Wikipedia

List of UEFA Champions League top scorers

The UEFA Champions League, known until 1992 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or colloquially as the European Cup, is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955. Originally a straight knockout competition open only to champion clubs, the tournament was expanded during the 1990s to incorporate a round-robin group phase and more teams. The expansion resulted in more games being played, increasing players' goalscoring chances; thus the rankings are weighted in favour of modern players: only seven out of the 52 players on the list never competed in the reformed Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the competition's all-time top scorer with 140 goals

With 140 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the all-time top scorer in the Champions League, while his career rival Lionel Messi is the only other player to have reached triple figures. Ronaldo has also finished as the top scorer for the most individual seasons in the competition's history, doing so seven times.

The title of highest goalscorer had previously been held by Raúl, who scored his 50th goal in 2005 while at Real Madrid to overtake Alfredo Di Stéfano.[1] He held the record until November 2014,[2][3] when his eventual tally of 71 was first equalled and then surpassed by Messi.[4][5] Ronaldo has remained the competition's outright top scorer since September 2015; after a back-and-forth exchange of the record between him and Messi, a hat-trick by the former against Shakhtar Donetsk put Ronaldo ahead with 80 goals, and he would not relinquish the top spot again after this.[6]

All-time top scorers

As of 6 November 2024[7][8]
A ‡ indicates the player was from the European Cup era.
Players taking part in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League are highlighted in bold.
The table below does not include goals scored in the qualification stage of the competition.
Rank Player Goals Apps Ratio Years Club(s) (Goals/Apps)
1   Cristiano Ronaldo 140 183 0.77 2003–2022 Manchester United (21/59), Real Madrid (105/101), Juventus (14/23)
2   Lionel Messi 129 163 0.79 2005–2023 Barcelona (120/149), Paris Saint-Germain (9/14)
3   Robert Lewandowski 99 124 0.8 2011– Borussia Dortmund (17/28), Bayern Munich (69/78), Barcelona (13/18)
4   Karim Benzema 90 152 0.59 2005–2023 Lyon (12/19), Real Madrid (78/133)
5   Raúl 71 142 0.50 1995–2011 Real Madrid (66/130), Schalke 04 (5/12)
6   Ruud van Nistelrooy 56 73 0.77 1998–2009 PSV Eindhoven (8/11), Manchester United (35/43), Real Madrid (13/19)
7   Thomas Müller 54 154 0.35 2009– Bayern Munich
8   Thierry Henry 50 112 0.45 1997–2012 Monaco (7/9), Arsenal (35/77), Barcelona (8/26)
9     Alfredo Di Stéfano ‡ 49 58 0.84 1955–1964 Real Madrid
  Kylian Mbappé 49 77 0.64 2016– Monaco (6/9), Paris Saint-Germain (42/64), Real Madrid (1/4)
11   Andriy Shevchenko 48 100 0.48 1994–2012 Dynamo Kyiv (15/26), Milan (29/59), Chelsea (4/15)
  Zlatan Ibrahimović 48 124 0.39 2001–2021 Ajax (6/19), Juventus (3/19), Inter Milan (6/22), Barcelona (4/10), Milan (9/20), Paris Saint-Germain (20/33), Manchester United (0/1)
13   Eusébio ‡ 46 65 0.71 1961–1974 Benfica
  Filippo Inzaghi 46 81 0.57 1997–2012 Juventus (17/26), Milan (29/55)
15   Mohamed Salah 45 83 0.54 2013– Basel (2/6), Chelsea (0/2), Roma (1/7), Liverpool (42/68)
16   Erling Haaland 44 43 1.02 2019– Red Bull Salzburg (8/6), Borussia Dortmund (15/13), Manchester City (21/24)
