The UEFA Champions League, which started in the 1992/93 season, is the grandest platform for the finest forwards in football. It has been turned out over the years to some staggering goalscoring feats, and mesmerising performances
Table of Contents
- From European Cup to Champions League
- European Cup: The First Great Goal-Scorers
- Cristiano Ronaldo: Record-Breaker
- All-time UEFA Champions League top scorers (excluding qualifying)
- Lionel Messi: The One-Club Legend
- All-time UEFA Champions League top scorers (excluding qualifying)
- Top European Cup/Champions League scorers (including qualifying rounds)
- Champions League top scorers by season (group stage/league phase to final)
From European Cup to Champions League
Until 1992 the competition was known as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, established in 1955/56. As it was a pure knockout competition, so the teams played less games in each season.
Real Madrid triumphed in the inaugural edition, having to contest just seven matches to win the trophy.In comparison Real Madrid had to play 13 matches en route to the 2023/24 Champions League title.The additional games in the current format also give today’s players more scoring opportunities.
European Cup: The First Great Goal-Scorers
The European Cup, officially the European champion clubs cup, began in 1955 as UEFA’s first major men’s club tournament.
Real Madrid dominated the early years and won the first five titles in a row. Argentinian-born forward Alfredo Di Stéfano became the competition’s first true star. He scored 49 goals, a record that stood for 37 seasons until the tournament became the Champions League.Portuguese legend Eusebio came closest to that mark. He netted 47 goals while leading Benfica to replace Madrid as Europe’s most feared side for a time.
Then came Gerd Muller of Bayern München in the 1970s. He struck 34 goals in only 35 matches, an incredible rate of 0.97 goals per game. For decades, no player with at least 20 appearances matched that efficiency until Erling Haaland arrived.
49: Alfredo Di Stéfano (ARG/ESP, Real Madrid)
47: Eusébio (POR, Benfica)
36: Ferenc Puskás (HUN, Honvéd, Real Madrid)
34: Gerd Müller (GER, Bayern München)
30: Francisco Gento (ESP, Real Madrid)
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Cristiano Ronaldo: Record-Breaker
Cristiano Ronaldo stands as the all-time top scorer in both the UEFA Champions League and all UEFA club competitions.
He waited 27 matches before scoring his first Champions League goal for Manchester United.After shifting to a central striker role, he began to score with remarkable consistency, especially during his years at Real Madrid.
On 18 April 2017, Ronaldo made history. He became the first player to hit 100 Champions League goals, completing a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in his 137th appearance.Ronaldo owns five Champions League titles one with Manchester United and four with Real Madrid.He is also the only player to score in three Champions League finals and has recorded eight Champions League hat-tricks.
All-time UEFA Champions League top scorers (excluding qualifying)
140: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus)
129: Lionel Messi (ARG, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain)
105: Robert Lewandowski (POL, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern München, Barcelona)
90: Karim Benzema (FRA, Lyon, Real Madrid)
71: Raúl González (ESP, Real Madrid, Schalke)
57: Kylian Mbappé (FRA, Monaco, Paris, Real Madrid)
57: Thomas Müller (GER, Bayern München)
56: Ruud van Nistelrooy (NED, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid)
50: Erling Haaland (NOR, Salzburg, Dortmund, Manchester City)
50: Thierry Henry (FRA, Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona)
48: Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United)
48: Andriy Shevchenko (UKR, Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea)
48: Mohamed Salah (EGY, Basel, Roma, Liverpool)
46: Filippo Inzaghi (ITA, Juventus, AC Milan)
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Lionel Messi: The One-Club Legend
Lionel Messi is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in the total number of Champions League goals overall, but he has records that nobody can match.He scored 120 Champions League goals while playing for Barcelona, the most by anyone at a single club, and more than Ronaldo’s next-closest 105 for Real Madrid.
He scored in 18 consecutive Champions League tournaments. He scored in 16 consecutive seasons for one club. Both of those are all-time records.
