EXCLUSIVE: EURO 2024 joint-top scorer Ivan Schranz on Slovakia's run and England heartbreak

The Slovaks impressed throughout the tournament, and although teamwork was key, one man deserves special mention: Ivan Schranz. The experienced 30-year-old forward became the joint-top scorer of EURO 2024 in Germany, and Flashscore spoke exclusively with the Slavia Prague player about that, and more.

Schranz finished at the top of the leading scorer charts alongside Cody Gakpo, Harry Kane, Georges Mikautadze, Jamal Musiala and Dani Olmo. Six stars, including a Bratislava native, shared the prize. All of them scored three goals, but Schranz and Mikautadze needed the least number of matches - four.

"I see it all as very positive, either in terms of the EUROs as a whole, that I managed to get there, which was my primary goal. After that, I wanted to play some minutes in Germany and I did that, as I missed out three years ago," he said.

"The goals came with it, which is great. I am experiencing positive emotions. Being among the top scorers, it's also a kind of satisfaction."

However, Schranz had to wait until the final for official confirmation, as both Olmo and Kane had a chance to go ahead and take the crown. However, neither of them managed to score for the fourth time.

"I was hoping a little bit, but not that I didn't wish them well. I was rooting for myself too, I wanted to stay among the best. In the end it worked out. Especially from the people around me or close to me. They reminded me that there were two days left, then one and it could work out," Schranz said with a smile.

In the end, Spain beat England 2-1 to reign victorious at EURO 2024. Seven games, seven wins. The most goals scored (15) and as many as six players in the official UEFA team of the tournament.

"They really deserved it. Even though the final is always 50-50, starting from 0-0. You can win six games by a class difference, but then get beaten by England. It worked out for them and they are clearly deserved champions," Ivan Schranz continued.

Historically the best Slovak goalscorer at the EUROs

I assume that despite the early end, you had a lot of media duties similar to the Spanish or English who reached the final. What did you manage to do in the last few days? 

"From the media point of view, of course, it was a lot. Just after a loss, however, not so much. I went on holiday with my family to relax and switch off. After the final, when it was confirmed that I was among the top scorers, there was a buzz. There was a lot, which I'm not used to."

Have you had time to realise that you are the top scorer?

"Maybe not yet. I can't quite answer that. I scored three goals and I share the top scorer with five other players. So I don't take it that I scored eight. Sure, it's going to shine in the history charts for life, so I'm aware of that. I suppose later on I'll fully realize what I've accomplished. It's big."

You sound far too modest. You have, however, made an indelible mark on Slovak history, as the greats before you have not managed a similar feat. Do you appreciate it, also based on the historical point of view, all the more?

"Of course. It's definitely a great advertisement for Slovakia that there is a Slovak among the best players. Great, I'm happy about it. Maybe it seems that I'm humble, but I realise that players from big clubs, the biggest national teams... haven't scored more than three. I'm sure that means something too. I try to take it objectively."

Footballers should set themselves the highest goals. Did you go to Germany thinking you would be the top scorer of the championship?

"(Laughs). I've mentioned it many times before that when I left I was joking that I would. I was saying goodbye to my teammates saying, 'You never know, maybe I'll be the top scorer and I won't come back.'

"But I have to repeat that my primary goal was to be in the final squad and to play as many minutes as possible. Then, of course, when I was there, I wanted to score a goal. To win games. The goals were increasing, which is natural for me. You always have to have ambition."

Which of the three goals sticks in your mind the most?

"All three have a huge value. From such a logical point of view, the one with Belgium had a lot of value. It was for three points and my first. But the one that sticks in my mind the most is the one against England. That was in the knockout stage, I managed to score under the stands with our great fans.

"England is England, the origin of football. I will definitely remember it for a very long time. Not everyone gets to play against them and score a goal in the championship. It's great. Shame we didn't get through. We were very close."

The last-16 shouldn't be the maximum

In your introduction, you stressed that the Spaniards are the deserved champions. Looking at Slovakia's journey, was the last-16 really the maximum?

"It certainly wasn't. Before the start of the tournament, we would have said we wanted the last-16. We were playing in a group from which it was possible to advance. Then in the knockout stage, you can come up against top countries and you never know who will be in what form.

"When we saw the English weren't that dominant or convincing, we went into it with the mindset that we wanted to go further. We really believed it was realistic and we showed that on the pitch to the people and the fans. Who knows where we would have got to. The draw was split in a way that we could have reached, maybe, the semi-finals. The other side commanded more respect."

Will those last 60 seconds continue to baffle you for a long time, or do you deal with disappointments like that quickly?

"Honestly, I'm fine. It's football. It just happens. Sometimes it hits me when someone reminds me of it, or I recall memories of the EURO myself. I realise how close we were and what a great shame it is. Where we could have been... Most of the time, however, I'm already dealing with other responsibilities, and my head is busy.

"Life passes quickly, it doesn't allow me to pause or get lost in my thoughts. In spite of everything, we have shown a lot of good things, which is positive. Everything else is as it should be."

Still, was this a flash of Bellingham's genius?

