The Top 10 European Championship Legends

With only four days remaining until Poland and Greece kick off Euro 2012, the excitement is building around the competition.

With the shock wins of Greece and Denmark in recent years, the European Championships have an air of unpredictability to them.

It's a stage where any team can upset the odds.

Players will have the chance to make themselves heroes while their countries look on. Here we take a look at the men who have already achieved this in past tournaments, cementing themselves as European Championship legends.

Who do you think should be remembered as a legend of the competition? Post your comments below.

10. Xavi

Midfield maestro Xavi starts off the list at No.10.

The Spaniard was a vital part of the Spanish team that won the last European Championships in 2008.

Controlling the game from the middle of the park, he scored the opening goal in the semi-final against Russia and was rightfully named the best player of the tournament.

9. Ray Houghton

In Euro '88, Ireland came into their first ever major tournament with the daunting group of the Soviet Union, The Netherlands and England.

Managed by former England star Jack Charlton, Ireland's first match pitted them against the English. After only six minutes, a long Kevin Moran free-kick caused confusion on England's right wing. The ball eventually fell to Tony Galvin, whose cross was shanked by Kenny Sansom to John Aldridge. Aldridge headed it to Ray Houghton, who in turn headed it over Peter Shilton and into the far side of the net.

It may not have been the prettiest goal, but for Ireland, it did not matter as they held on bravely to defeat the English.

8. Angelos Charisteas

The most shocking result in European Championship history came in the 2004 final when Greece overcame massive odds to defeat the host nation Portugal.

The goal that will go down in history was scored by striker Angelos Charisteas.

The 6' 3" striker scored from the Greeks' first corner after 57 minutes, heading in and putting the Greek team in the history books.

Charisteas had already scored the equalizer against Spain that effectively put the Greeks into the quarter finals at the Spaniards' expense. He then followed that up with the winning goal against France in the quarter finals.

However it was the goal in the final that makes Charisteas a European Championship legend.

7. Dragan Dzajic

Described by Pele as "the most natural footballer I've ever seen," Dragan Dzajic wowed fans in 1968 as he led the Yugoslavian team to the final where they ultimately lost out to Italy.

Being only the third European championships to take place, there were only three games for the Yugoslav team to play, including the replay of the final which was drawn 1-1.7

In the first game against World Cup holders England, Dzajic surged into the box and after a nice first touch, stabbed the ball over Gordon Banks to seal the victory in the final minutes of the game. This led to him being dubbed 'Magic Dragan' by the British press

His goal in the final against Italy put the Yugoslavians on the brink of victory, but an Angelo Domenghini equalizer forced a replay which the Italians won 2-0.

Despite this loss, Euro '68 was the moment where Dzajic put his stamp on the game.

6. Matthias Sammer

Playing in the libero role that was formerly occupied by Franz Beckenbauer, Matthias Sammer was the driving force behind the German team that won Euro '96 in England.

Sammer scored twice for the Germans, opening the scoring in the group game against Russia before scoring the winning goal in the quarter-final against Croatia.

It was not just his attacking skill that was important though. Sammer was dominant on both sides of the ball and was a key part of a German defence that only conceded three goals in six games.

He was later named the UEFA Player of the Tournament.

5. Lev Yashin

Going back to the earliest days of the competition, one of the first legends of the Euros was Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin.

Euro 1960 was blighted by mass withdrawals from the competition as West Germany, England and Italy both declined to be part of the new event.

Finally, the finals took place in France and it was Yashin who took centre-stage. Nicknamed 'the Impregnable Spider,' Yashin frustrated a dominant Yugoslav side and limited them to a single goal after the final whistle of a final that they had controlled.

In extra time the Soviets managed to steal the game after a goal from Viktor Ponedelnik, but it was Yashin who was the hero of the triumph.

4. The 1992 Danish Squad

The biggest fairytale story of the European Championships has to be the Danish team that won in 1992.

The Danes had been eliminated in qualifying but were handed a late reprieve as Yugoslavia were banned on political grounds.

With only a week to prepare, the Danes went into the competition free of any pressure.

It is not fair to single out one performer from this team as this was a real team effort. The team was built solidly at the back with Peter Schmeichel between the posts and possessed the attacking flair of Danish legend Brian Laudrup.

Tall striker Henrik Larsen led the teams attack ably, joint top scoring in the competition with three goals.

Denamrk in 1992 pulled off the classic underdog story and they will always be legends of the competition.

3. Zinedine Zidane

From their first match against Denmark to the glory of the final against Italy, there was one man who dominated for the French in Euro 2000: Zinedine Zidane.

His superb free-kick opened the scoring in the quarter final against the Spanish. In the semi-final against the Portuguese, Zidane was masterful in midfield, lauching attack after attack but France could only convery once to take the game into extra time.

Three minutes before the end of extra time, a Sylvain Wiltord shot hit the arm of Abel Xavier and France were awarded a penalty to take them into the final.

An incensed Portuguese team argued against the decision, delaying the penalty by some minutes. Many players would have struggled under the pressure, but Zizou was cool and collected as he blasted the ball home.

Euro 2000 caught Zidane at his best for his country and he was duly awarded the Player of the Tournament award.

2. Theodoros Zagorakis

In the shocking Euro 2004 win for Greece, Theo Zagorakis was the heartbeat that led the team to victory.

Zagorakis was a key part of Otto Reyhagel's three-man midfield whose structure and discipline made the Greeks so hard to break down.

His engine never seemed to falter as he harried the opposition and led counter-attacks of his own. Zagorakis characterized the grit and tenacity that led the Greeks to overcome teams like Spain and Portugal and take home the title.

1. Michel Platini

In his home nation in 1984, Michel Platini put together one of the greatest performances in a major tournament ever.

After the disappointment of a groin injury put him out of the World Cup two years earlier, Platini was on top form to score nine goals in five games. This included two hat-tricks in two consecutive games against Belgium and Yugoslavia.

He scored in every game, with no team able to come up with a way to stop him.

It is unlikely that anybody will ever be able to exert the dominance on a tournament that Platini did in '84, but by the first of July, there may be a new hero on everybody's mind.