Every great teams that have won the UEFA Champions League have relied on the abilities of a goalscorer to deliver in the biggest stages. These players have rewritten history, scoring crucial goals to lead their respective clubs to success.
Two players often regarded as the greatest of all-time, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, headlines this list and are joined by other legendary names.
However, with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland rewriting different goalscoring records, it is a matter of time until both players make their way into the leaderboard.
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Join SportPremi as we reveal the top five highest goalscorers in the UEFA Champions League history;
5. Raul Gonzalez (71 goals):
Spanish legend Raul Gonzalez ranks fifth on the UCL all-time scoring chart with 71 goals from 142 appearances between 1995 and 2011.
The iconic forward scored 66 times in the famous white colors of Real Madrid, before going on to score an additional five goals for German side Schalke 04.
Raul also claimed the UCL golden boot twice, in 1999/00 and in the 2000/01 season and is the highest goalscoring Spaniard in the competition history.
4. Karim Benzema (90 goals):
French forward Benzema, scored 90 goals in 142 UCL appearances between 2005 and 2023. The striker began his career at Olympique Lyon, where he netted 12 times in the competition.
He went on to join Real Madrid, where he won the prestigious competition five times, scoring 78 goals.
His most influential campaign was in the 2021/22 season, where he scored 15 times to lead Los Blancos to victory.
3. Robert Lewandowski (105 goals):
The Polish forward dubbed ‘Lewangoalski’ for his prolific goalscoring feats, ranks third on this list with 105 goals in the competition.
He first played in the competition with Borussia Dortmund, netting 17 goals for the club. Lewandowski added to his tally, scoring an additional 69 for Bayern and has already netted 19 times for current club Barcelona.
He remains the only player in this list still actively playing in Europe.
2. Lionel Messi (129 goals):
Known for his solo runs and clinical left-footed finishes, Argentina captain Lionel Messi sits second on the UCL all-time scoring charts with 129 goals.
Messi enjoyed a glittering career at Barcelona, where he scored 120 goals in the competition, making him the highest-scoring player for a single club in the competition’s history.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner went on add nine strikes to his tally at PSG, before putting an end to an 18-year spell in the competition following his move to Inter Miami in 2023.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals):
Renowned as ‘Mr Champions League’, Cristiano Ronaldo stands tall as the highest goalscorer in UCL history with 140 goals. The Portuguese great scored 21 times at Manchester United where he won his first competition.
His most prolific years came at Real Madrid, where he scored 105 goals in the competition in an era of dominance for the club.
He also added 14 more strikes at Juventus, before leaving Europe for Saudi Arabia in 2022.
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