"I don't see it as a flash of genius. It was a bicycle kick, but it was at the end of the game, after a long throw. A situation where I think I'll say to myself that we could have handled it better. Football, unfortunately, brings mistakes. We played against England. It is normal that we make some mistakes. 

"I think if we had defended better, or if it hadn't been at the very end, say in the 60th minute... We wouldn't have been so tired and we would have been able to concentrate better and sort it out. I looked at it with hindsight. Stanley Lobotka was jumping with an opposing player who extended out. If it had been earlier, someone taller than us would have been there.

"Like I said, it's football. It came to him and he reacted quickly there. I wouldn't compare it to a flash of genius. Genius is more suited to the goals of Ronaldo or Bale. Jude Bellingham was in the right place at the right time. A goal from a long ball is not a flash of genius."

You've already hinted that Slovakia showed a lot of good things. You were not intimidated by any of the favourites and played well against the big team. Do you also see a bright future ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers?

"Yes, why not. Of course, a lot depends on the results, how we catch up in the qualification. If we succeed in the first two or three games, everything is immediately positive, but if it doesn't work out then you are under pressure. 

"There are a lot of factors. Just the fact that all the players in that wider squad, which is around 50 footballers, know roughly what their roles are and what is expected of them. They've been to a training camp. When they come to the national team, it's nothing new for them.

"A big plus that makes it easier for us on the field to make ourselves known. Also, because of this, it may dawn on us, we are in better times already. We have great players. The young ones are coming forward."

A man for big games and goals

Let's go back to your goals. Before the start of the EUROs, the question of who would take over the role of leading scorer was up in the air. Your name wasn't mentioned at the top of that list, did you take that as extra motivation? 

"Maybe I perceived it somehow, but I didn't think about it clearly. Most of the onus is always on the striker from the public's point of view. I think that's how people perceive it, even though we usually have three offensive players out there. I haven't had that kind of season or kind of a period in the national team. 

"But I proved to people that it doesn't mean anything. It's about timing, a bit of luck and being in the right place at the right time. At the same time, I benefited from our left side, which was strong. I'm a different type to Haraslin or Suslov. It was the right side that struggled a little bit, so I was often able to move in the spaces at the back post."

I'm also alluding to the fact that you're a man for big goals. You scored against AC Milan. You've managed to progress past Dnipro in the Europa League with two goals and in extra time against Rakow in the Conference League. Do you have a special recipe for making a statement when it's most needed?

"(Smile). They say that about me. I have a nickname in Slavia - the man for big games. In Europe, I score goals, but I don't have a recipe. It's probably just in me that I can find the right moment. Sometimes it's like the bigger the game, the better for me and the more I do well."

You had to wait more than two and a half years for a goal in the national team. Did you feel any pressure with this? 

"I'll be honest, but not at all. I didn't feel this way. I was also injured, I didn't go to the camps. I came to the national team this summer and went to play against Iceland after the first meeting with coach Calzon.

"Since then I've been in the qualifiers. I was getting chances and setting up my teammates, but I wasn't getting the chances myself. I believed in myself, I didn't take it as a tragedy. When you say it's been two years, I'm glad I broke that. I've scored three goals in my whole career for Slovakia and now I've scored the same number in two weeks."

Did Francesco Calzona, under whom Slovakia's game has picked up considerably, give you the necessary confidence and self-belief?

"Definitely. Subconsciously, the fact that we know exactly what the coach wants from us on the pitch gives us confidence. It makes it easier for us to make decisions in given moments and situations. Otherwise you make mistakes, you don't make the right decision.

"Now we know when and how to react. From the first moment, he showed me confidence, which is always key for a player. I am grateful to him for that. Thanks to him I'm playing easier, making better decisions and scoring goals."

Thinking about a transfer

From an individual point of view, are you happy with the season you've had?

"Depending on how we take it. I'm more or less satisfied. I'm sorry that we didn't win the title with Slavia and that we missed out on a big win against England. For practically 95 minutes we had the English where we wanted. We lacked a little bit of luck, a few seconds.

"Overall, however, I am satisfied. I didn't play as much as I did in previous seasons, as injuries slowed me down, but in important games and moments I tried to be good. I did well in Europe and the EUROs was a kind of a cherry on the cake.

"If I was wondering before the EUROs whether the season was a success or a failure, I would have hesitated. After the EUROs, I can say that it is successful and I am satisfied."

Following the tournament, you are being talked about as a candidate for a big transfer. At 30, would you accept it if it makes sense for your family, you and the club?

"I am very happy at Slavia. It's a team that fits me. I've got the fans' support. People like me here, I've built relationships here. I feel valued. It's true that there is a lot of talk, but I don't focus on that at all. I don't want to clutter my head with things like that. That's what agents are for.

"If something comes up and it makes sense to me, the family and the club, I think we'd start to address it. Now after the tournament, the merry-go-round starts in that direction."

What goals do you have for next year?

"I'm going to try to stay healthy and stay in the form I played in at the EUROs in Germany. Other things might come that I can't completely control but I'll deal with it. These are pleasant worries."