  Didier Drogba 44 92 0.48 2003–2015 Marseille (5/6), Chelsea (36/74), Galatasaray (3/12)
18   Neymar 43 81 0.53 2013–2022 Barcelona (21/40), Paris Saint-Germain (22/41)
19   Alessandro Del Piero 42 89 0.47 1995–2009 Juventus
20   Sergio Agüero 41 79 0.52 2008–2021 Atlético Madrid (5/14), Manchester City (36/64), Barcelona (0/1)
21   Antoine Griezmann 37 99 0.37 2014– Real Sociedad (0/6), Atlético Madrid (33/76), Barcelona (4/17)
22   Ferenc Puskás ‡ 36 41 0.88 1956–1966 Budapest Honvéd (1/2), Real Madrid (35/39)
23   Edinson Cavani 35 70 0.50 2011–2022 Napoli (5/8), Paris Saint-Germain (30/54), Manchester United (0/8)
24   Gerd Müller ‡ 34 35 0.97 1969–1977 Bayern Munich
  Harry Kane 34 48 0.71 2016– Tottenham Hotspur (21/32), Bayern Munich (13/16)
26   Fernando Morientes 33 93 0.35 1997–2009 Real Madrid (17/58), Monaco (9/12), Liverpool (1/5), Valencia (6/14), Marseille (0/4)
27   Arjen Robben 31 110 0.28 2002–2018 PSV Eindhoven (3/10), Chelsea (2/19), Real Madrid (1/11), Bayern Munich (25/70)
28   Samuel Eto'o 30 78 0.38 1999–2014 Real Madrid (0/3), Mallorca (1/5), Barcelona (16/38), Inter Milan (10/23), Chelsea (3/9)
  Wayne Rooney 30 85 0.35 2004–2015 Manchester United
  Kaká 30 86 0.35 2003–2014 Milan (25/62), Real Madrid (5/24)
  Francisco Gento ‡ 30 89 0.34 1955–1969 Real Madrid
32   David Trezeguet 29 58 0.50 1997–2009 Monaco (4/9), Juventus (25/49)
  Roy Makaay 29 61 0.48 2000–2007 Deportivo La Coruña (12/29), Bayern Munich (17/32)
  Patrick Kluivert 29 71 0.41 1994–2006 Ajax (9/22), Barcelona (20/46), PSV Eindhoven (0/3)
  Edin Džeko 29 74 0.39 2009– VfL Wolfsburg (4/6), Manchester City (3/24), Roma (15/25), Inter Milan (7/19)
  Álvaro Morata 29 86 0.34 2012– Real Madrid (4/15), Juventus (15/35), Chelsea (1/7), Atlético Madrid (8/25), Milan (0/3)
37   Jean-Pierre Papin ‡ 28 37 0.76 1989–1994 Marseille (19/21), Milan (7/13), Bayern Munich (2/3)
  Ryan Giggs 28 145 0.19 1993–2014 Manchester United
39   Sadio Mané 27 63 0.43 2017–2023 Liverpool (24/55), Bayern Munich (3/8)
  Luis Suárez 27 73 0.37 2010–2022 Ajax (1/5), Barcelona (25/55), Atlético Madrid (1/13)
  Rivaldo 27 73 0.37 1997–2007 Barcelona (22/43), Milan (2/13), Olympiacos (3/17)
  Raheem Sterling 27 84 0.32 2014– Liverpool (0/6), Manchester City (24/67), Chelsea (3/9), Arsenal (0/2)
43   Mario Gómez 26 44 0.59 2007–2013 VfB Stuttgart (3/5), Bayern Munich (23/39)
44   Mário Jardel 25 46 0.54 1996–2001 Porto (19/32), Galatasaray (6/14)
  Robin van Persie 25 59 0.42 2002–2014 Feyenoord (0/2), Arsenal (18/45), Manchester United (7/12)
  Vinícius Júnior 25 60 0.42 2018– Real Madrid
  Hernán Crespo 25 65 0.38 1997–2007 Parma (2/6), Lazio (2/11), Inter Milan (11/23), Chelsea (4/15), Milan (6/10)
48   José Altafini ‡ 24 28 0.86 1959–1976 Milan (20/17), Juventus (4/11)
  Marco Simone ‡ 24 46 0.52 1989–2001 Milan (15/36), Paris Saint-Germain (3/4), Monaco (6/6)
  Gabriel Jesus 24 50 0.48 2017– Manchester City (20/38), Arsenal (4/12)
  José Augusto ‡ 24 56 0.43 1960–1969 Benfica
  Olivier Giroud 24 64 0.38 2012–2023 Arsenal (12/29), Chelsea (6/12), Milan (6/23)
  Giovane Élber 24 69 0.35 1997–2004 Bayern Munich (21/60), Lyon (3/9)
  Marco Reus 24 72 0.33 2012–2024 Borussia Dortmund
  Gonzalo Higuaín 24 83 0.29 2007–2020 Real Madrid (8/48), Napoli (4/5), Juventus (12/30)
  Luís Figo 24 103 0.23 1997–2009 Barcelona (7/24), Real Madrid (16/58), Inter Milan (1/21)
  Ángel Di María 24 111 0.22 2007– Benfica (2/15), Real Madrid (8/39), Paris Saint-Germain (14/54), Juventus (0/3)
  Paul Scholes 24 124 0.19 1997–2009 Manchester United


