The top 5 scorers in Champions League history
The UEFA Champions League has delivered the game's most dramatic nights. Over three decades it has also produced an elite list of finishers who rose highest when the lights burned brightest.Here we run through the five players who have scored the most goals in the modern Champions League era, what made them special in Europe and the standout seasons that helped them climb the all-time charts.
Beyond the numbers, these goals also shaped unforgettable storylines - last-minute winners, hat-tricks on the biggest stages, and rivalries that defined an era. Each of these strikers not only chased personal milestones but also carried the hopes of their clubs and nations, leaving a lasting imprint on football's greatest competition.
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Cristiano Ronaldo - 141 goals
There is little argument about the leader. Cristiano Ronaldo sits atop the Champions League scoring charts, his 141 goals a monument to longevity, hunger and ruthless efficiency in Europe's big games. Ronaldo's Champions League résumé is littered with milestone moments - five winners' medals, the most goals in knockout rounds and a single-season record of 17 strikes in Real Madrid's 2013-14 title run. He finished as the competition's top scorer on multiple occasions and has a habit of delivering when the stakes are highest, from quarter-final salvoes to penalties in finals. His Champions League totals are the standard every striker chases.Lionel Messi - 129 goals
Close behind is Lionel Messi, whose 129 Champions League goals map a career of genius in Europe with Barcelona and later appearances for Paris Saint-Germain. Messi combined an artist's close control with clinical finishing, piling up decisive knockout performances and a collection of four Champions League winners' medals with Barcelona. His goals are as varied as they are numerous - late solo runs, set-piece gems and calm finishes in finals and semi-finals - and UEFA's archive of his Champions League strikes underlines how consistently dangerous he was across the tournament's stages.
Robert Lewandowski - 105 goals
Robert Lewandowski became the third player to breach the 100-goal barrier in the competition, reaching 105 goals through a lethal mix of positional sense and technical polish for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Lewandowski's Champions League highlights include a pivotal role in Bayern's 2019-20 treble season and a steady stream of knockout contributions. UEFA recognised him as Forward of the Season for his monstrous 2019-20 performances. He may not have Ronaldo's flare or Messi's dribbling wizardry, but his eye for goal in Europe has been as clinical as any.Karim Benzema - 90 goals
Karim Benzema sits fourth on the list with 90 Champions League goals - a total built on two decades of elite service, predominantly for Real Madrid. Benzema's most memorable European campaign came in 2021-22 when he finished the tournament as top scorer with 15 goals, steering Real Madrid to a tenth modern-era crown and ultimately winning the competition's golden boot that season. His mixture of movement, link-up play and ruthless finishing in the knockout rounds gave Madrid a dependable talisman long after the Cristiano-Messi era's peak.