On this day: France win historic Euro 1984
It was written in the stars. A competition born from the vision of Henri Delaunay, a Frenchman, finally saw its trophy lifted by one of his own. As the sun set over the Parc des Princes, Michel Platini held aloft the silverware that had eluded France for decades. EURO 1984 was theirs, and on home soil.
Les Bleus sealed their triumph with a 2-0 victory over Spain, courtesy of goals from Platini himself—his ninth of the tournament—and Bruno Bellone. The final was played in front of President François Mitterrand, who described France’s run as being driven by “the soul of a team.”
Driven by the 'Carré Magique'
France arrived at the tournament as favourites, but they exceeded all expectations. Led by coach Michel Hidalgo and the iconic "Carré Magique"—Platini, Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse, and Luis Fernandez.
After an opening 1-0 win over Denmark (Platini scoring the only goal), Les Bleus stepped up. Back-to-back hat-tricks from Platini followed in the 5-0 rout of Belgium and a nervy 3-2 win over Yugoslavia, sending France into the semi-finals with momentum—and a star in full flight. "We had to win, the whole of France expected it," recalled Fernandez to UEFA.com.
"Michel Hidalgo’s genius was fitting multiple number 10s into one team," added Platini. In what many still regard as one of the greatest matches in European Championship history, France met Portugal in the Marseille semi-final. They led through Jean-François Domergue, only to fall behind in extra-time. With seven minutes remaining, Domergue equalised before Platini struck the winner in the 119th minute, sparking pandemonium at the Vélodrome.
"Jean Tigana told us he had never won a penalty shootout," Platini later laughed. "We knew we had to finish it before then."
Despite the emotion of the semi-final, the final against Spain felt almost like a formality. Platini’s free-kick in the second half squirmed under Spanish keeper Luis Arconada, and Bruno Bellone’s late goal sealed history. The streets of Paris erupted. The next morning, L’Équipe’s headline simply read: "Ils l’ont fait" – They did it.
📊 The key stats from Euro 1984
🏟️ France remains the only host nation to win the EURO since the final stage expanded to eight teams in 1980. Five other hosts have reached the semi-finals, and Portugal reached the final in 2004—like France in 2016.
🔥 France were unstoppable in 1984, not only winning the EURO but also all 12 of their friendly matches that year.
🇪🇸 Spain, the finalists, had impressed in qualifying, becoming the first team to earn more than 10 points under the two-points-per-win system. Their legendary 12-1 victory over Malta allowed them to pip the Netherlands to qualification.
🐓 Péno, the tournament’s mascot, was the charming cartoon rooster who would later find a spiritual successor in Footix for the 1998 World Cup—also won by France on home soil.
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