Top scorers by season

The table below does not include goals scored in the qualification stage of the competition.[9]

Season Player(s) Club(s) Goals
1955–56   Miloš Milutinović   Partizan 8
1956–57   Dennis Viollet   Manchester United 9
1957–58   Alfredo Di Stéfano   Real Madrid 10
1958–59   Just Fontaine   Reims 10
1959–60   Ferenc Puskás   Real Madrid 12
1960–61   José Águas   Benfica 11
1961–62   Heinz Strehl   1. FC Nürnberg 8
1962–63   José Altafini   Milan 14
1963–64   Vladica Kovačević   Partizan 7
  Sandro Mazzola   Inter Milan
  Ferenc Puskás   Real Madrid
1964–65   José Torres   Benfica 11
1965–66   Flórián Albert   Ferencváros 7
  Eusébio   Benfica
1966–67   Jürgen Piepenburg   Vorwärts Berlin 6
  Paul Van Himst   Anderlecht
1967–68   Eusébio   Benfica 6
1968–69   Denis Law   Manchester United 9
1969–70   Mick Jones   Leeds United 8
1970–71   Antonis Antoniadis   Panathinaikos 10
1971–72   Johan Cruyff   Ajax 5
  Antal Dunai   Újpest
  Lou Macari   Celtic
  Silvester Takač   Standard Liège
1972–73   Gerd Müller   Bayern Munich 11
1973–74   Gerd Müller   Bayern Munich 8
1974–75   Gerd Müller   Bayern Munich 5
  Eduard Markarov   Ararat Yerevan
1975–76   Jupp Heynckes   Borussia Mönchengladbach 6
1976–77   Gerd Müller   Bayern Munich 5
  Franco Cucinotta   Zürich
1977–78   Allan Simonsen   Borussia Mönchengladbach 5
1978–79   Claudio Sulser   Grasshopper 11
1979–80   Søren Lerby   Ajax 10
1980–81   Terry McDermott   Liverpool 6
  Graeme Souness   Liverpool
  Karl-Heinz Rummenigge   Bayern Munich
1981–82   Dieter Hoeneß   Bayern Munich 7
1982–83   Paolo Rossi   Juventus 6
1983–84   Viktor Sokol   Dinamo Minsk 6
1984–85   Torbjörn Nilsson   IFK Göteborg 7
  Michel Platini   Juventus
1985–86   Torbjörn Nilsson   IFK Göteborg 6
1986–87   Borislav Cvetković   Red Star Belgrade 7
1987–88   Gheorghe Hagi   Steaua București 4
  Petar Novák   Sparta Prague
  René van der Gijp   Neuchâtel Xamax
  Rabah Madjer   Porto
  Ally McCoist   Rangers
  Míchel   Real Madrid
  Rui Águas   Benfica
1988–89   Marco van Basten   Milan 10
1989–90   Romário   PSV Eindhoven 6
  Jean-Pierre Papin   Marseille
1990–91   Peter Pacult   Tirol Innsbruck 6
  Jean-Pierre Papin   Marseille
1991–92   Sergei Yuran   Benfica 7
  Jean-Pierre Papin   Marseille
1992–93   Romário   PSV Eindhoven 7
1993–94   Ronald Koeman   Barcelona 8
  Wynton Rufer   Werder Bremen
1994–95   George Weah   Paris Saint-Germain 7
1995–96   Jari Litmanen   Ajax 9
1996–97   Milinko Pantić   Atlético Madrid 5
1997–98   Alessandro Del Piero   Juventus 10
1998–99   Andriy Shevchenko   Dynamo Kyiv 8
  Dwight Yorke   Manchester United
1999–2000   Mário Jardel   Porto 10
  Rivaldo   Barcelona
  Raúl   Real Madrid
2000–01   Raúl   Real Madrid 7
2001–02   Ruud van Nistelrooy   Manchester United 10
2002–03   Ruud van Nistelrooy   Manchester United 12
2003–04   Fernando Morientes   Monaco 9
2004–05   Ruud van Nistelrooy   Manchester United 8
2005–06   Andriy Shevchenko   Milan 9
2006–07   Kaká   Milan 10
2007–08   Cristiano Ronaldo   Manchester United 8
2008–09   Lionel Messi   Barcelona 9
2009–10   Lionel Messi   Barcelona 8
2010–11   Lionel Messi   Barcelona 12
2011–12   Lionel Messi   Barcelona 14
2012–13   Cristiano Ronaldo   Real Madrid 12
2013–14   Cristiano Ronaldo   Real Madrid 17
2014–15   Neymar   Barcelona 10
  Cristiano Ronaldo   Real Madrid
  Lionel Messi   Barcelona
2015–16   Cristiano Ronaldo   Real Madrid 16
2016–17   Cristiano Ronaldo   Real Madrid 12
2017–18   Cristiano Ronaldo   Real Madrid 15
2018–19   Lionel Messi   Barcelona 12
2019–20   Robert Lewandowski   Bayern Munich 15
2020–21   Erling Haaland   Borussia Dortmund 10
2021–22   Karim Benzema   Real Madrid 15
2022–23   Erling Haaland   Manchester City 12
2023–24   Harry Kane   Bayern Munich 8
  Kylian Mbappé   Paris Saint-Germain

