History
Wednesday 1 July 2009
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Germany became only the ninth team to claim the UEFA European Under-21 Championship title when they defeated England 4-0 in Sweden in 2009 as, for the first time in four editions, the holders were not on hand to defend their trophy.
Dutch double
The Netherlands took the crown in 2006, retained it on home soil in 2007, but their next defence ended in qualifying – a reflection of just how tough this competition is. The Jong Oranje's recent triumphs had taken them level with Spain, England and the USSR on two wins apiece. All four teams, however, are eclipsed by Italy who have claimed the title a record five times. Yugoslavia (1978), France (1988) and the Czech Republic (2002) are the only other nations to have tasted success at U21 level.
Yugoslavia triumph
The first U21 Championship final in 1978 set the standard for the rest to follow. More than 25,000 crowded into the Pod Bijelim Bregom Stadium in Mostar to see if Yugoslavia could defend a 1-0 lead from the first leg in East Germany. They were not to be disappointed. Vahid Halilhodžić scored a first-half hat-trick in a breathtaking match that ended 4-4, giving the Balkan country the inaugural title 5-4 on aggregate.
Stars of tomorrow
The competition has been living up to expectations ever since, as the continent's most exciting young players offer a tantalising glimpse into what the future of European football might hold. A curling free-kick from Andrea Pirlo in the 2000 final, a diving penalty save from Petr Čech to help the Czech Republic win the trophy two years after that; the stars of tomorrow did it here first.
Stepping stone
The format has changed down the years, but the competition's raison d'être has remained the same: to provide a stepping stone from youth football up to the full international stage. The roll call of great players who have graduated from European football's élite finishing school is testament to its enduring success. Roberto Mancini, Zinédine Zidane, Rudi Völler, Davor Šuker, Luís Figo, Raúl González and Frank Lampard to name but a few have all played their part in making the UEFA European U-21 Championship one of the highlights on the football calendar.
Bulgaria success
Today's prestigious eight-team final tournament enjoys worldwide acclaim, but it has evolved considerably since UEFA first put the idea to its member associations in January 1967. The concept then was for a "Challenge Cup for national representative teams aged under-23". Seventeen associations signed up, from which Bulgaria and East Germany were drawn to play the first match. It was held in Stara Zagora on 7 June 1967, with Bulgaria winning 3-2 to become the first champions. Like in boxing, they were simply required to defend their title against a series of challengers and Bulgaria then Yugoslavia dominated the early years. The foundations for today's competition had been laid.
Azzurrini dominate
It was not until 1976 that the age limit was changed to U21, when UEFA decided the gap between U18 and U23 levels was too great. By now the Challenge Cup format had given way to qualifying groups followed by a knockout competition from the quarter-finals onwards. Yugoslavia prolonged the early eastern dominance by winning that first final in Mostar. Italy, though, would leave the greatest mark on the competition, winning the U21 championship on five occasions, most recently in 2004 when they defeated Serbia and Montenegro 3-0 in Bochum.
Dutch first
Italy were first crowned champions in 1992 and successfully defended their title two years later when for the first time the semi-finals and final were played as a single tournament in France. Pierluigi Orlandini scored the extra-time winner for Italy in Montpellier in the first final to be decided by a single match. The final tournament was expanded to eight teams in Romania in 1998, when Spain interrupted Italy's run of success, but the Azzurrini were back on top in 2000, the year the group stage was introduced in the final tournament. The current format came into place in 2002 when the Czech Republic triumphed in Switzerland.
Germany triumph
In 2007 the event was switched to odd years to avoid clashing with the UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup. So, with the U21 Championship taking centre stage, the Netherlands put on a show on home soil beating Serbia 4-1 in the final to lift the crown. They failed to make it a hat-trick two years later as Switzerland knocked them out in qualifying and it was Germany's time to shine, Horst Hrubesch's team avenging the 1982 final defeat by England with a record 4-0 triumph in Malmo.
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