UEFA Euro 1972

Host country and Venues
Host country: Belgium.
Venues:
1. Brussels: Heysel Stadium
2. Liège: Sclessin Stadium
3. Brussels: Stade Émile Versé
4. Antwerp: Bosuil Stadium

History
This tournament was the fourth UEFA European Football Championship with the finals taking place between June 14th and June 18th in 1972. The group stage qualifying competition in 1970 & 1971 and the Quarter Final Qualifying in 1972, the following nations participated in the Euro 1972 finals. 1972: West Germany make their mark. European champions Italy finished runners-up at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, but they were far from favourites to defend their European title in 1972.

Franz Beckenbauer receives the trophy after his team beat the USSR in the final

As West Germany powered to glory, AFC Ajax dominated the European club landscape, Luxembourg won Eurovision and Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi was found after 28 years in the jungle.

Ajax hold the European Champion Clubs Cup aloft

European champions Italy finished runners-up at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, but they were far from favourites to defend their European title in 1972. Further north, West Germany coach Helmut Schön was assembling a team many regard as the greatest to grace the competition, including Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Uli Hoeness, Günter Netzer and Gerd Müller. They did not disappoint, crowning an imperious run with a resounding 3-0 win against the Soviet Union, still the largest margin of victory in a UEFA European Championship final.
Winners: West Germany
Runners-up: Soviet Union
Third: Belgium
Fourth: Hungary
Top scorer: Gerd Müller (West Germany) – 5
Did you know?
Winners West Germany totally dominated the 1972 European Player of the Year poll with Beckenbauer, Müller and Netzer occupying the top three positions.Also in 1972European Champion Clubs' Cup winners: AFC Ajax (2-0 v FC Internazionale Milano)
European Footballer of the Year: Franz Beckenbauer (FC Bayern München)