By player

Player Titles Seasons
  Cristiano Ronaldo 7 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
  Lionel Messi 6 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2018–19
  Gerd Müller 4 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77
  Jean-Pierre Papin 3 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92
  Ruud van Nistelrooy 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05
  Ferenc Puskás 2 1959–60, 1963–64
  Eusébio 1965–66, 1967–68
  Torbjörn Nilsson 1984–85, 1985–86
  Romário 1989–90, 1992–93
  Raúl 1999–2000, 2000–01
  Andriy Shevchenko 1998–99, 2005–06
  Erling Haaland 2020–21, 2022–23

By club

Club Titles Seasons
  Real Madrid 13 1957–58, 1959–60, 1963–64, 1987–88, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22
  Barcelona 9 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15 (2[a]), 2018–19
  Bayern Munich 8 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1981–82, 2019–20, 2023–24
  Manchester United 7 1956–57, 1968–69, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08
  Benfica 6 1960–61, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1987–88, 1991–92
  Milan 4 1962–63, 1988–89, 2005–06, 2006–07
  Marseille 3 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92
  Ajax 1971–72, 1979–80, 1995–96
  Juventus 1982–83, 1984–85, 1997–98
  Partizan 2 1955–56, 1963–64
  Borussia Mönchengladbach 1975–76, 1977–78
  Liverpool 1980–81 (2[b])
  IFK Göteborg 1984–85, 1985–86
  PSV Eindhoven 1989–90, 1992–93
  Porto 1987–88, 1999–2000
  Paris Saint-Germain 1994–95, 2023–24
  Reims 1 1958–59
  1. FC Nürnberg 1961–62
  Inter Milan 1963–64
  Ferencváros 1965–66
  Anderlecht 1966–67
  Vorwärts Berlin 1966–67
  Leeds United 1969–70
  Panathinaikos 1970–71
  Celtic 1971–72
  Standard Liège 1971–72
  Újpest 1971–72
  Ararat Yerevan 1974–75
  Zürich 1976–77
  Grasshopper 1978–79
  Dinamo Minsk 1983–84
  Red Star Belgrade 1986–87
  Neuchâtel Xamax 1987–88
  Sparta Prague 1987–88
  Steaua București 1987–88
  Rangers 1987–88
  Tirol Innsbruck 1990–91
  Werder Bremen 1993–94
  Atlético Madrid 1996–97
  Dynamo Kyiv 1998–99
  Monaco 2003–04
  Borussia Dortmund 2020–21
  Manchester City 2022–23
Notes
  1. ^ Two Barcelona players were joint top scorers in this season.
  2. ^ Two Liverpool players were joint top scorers in this season.

By country

Country Titles Seasons
  Portugal 12 1960–61, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1987–88, 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
  West Germany 8 1961–62, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1981–82
  Argentina 1957–58, 1961–62, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2018–19
  Netherlands 7 1971–72, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1993–94, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05
