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List of UEFA Champions League top scorers

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

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.

With 140 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the all-time top scorer in the Champions League, with Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski being the only other players 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 27 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 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo 140 183 0.77 2003–2022 Manchester United (21/59), Real Madrid (105/101), Juventus (14/23)
2 Argentina Lionel Messi 129 163 0.79 2005–2023 Barcelona (120/149), Paris Saint-Germain (9/14)
3 Poland Robert Lewandowski 101 125 0.81 2011– Borussia Dortmund (17/28), Bayern Munich (69/78), Barcelona (15/19)
4 France Karim Benzema 90 152 0.59 2005–2023 Lyon (12/19), Real Madrid (78/133)
5 Spain Raúl 71 142 0.50 1995–2011 Real Madrid (66/130), Schalke 04 (5/12)
6 Netherlands Ruud van Nistelrooy 56 73 0.77 1998–2009 PSV Eindhoven (8/11), Manchester United (35/43), Real Madrid (13/19)
7 Germany Thomas Müller 54 155 0.35 2009– Bayern Munich
8 France Thierry Henry 50 112 0.45 1997–2012 Monaco (7/9), Arsenal (35/77), Barcelona (8/26)
9 Argentina Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano 49 58 0.84 1955–1964 Real Madrid
France Kylian Mbappé 49 78 0.63 2016– Monaco (6/9), Paris Saint-Germain (42/64), Real Madrid (1/5)
11 Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko 48 100 0.48 1994–2012 Dynamo Kyiv (15/26), Milan (29/59), Chelsea (4/15)
Sweden 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 Norway Erling Haaland 46 44 1.05 2019– Red Bull Salzburg (8/6), Borussia Dortmund (15/13), Manchester City (23/25)
Portugal Eusébio 46 65 0.71 1961–1974 Benfica
Italy Filippo Inzaghi 46 81 0.57 1997–2012 Juventus (17/26), Milan (29/55)
16 Egypt Mohamed Salah 45 84 0.54 2013– Basel (2/6), Chelsea (0/2), Roma (1/7), Liverpool (42/69)
17 Ivory Coast Didier Drogba 44 92 0.48 2003–2015 Marseille (5/6), Chelsea (36/74), Galatasaray (3/12)
18 Brazil Neymar 43 81 0.53 2013–2022 Barcelona (21/40), Paris Saint-Germain (22/41)
19 Italy Alessandro Del Piero 42 89 0.47 1995–2009 Juventus
20 Argentina Sergio Agüero 41 79 0.52 2008–2021 Atlético Madrid (5/14), Manchester City (36/64), Barcelona (0/1)
21 France Antoine Griezmann 38 100 0.38 2014– Real Sociedad (0/6), Atlético Madrid (34/78), Barcelona (4/16)
22 Hungary Ferenc Puskás 36 41 0.88 1956–1966 Budapest Honvéd (1/2), Real Madrid (35/39)
23 Uruguay Edinson Cavani 35 70 0.50 2011–2022 Napoli (5/8), Paris Saint-Germain (30/54), Manchester United (0/8)
24 West Germany Gerd Müller 34 35 0.97 1969–1977 Bayern Munich
England Harry Kane 34 49 0.69 2016– Tottenham Hotspur (21/32), Bayern Munich (13/17)
26 Spain 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 Netherlands Arjen Robben 31 110 0.28 2002–2018 PSV Eindhoven (3/10), Chelsea (2/19), Real Madrid (1/11), Bayern Munich (25/70)
28 Cameroon 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)
England Wayne Rooney 30 85 0.35 2004–2015 Manchester United
Brazil Kaká 30 86 0.35 2003–2014 Milan (25/62), Real Madrid (5/24)
Spain Francisco Gento 30 89 0.34 1955–1969 Real Madrid
32 France David Trezeguet 29 58 0.50 1997–2009 Monaco (4/9), Juventus (25/49)
Netherlands Roy Makaay 29 61 0.48 2000–2007 Deportivo La Coruña (12/29), Bayern Munich (17/32)
Netherlands Patrick Kluivert 29 71 0.41 1994–2006 Ajax (9/22), Barcelona (20/46), PSV Eindhoven (0/3)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Edin Džeko 29 74 0.39 2009– VfL Wolfsburg (4/6), Manchester City (3/24), Roma (15/25), Inter Milan (7/19)
Spain Álvaro Morata 29 86 0.34 2012– Real Madrid (4/15), Juventus (15/35), Chelsea (1/7), Atlético Madrid (8/25), Milan (1/4)
37 France Jean-Pierre Papin 28 37 0.76 1989–1994 Marseille (19/21), Milan (7/13), Bayern Munich (2/3)
Wales Ryan Giggs 28 145 0.19 1993–2014 Manchester United
39 Senegal Sadio Mané 27 63 0.43 2017–2023 Liverpool (24/55), Bayern Munich (3/8)
Uruguay Luis Suárez 27 73 0.37 2010–2022 Ajax (1/5), Barcelona (25/55), Atlético Madrid (1/13)
Brazil Rivaldo 27 73 0.37 1997–2007 Barcelona (22/43), Milan (2/13), Olympiacos (3/17)
England Raheem Sterling 27 84 0.32 2014– Liverpool (0/6), Manchester City (24/67), Chelsea (3/9), Arsenal (0/2)