He joined Barcelona when he was just 13 years old and stayed with the club for 20 years. In that time, he won four Champions League trophies, ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey crowns,
and three UEFA Super Cups.Messi was the second player ever to score 100 goals in the Champions League and was the top (or joint-top) scorer in six different seasons, which is just one fewer than Ronaldo.
All-time UEFA Champions League top scorers (excluding qualifying)
120: Lionel Messi (ARG, Barcelona)
105: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR, Real Madrid)
78: Karim Benzema (FRA, Real Madrid)
69: Robert Lewandowski (POL, Bayern München)
66: Raúl González (ESP, Real Madrid)
57: Thomas Müller (GER, Bayern München)
45: Mohamed Salah (EGY, Liverpool)
42: Kylian Mbappé (FRA, Paris)
42: Alessandro Del Piero (ITA, Juventus)
38: Antoine Griezmann (FRA, Atlético de Madrid)
36: Sergio Agüero (ARG, Manchester City)
36: Didier Drogba (CIV, Chelsea)
35: Thierry Henry (FRA, Arsenal)
35: Ruud van Nistelrooy (NED, Manchester United)
Top European Cup/Champions League scorers (including qualifying rounds)
141: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus)
129: Lionel Messi (ARG, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain)
105: Robert Lewandowski (POL, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern München, Barcelona)
90: Karim Benzema (FRA, Lyon, Real Madrid)
71: Raúl González (ESP, Real Madrid, Schalke)
60: Ruud van Nistelrooy (NED, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid)
59: Andriy Shevchenko (UKR, Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea)
57: Kylian Mbappé (FRA, Monaco, Paris, Real Madrid)
57: Thomas Müller (GER, Bayern München)
52: Mohamed Salah (EGY, Basel, Roma, Liverpool)
51: Thierry Henry (FRA, Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona)
50: Erling Haaland (NOR, Salzburg, Dortmund, Manchester City)
50: Filippo Inzaghi (ITA, Juventus, AC Milan)
Champions League top scorers by season (group stage/league phase to final)
| Season | Top Scorer(s) & Club(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Raphinha (Barcelona), Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund) | 13 |
| 2023/24 | Harry Kane (Bayern), Kylian Mbappé (Paris) | 8 |
| 2022/23 | Erling Haaland (Man City) | 12 |
| 2021/22 | Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) | 15 |
| 2020/21 | Erling Haaland (Dortmund) | 10 |
| 2019/20 | Robert Lewandowski (Bayern) | 15 |
| 2018/19 | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) | 12 |
| 2017/18 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) | 15 |
| 2016/17 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) | 12 |
| 2015/16 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) | 16 |
| 2014/15 | Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Neymar (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) | 10 |
| 2013/14 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) | 17 |
| 2012/13 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) | 12 |
| 2011/12 | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) | 14 |
| 2010/11 | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) | 12 |
| 2009/10 | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) | 8 |
| 2008/09 | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) | 9 |
| 2007/08 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) | 8 |
| 2006/07 | Kaká (AC Milan) | 10 |
| 2005/06 | Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan) | 9 |
| 2004/05 | Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) | 8 |
| 2003/04 | Fernando Morientes (Monaco) | 9 |
| 2002/03 | Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) | 12 |
| 2001/02 | Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) | 10 |
| 2000/01 | Raúl González (Real Madrid) | 7 |
| 1999/2000 | Mário Jardel (Porto), Rivaldo (Barcelona), Raúl González (Real Madrid) | 10 |
| 1998/99 | Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Dwight Yorke (Manchester United) | 8 |
| 1997/98 | Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus) | 10 |
| 1996/97 | Milinko Pantić (Atlético Madrid) | 5 |
| 1995/96 | Jari Litmanen (Ajax) | 9 |
| 1994/95 | George Weah (Paris Saint-Germain) | 7 |
| 1993/94 | Hristo Stoichkov (Barcelona) | 5 |
| 1992/93 | Franck Sauzée (Marseille) | 5 |
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