There is a rich lineage of captains who have lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy, a celebrated piece of silverware that 53 countries will be vying to claim following the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying draw on Sunday.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Henri Delaunay Cup's first public appearance at Paris's Parc des Princes, where it was presented to USSR captain, Igor Netto. He passed away on 30 March 1999, but is not forgotten. "It isn't by chance that our national team's greatest moments are tied to his name," said Viktor Ponedelnik, scorer of the extra-time goal in the 2-1 final victory against Yugoslavia. "He was a shy and modest man, but a national-team captain needs to be someone special – and he was. He helped the coach create a collective unit and he was a leader capable of inspiring everybody in the toughest moments of a game."

Netto was the first to engrave his name on a roll of honour which reads like an encyclopaedia of leadership qualities. After wearing the captain's armband in 70 of his 94 appearances for Italy and lifting the trophy in 1968, Giacinto Facchetti went on to become the president of his beloved FC Internazionale Milano. Theodoros Zagorakis, who lifted the trophy in Lisbon in 2004 and was capped 120 times by Greece, assumed the presidency of PAOK FC and put the club on the road to recovery.

When, one after the other, they became champions of Europe in the 1970s, Franz Beckenbauer and Anton Ondruš could hardly have imagined that, three decades later, they would meet on UEFA's Football Committee – the former as chairman, the latter as a member. Or that they would do so under the presidency of Michel Platini, captain of the 1984 champions. Mr Platini followed the path trodden by Beckenbauer to become the second man to coach his national team after leading them to European glory as captain. They were followed by Jürgen Klinsmann.

The playing roles and personalities of the winning skippers may be diverse, but the common denominator during the last half-century has been the piece of silverware they have received: the Henri Delaunay Cup, named after the first general secretary of the French Football Federation. Prior to the first final tournament, the cup was designed by Paris jewellers Arthus-Bertrand and that particular piece of silverware was the one presented to 12 winning captains until Zagorakis. What Spain's Iker Casillas received from Michel Platini in Vienna in 2008 was a new crown, maintaining the style and shape of its predecessor but, like the competition itself, it has grown – from 48cm to 60cm. Crafted in sterling silver by Asprey of London, it is engraved with the names of all the previous winners. Who will step up to receive it in 2012?