  France 1958–59, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 2021–22, 2023–24
  Brazil 6 1989–90, 1992–93, 1999–2000 (2[a]), 2006–07, 2014–15
  Yugoslavia 5 1955–56, 1963–64, 1971–72, 1986–87, 1996–97
  Italy 1962–63, 1963–64, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1997–98
  Hungary 4 1959–60, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1971–72
  Scotland 1968–69, 1971–72, 1980–81, 1987–88
  Spain 1987–88, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04
  England 1956–57, 1969–70, 1980–81, 2023–24
  Ukraine 3 1991–92, 1998–99, 2005–06
  Denmark 2 1977–78, 1979–80
  Soviet Union 1974–75, 1983–84
  Sweden 1984–85, 1985–86
  Norway 2020–21, 2022–23
  Belgium 1 1966–67
  Greece 1970–71
  Switzerland 1978–79
  Algeria 1987–88
  Czechoslovakia 1987–88
  Romania 1987–88
  Austria 1990–91
  New Zealand 1993–94
  Liberia 1994–95
  Finland 1995–96
  Trinidad and Tobago 1998–99
  Poland 2019–20
Notes
  1. ^ Two Brazilian players were joint top scorers in this season.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Raúl ya es el máximo goleador de la Copa de Europa" [Raúl is now the top scorer of the European Cup]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain. 28 September 2005. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  2. ^ Hunter, Graham (30 May 2014). "Look out, Messi, Ronaldo is the real record breaker". ESPN. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  3. ^ Bate, Adam (2 November 2014). "Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are closing in on Raul's UEFA Champions League goalscoring record of 71". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  4. ^ Arnett, George; Sedghi, Ami (7 November 2014). "Champions League goalscoring record: charting Messi, Ronaldo and Raúl". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Messi breaks Champions League record". BBC Sport. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Ronaldo reaches 80 goals as Madrid fell Shakhtar". UEFA. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Champions League all-time top scorers". UEFA. 29 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Champions League + European Cup – All-time Topscorers". WorldFootball.net. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  9. ^ For players active prior to the introduction of the Champions League in 1992, see: Di Maggio, Roberto; Mamrud, Roberto; Rota, Davide; Owsianski, Jarek (8 June 2017). "Champions Cup/Champions League Topscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 2 November 2017. For all other players, see: "UEFA Champions League Statistics Handbook 2017/18: Facts and figures" (PDF). UEFA. p. 11. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
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