slovakia. In 2000, Bratislava's Tehelné pole witnessed England's 6:0 win over Turkey, with the opening goal scored by a young midfielder who would later become a Chelsea legend—Frank Lampard.
