Basten ’ s impossible , sliding 87th-minute goal . In Holland , millions took to the streets for the largest public gathering since the Liberation in 1945 . He capped it all in the final in Munich : his hooked volley over the Soviet keeper , Rinat Dasaev , is often described as the best goal ever scored in an international final .
In 1989 and 1990 his club AC Milan won two European Cups with a team built around the great Dutch trio of Van Basten , Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard . Van Basten was voted European Player of the Year in 1988 , 1989 and 1992 .
But center-backs and surgeons combined to destroy his ankle . Van Basten limped off the stage aged only 28 . At his farewell in Milan ’ s San Siro two years later , his coach Fabio Capello wept on the bench .
Number 14 : Michel Platini Michel Platini is arguably one of the best midfielders ever produced by the European continent . Having scored 98 goals over seven years for Nancy , Platini moved on to Turin giants Juventus in 1982 , from French side St . Etienne . He quickly endeared himself to the Italian fans twice , leading Juventus to the