To celebrate the arrival of the Euro 2008 championships, we look at each of the nations in turn and their connections, tenuous or otherwise, with Bristol Rovers.

The only German-born player to represent Bristol Rovers in League football was Wilf Smith, a Rovers full-back between March 1975 and November 1976. Born Wilfred Schmidt in Neumünster on 3rd September 1946, Smith's name was anglicised on his arrival in England as a young child. As a talented defender, he appeared in the 1966 FA Cup Final for Sheffield Wednesday, who lost 3-2 to Everton, and also played for Brighton and Millwall before joining Rovers in a £20,000 deal from Coventry City. Smith played in 54 League games for Rovers, scoring twice, before joining Chesterfield and has since become a successful retail businessman in Yorkshire.

Stéphane Léoni, a French-born full-back who played in 27 (plus 11 as sub) League games for Rovers between 1998 and 2000, signed for the German Second Division side Greuther Fürth in February 2004. He did not make their first team and, after three appearances for their amateur side, returned to France to join Rouen in July 2004.

Geoff Taylor, who appeared three times in Rovers' colours in the 1951-52 season, was coach at seven German clubs between May 1955 and his retirement in 1984. Starting as player-coach at VFR07 Kirn, he subsequently coached at Sobernheim, Idar Oberstein, Weierbach, Bergen, Schwarzerden and Bundenbach.

Kevin Westaway's football career was ended by serious injuries sustained in a road accident in Germany. He had appeared in just two League games for Rovers in 1981 and 1982. James French, born in Germany, and Thorsten Dinkel, formerly of Aschaffenburg, have played for Rovers reserves in recent years.

When England defeated West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final, the future Rovers player Alan Ball was in the England side. Ball represented Rovers in 17 League games, scoring twice, in the 1982-83 season. Geoff Hurst, who scored three goals that day in 1966, was the son of Charlie Hurst, a former reserve player at Eastville. Six of the England side that day played against Rovers in the Football League and three more did so in cup competitions, leaving Nobby Stiles as the only 1966 winner who never played against Rovers in competitive football. Jack Charlton and Geoff Hurst played against Rovers and managed sides against Rovers.

The England side that lost to West Germany in the 1970 quarter-final included the future Rovers player and manager Terry Cooper at left-back. The only two members of the England team that lost to Germany on penalties in the 1990 semi-final who played against Rovers in League football were Trevor Steven and Peter Beardsley, though both Terry Butcher and Paul Gascoigne did so in cup-ties.

Alec Eisentrager (Bristol City, 1949-58), Uwe Hartenburger (sent off for Reading v Rovers, January 1994) and Detzi Kruszynski (Brentford, 1992-93) are all German nationals who have opposed Rovers in League action. Moritz Volz, the former Schalke player born in Siegen, was in the Fulham side that lost to Rovers in the FA Cup in January 2008.

Several other opponents also played in German football. Alex Nyarko, in the Everton side in the League Cup in September 2000, played for Karlsruhe; Dean Thomas (Wimbledon, Northampton and Notts County, 1984-93) was with Düsseldorf; David Mitchell (Swindon Town, 1992-93) was at Eintracht Frankfurt: Rui Marques (Leeds United, 2007-08) played for four German sides including VfB Stuttgart; Abdou Sall (Kidderminster Harriers, April 2002) is still playing for St Pauli; Danny Sonner (Port Vale, December 2005) was at Preussen Köln; Dariusz Dziekanowski (Bristol City, December 1992) played for Alemannia Aachen; Thomas Gravesen (Everton, September 2000) was with Hamburg. Fred Spiksley, who played for Watford against Rovers in the Southern League in March 1906, coached 1FC Nürnberg to the German championship in 1927.