Michel François Platini · France
Photo : Public domain — Panini (Wikimedia Commons)
Platini won three consecutive Ballons d’Or between 1983 and 1985, which nobody had done before and only Messi has done since. He was a midfielder who scored like a striker — 68 goals in 147 league games for Juventus, most of them from outside the box or from free-kicks he took with a technique coaches spent the decade trying to teach.
Euro 1984 is the tournament that belongs to him more completely than any other player owns any other competition. France won it at home and Platini scored nine goals in five matches, including two hat-tricks and the opener in the final. No player has scored nine in a single European Championship before or since, and the runner-up total is five.
His later career at UEFA ended badly, with a 2015 ban over a payment from FIFA that removed him from football administration. It complicates his legacy without touching the eight years in which he was the best player in Europe.
Club career
| Years | Club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–1979 | Nancy | 181 | 98 |
| 1979–1982 | Saint-Étienne | 104 | 58 |
| 1982–1987 | Juventus | 147 | 68 |
| Total | 432 | 224 |
International career
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976–1987 | France | 72 | 41 |
Honours
Dashed = runner-up.
Related legends
Career figures compiled from public records. Competitive senior appearances only.