Cult Heroes and European Icons: Platini stars as France lifts 1st trophy

During this summer's Euro 2016 in France, theScore will be taking a look at five notable previous winners of the quadrennial continental tournament.

Michel Platini's performance on home soil in 1984 is only matched by Johan Cruyff's wizardry in 1976 as the tournament's best individual display since it's inception as the European Nations' Cup in 1960.

Before he was ousted from his eight-year post as UEFA chief for unethical payments received from FIFA, Platini was one of his era's most dominant footballers.

Just Fontaine was France's first football hero, but it was Platini who guided the country to its first major tournament victory in 1984, when Les Bleus lifted a maiden European Championship courtesy of a heroic performance from its star attacking mid.

An expanded tournament

The previous incarnations of the contest were all short on drama, and even shorter on competitors, as the eight-team 1980 tourney in Italy was preceded by five competitions with only four nations.

"Until 1984, the European Championship had not been blessed with great football," BBC commentator John Motson said. "Until 1980, only four teams took parts in the finals. In 1980, there were eight, but it was a poor tournament."

"Like Jules Rimet and the World Cup, the European Championship was really invented by the French, a guy by the name of Henri Delaunay, whose name is on the trophy." Motson continued, "The question was, could France win the thing that they had started?"

The answer was a resounding yes.

Cementing a legacy

Talent emerges in droves for the French. Today, it's Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Kingsley Coman, N'Golo Kante and Antonie Griezmann, all under 25 and all coming off of noteworthy domestic campaigns for their respective clubs.

The same applied to France's side at Euro 1984.

Platini was the star, but he wasn't alone in his virtues, and it was manager Michel Hidalgo who pulled the strings for a side that played an attractive brand of attacking football.

Platini and future Lyon manager Jean Tigana paired with Alain Giresse and Luis Fernandez to form the "carre magique" (magic square). The quartet dominated Europe in 1984, with Les Bleus winning all 12 of their competitive matches and Olympic gold.

Rife with ball-winners and creative players who could hit a pass, France was a technically superior side crafted by Hidalgo's vision. Still, it was Platini who was the brightest star.

"No-one can repeat what Platini did," Fernandez said years after the tournament.

Platini's nine-goal haul set the standard as France steamed to the final, besting sides by a combined 14-4 margin, with only Portugal in the semi offering any objection.

"It was the only final tournament where I wasn't injured. In 1982 I was injured - I had a groin problem - and in 1986 I was injured - with a nerve problem," Platini reminisced.

"In 1984 I wasn't injured and I was able to perform to my peak. It was a great moment for French football and for French sport as a whole."

The semi-finals extra-time 3-2 victory over Portugal was the tournament's best match. Jean-Francois Domergue equalised for the French before Tigana and Platini teamed up in the 119th minute to fire Les Bleus to the final.

Platini's ninth goal of the tournament and one of Bruno Bellone's two career goals for country - a 90th minute effort to cement the result - were the difference in the final against Spain. Tigana was again sublime and proved his worth as the tournament's second-best player.

Among the continent's elite

"For us, it was also symbolic after the rather special defeat we had suffered in the World Cup semi-final in Seville against Germany in '82. Other than that, France had a very good tournament," Platini offered in victory.

The Euro 1984 win was sandwiched by World Cup semifinal appearances, including 1982's frenetic 5-4 extra-time defeat at the hands of West Germany, a controversial match marred by a horrendous injury to Patrick Battiston.

One of Europe's most dominant years, France paired a first international triumph with an Olympic glory, propelling the nation into the pantheon of the continent's elite.

Perhaps it was Platini who said it best when summing up his side's dazzling display.

"We were superior to everybody and expressed ourselves on the pitch."

That you were.