Fans worldwide have been anticipating UEFA Euro 2016 since the last installment ended, and so far, it generally has not disappointed. All 24 teams have played, and hosts France became the first to book their spot in the quarter-finals as they overpowered new boys Albania 2-0 on Wednesday.
And as is the case with any tournament, there are plenty of new records to be set. Let's have a look at some of these - both those which have already happened and those yet to come.
1. Four time marksman
One thing that we didn't get to see on matchday one was Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Cristiano Ronaldo finding the back of the net. Both men, of course, are the skippers of their respective teams and are the all time top goalscorers for Sweden and Portugal. Both players have the weight of their entire nation resting on their shoulders.
And both Zlatan and CR7 are on the cusp of setting a European championship record - to become the first player to score in four Euro tournaments. Both superstars have scored in the past three, and it will be very interesting to see who reaches this milestone first.
Other three-time Euro goalscorers include:
- Thierry Henry (2000, 2004, 2008)...
- Jurgen Kilnsmann (1988, 1992, 1996)...
- and Portuguese duo Nuno Gomes (2000, 2004, 2008) & Helder Postiga (2004, 2008, 2012)
Zlatan vs Cristiano: Who will be first to score at Euro 2016?
2. Making it a three-peat
As we all know, Spain came into this tournament as the reigning Euro champions. More significant is the fact that La Furia Roja are the two-time defending champions. That, in itself is an unprecedented achievement. However, should Vicente del Bosque's men prevail on July 10th, they will achieve two new milestones in one swoop: to become the first side to make it a three-peat and clinch a fourth Euro trophy.
Two-time reigning title holders Spain will have the opportunity to set two records should they win the final this July
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They will face some stiff competition, as Germany are the other side to have won three. Will either of them make history on July 10th?
3. Goals, goals, and more goals
Back during the 1984 European championship, legendary midfielder Michel Platini netted a whopping nine goals in just five matches. Whilst that feat will likely never be repeated, his record, however, is very likely to be broken at this tournament.
Who are the contenders? Well, the same men who can become the first players to score in four Euro tournaments: Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both stars have six goals thus far, and whilst they have yet to open their accounts, don't bet against one (or both) from matching - and breaking Platini's 32-year-old record. The only other contender so far for this achievement is England's Wayne Rooney, who has five Euro goals so far.
CR7 could also become the first player to be the tournament's top goalscorer in consecutive editions. The Real Madrid ace was one of several players to score three at Euro 2012, and other players included Mario Mandzukic, Fernando Torres (who won the Golden Boot due to a better minutes ), Mario Gomez, and Mario Balotelli.
Two of these players, Gomez and Mandzukic are also featuring at this competition, so they could also theoretically become the first to achieve this feat.
4. The old man's still got it
Here's one record that has already been broken at UEFA Euro 2016: the oldest ever player to participate. In this edition, it was a race between Ireland's Shay Given and Hungary's Gabor Kiraly.
Kiraly was the starting shot-stopper during Hungary's shock win over Austria. And not only did he record an impressive shut-out, but did so at the ripe old age of 40 years and 75 days! This beats former German captain Lothar Matthaus's record, who was 39 years and 91 days when he featured at Euro 2000.
Not a bad way to start a tournament...40-year-old Gabor Kiraly was in inspired form as Hungary beat Austria 2-0 on June 14th
5. Most number of appearances
So far, the record is 16, which was set by iconic French defender Lilian Thuram at Euro 2008. He's joined by legendary Dutch shot-stopper Edwin van der Sar.
The closest any player has come to matching this is 14. And only two - Spain's Iker Casillas and the aforementioned Cristiano Ronaldo are featuring at this tournament.
Although Casillas was replaced by David De Gea against the Czech Republic, don't be surprised if he does receive some game-time in this competition. As for CR7, he obviously will be starting in Portugal's next two matches - so at the very least, someone's going to match this achievement.
We've also seen some new records set. Gareth Bale, Vladimir Weiss, and Birkir Bjarnason are all the first players to score for debutants Wales, Slovakia, and Iceland respectively in a Euro championship.
And there will be more to come between now and July 10th.
