Champions League All-Time Leading Scorers: Full List

Only two players in Champions League history have scored over 100 goals in the competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo won five Champions League titles.
Cristiano Ronaldo won five Champions League titles. / IMAGO/Marca

The best goalscorers in soccer, past and present, have all delivered on Europe's biggest stage.

No matter how many goals players score across Europe's top five leagues, finding the back of the net in the Champions League just means more. From group stage—now known as the league phase—hat tricks to all-important finishes in the UCL final, each Champions League goal goes toward building a legacy for both player and club.

Originally called the European Cup when established in 1955, the tournament did not become the Champions League until the 1992–93 season. Both iterations of the competition have an impressive list of goalscorers, but the Champions League is home to the greatest players of all time.

Check out the 12 top goalscorers in UCL history.


Champions League All-Time Leading Scorers: Full List

Goals

Player

Club(s)

140

Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus

129

Lionel Messi

Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain

99

Robert Lewandowski

Borussia Dortmund, Bayern München, Barcelona

90

Karim Benzema

Lyon, Real Madrid

71

Raúl

Real Madrid, Schalke

56

Ruud van Nistelrooy

PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid

54

Thomas Müller

Bayern Munich

50

Thierry Henry

Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona

49

Kylian Mbappé

Monaco, Paris-Saint Germain, Real Madrid

48

Zlatan Ibrahimović

Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United

48

Andriy Shevchenko

Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea

46

Filippo Inzaghi

Juventus, AC Milan

This list excludes qualifying.

Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo is the competition's greatest ever goalscorer. The Portugal international bagged 140 Champions League goals throughout his illustrious career. He won the competition once with Manchester United and four more times with Real Madrid, and is still the only player in history to score in three UCL finals.

Although it seems impossible to catch up to Ronaldo's 140-goal haul, there are still three players on the list competing in the Champions League: Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller and Kylian Mbappé. Lewandowski is the closest to Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but at age 36, the striker's time is running out.

Of the 12 top UCL goalscorers, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry, Mbappé and Zlatan Ibrahimović are the only players to never lift a Champions League trophy.


Who Has the Most Champions League Hat Tricks of All Time?

Both Ronaldo and Messi are tied for the most Champions league hat tricks of all time with eight each. Messi bagged all of his as a Barcelona player while Ronaldo scored seven with Real Madrid and then one with Juventus.

Behind the two greats is Lewandowski with six UCL hat tricks. The Poland international recorded one with Dortmund, four with Bayern Munich and one (so far) with Barcelona.

Karim Benzema rounds out the list with four hat tricks of his own during his time with Real Madrid.


European Cup All-Time Leading Scorers: Full List

Goals

Player

Club(s)

49

Alfredo Di Stéfano

Real Madrid

47

Eusébio

Benfica

36

Ferenc Puskás

Honvéd, Real Madrid

34

Gerd Müller

Bayern Munich

30

Francisco Gento

Real Madrid

This list includes qualifying rounds.

The European Cup features more elite goalscorers in the sport's history, including Alfredo Di Stéfano, who won the competition five times with Real Madrid.

The only other player to score more than 40 goals in the competition was Benfica's Eusébio.


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Amanda Langell
AMANDA LANGELL

Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer covering the European game and international competitions.