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 17 April 2024[7][8]
A ‡ indicates the player was from the European Cup era.
Players that have taken part in the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League are highlighted in bold.
The table below does not include goals scored in the qualification stage of the competition. Notwithstanding, UEFA's official goalscoring ranking counts Cristiano Ronaldo's tally at 141 goals.[9]
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 94 120 0.78 2011– Borussia Dortmund (17/28), Bayern Munich (69/78), Barcelona (8/14)
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 54 149 0.36 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
10   Kylian Mbappé 48 71 0.68 2016– Monaco (6/9), Paris Saint-Germain (42/62)
  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 44 79 0.56 2013– Basel (2/6), Chelsea (0/2), Roma (1/7), Liverpool (41/64)
  Didier Drogba 44 92 0.48 2003–2015 Marseille (5/6), Chelsea (36/74), Galatasaray (3/12)
17   Neymar 43 81 0.53 2013–2022 Barcelona (21/40), Paris Saint-Germain (22/41)
18   Alessandro Del Piero 42 89 0.47 1995–2009 Juventus
19   Erling Haaland 41 39 1.05 2019– Red Bull Salzburg (8/6), Borussia Dortmund (15/13), Manchester City (18/20)
  Sergio Agüero 41 79 0.52 2008–2021 Atlético Madrid (5/14), Manchester City (36/64), Barcelona (0/1)
21   Ferenc Puskás 36 41 0.88 1956–1966 Budapest Honvéd (1/2), Real Madrid (35/39)
  Antoine Griezmann 36 95 0.38 2014– Real Sociedad (0/6), Atlético Madrid (32/72), Barcelona (4/17)
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
25   Fernando Morientes 33 93 0.35 1997–2009 Real Madrid (17/58), Monaco (9/12), Liverpool (1/5), Valencia (6/14), Marseille (0/4)
26   Arjen Robben 31 110 0.28 2002–2018 PSV Eindhoven (3/10), Chelsea (2/19), Real Madrid (1/11), Bayern Munich (25/70)
27   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
31   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)
35   Jean-Pierre Papin 28 37 0.76 1989–1994 Marseille (19/21), Milan (7/13), Bayern Munich (2/3)
  Harry Kane 28 42 0.67 2016– Tottenham Hotspur (21/32), Bayern Munich (7/10)
  Álvaro Morata 28 82 0.34 2012– Real Madrid (4/15), Juventus (15/35), Chelsea (1/7), Atlético Madrid (8/25)
  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 82 0.33 2014– Liverpool (0/6), Manchester City (24/67), Chelsea (3/9)
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)
  Hernán Crespo 25 65 0.38 1997–2007 Parma (2/6), Lazio (2/11), Inter Milan (11/23), Chelsea (4/15), Milan (6/10)
47   José Altafini 24 28 0.86 1959–1976 Milan (20/17), Juventus (4/11)
  Gabriel Jesus 24 46 0.52 2017– Manchester City (20/38), Arsenal (4/8)
  Marco Simone 24 46 0.52 1989–2001 Milan (15/36), Paris Saint-Germain (3/4), Monaco (6/6)
  José Augusto 24 56 0.43 1960–1969 Benfica
  Olivier Giroud 24 64 0.38 2012– 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 69 0.35 2012– 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)
  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.[10]

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
  Alfredo Di Stéfano   Real Madrid
  Justo Tejada   Real Madrid
  Ferenc Puskás   Real Madrid
1962–63   José Altafini   Milan 14
1963–64   Vladica Kovačević   Partizan 7
  Sandro Mazzola   Inter Milan
  Ferenc Puskás   Real Madrid
1964–65   Eusébio   Benfica 9
  José Torres   Benfica
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

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
  Ferenc Puskás 3 1959–60, 1961–62, 1963–64
  Eusébio 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68
  Jean-Pierre Papin 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92
  Ruud van Nistelrooy 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05
  Alfredo Di Stéfano 2 1957–58, 1961–62
  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 16 1957–58, 1959–60, 1961–62 (3[a]), 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[b]), 2018–19
  Benfica 7 1960–61, 1964–65 (2[c]), 1965–66, 1967–68, 1987–88, 1991–92
  Manchester United 1956–57, 1968–69, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08
  Bayern Munich 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1981–82, 2019–20
  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[d])
  IFK Göteborg 1984–85, 1985–86
  PSV Eindhoven 1989–90, 1992–93
  Porto 1987–88, 1999–2000
  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
  Paris Saint-Germain 1994–95
  Atlético Madrid 1996–97
  Dynamo Kyiv 1998–99
  Monaco 2003–04
  Borussia Dortmund 2020–21
  Manchester City 2022–23
Notes
  1. ^ Three Real Madrid players were joint top scorers in this season.
  2. ^ Two Barcelona players were joint top scorers in this season.
  3. ^ Two Benfica players were joint top scorers in this season.
  4. ^ Two Liverpool players were joint top scorers in this season.

By country

Country Titles Seasons
  Portugal 13 1960–61, 1964–65 (2[a]),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 6 1958–59, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 2021–22
  Brazil 1989–90, 1992–93, 1999–2000 (2[b]), 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 1959–60, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1971–72
  Spain 1961–62, 1987–88, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04
  Scotland 4 1968–69, 1971–72, 1980–81, 1987–88
  England 3 1956–57, 1969–70, 1980–81
  Ukraine 1991–92, 1998–99, 2005–06
  Soviet Union 2 1974–75, 1983–84
  Denmark 1977–78, 1979–80
  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 Portuguese players were joint top scorers in this season.
  2. ^ 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. ^ "All-time Player | Top goalscorers Stats | UEFA Champions League". UEFA.com.
  10. ^ 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.