43 Germany Mario Gómez 26 44 0.59 2007–2013 VfB Stuttgart (3/5), Bayern Munich (23/39)
44 Brazil Mário Jardel 25 46 0.54 1996–2001 Porto (19/32), Galatasaray (6/14)
Netherlands Robin van Persie 25 59 0.42 2002–2014 Feyenoord (0/2), Arsenal (18/45), Manchester United (7/12)
Brazil Vinícius Júnior 25 60 0.42 2018– Real Madrid
Argentina 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 Brazil José Altafini 24 28 0.86 1959–1976 Milan (20/17), Juventus (4/11)
Italy Marco Simone 24 46 0.52 1989–2001 Milan (15/36), Paris Saint-Germain (3/4), Monaco (6/6)
Brazil Gabriel Jesus 24 50 0.48 2017– Manchester City (20/38), Arsenal (4/12)
Portugal José Augusto 24 56 0.43 1960–1969 Benfica
France Olivier Giroud 24 64 0.38 2012–2023 Arsenal (12/29), Chelsea (6/12), Milan (6/23)
Brazil Giovane Élber 24 69 0.35 1997–2004 Bayern Munich (21/60), Lyon (3/9)
Germany Marco Reus 24 72 0.33 2012–2024 Borussia Dortmund
Argentina Gonzalo Higuaín 24 83 0.29 2007–2020 Real Madrid (8/48), Napoli (4/5), Juventus (12/30)
Portugal Luís Figo 24 103 0.23 1997–2009 Barcelona (7/24), Real Madrid (16/58), Inter Milan (1/21)
Argentina Ángel Di María 24 112 0.21 2007– Benfica (2/16), Real Madrid (8/39), Paris Saint-Germain (14/54), Juventus (0/3)
England 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 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Miloš Milutinović Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan 8
1956–57 England Dennis Viollet England Manchester United 9
1957–58 Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano Spain Real Madrid 10
1958–59 France Just Fontaine France Reims 10
1959–60 Hungary Ferenc Puskás Spain Real Madrid 12
1960–61 Portugal José Águas Portugal Benfica 11
1961–62 West Germany Heinz Strehl West Germany 1. FC Nürnberg 8
1962–63 Italy José Altafini Italy Milan 14
1963–64 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vladica Kovačević Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan 7
Italy Sandro Mazzola Italy Inter Milan
Hungary Ferenc Puskás Spain Real Madrid
1964–65 Portugal José Torres Portugal Benfica 11
1965–66 Hungary Flórián Albert Hungary Ferencváros 7
Portugal Eusébio Portugal Benfica
1966–67 East Germany Jürgen Piepenburg East Germany Vorwärts Berlin 6
Belgium Paul Van Himst Belgium Anderlecht
1967–68 Portugal Eusébio Portugal Benfica 6
1968–69 Scotland Denis Law England Manchester United 9
1969–70 England Mick Jones England Leeds United 8
1970–71 Greece Antonis Antoniadis Greece Panathinaikos 10
1971–72 Netherlands Johan Cruyff Netherlands Ajax 5
Hungary Antal Dunai Hungary Újpest
Scotland Lou Macari Scotland Celtic
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Silvester Takač Belgium Standard Liège
1972–73 West Germany Gerd Müller West Germany Bayern Munich 11
1973–74 West Germany Gerd Müller West Germany Bayern Munich 8
1974–75 West Germany Gerd Müller West Germany Bayern Munich 5
Soviet Union Eduard Markarov Soviet Union Ararat Yerevan
1975–76 West Germany Jupp Heynckes West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 6
1976–77 West Germany Gerd Müller West Germany Bayern Munich 5
Italy Franco Cucinotta Switzerland Zürich
1977–78 Denmark Allan Simonsen West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 5
1978–79 Switzerland Claudio Sulser Switzerland Grasshopper 11
1979–80 Denmark Søren Lerby Netherlands Ajax 10
1980–81 England Terry McDermott England Liverpool 6
Scotland Graeme Souness England Liverpool
West Germany Karl-Heinz Rummenigge West Germany Bayern Munich
1981–82 West Germany Dieter Hoeneß West Germany Bayern Munich 7
1982–83 Italy Paolo Rossi Italy Juventus 6
1983–84 Soviet Union Viktor Sokol Soviet Union Dinamo Minsk 6
1984–85 Sweden Torbjörn Nilsson Sweden IFK Göteborg 7
France Michel Platini Italy Juventus
1985–86 Sweden Torbjörn Nilsson Sweden IFK Göteborg 6
1986–87 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Borislav Cvetković Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade 7
1987–88 Romania Gheorghe Hagi Romania Steaua București 4
Czechoslovakia Petar Novák Czechoslovakia Sparta Prague
Netherlands René van der Gijp Switzerland Neuchâtel Xamax
Algeria Rabah Madjer Portugal Porto
Scotland Ally McCoist Scotland Rangers
Spain Míchel Spain Real Madrid
Portugal Rui Águas Portugal Benfica
1988–89 Netherlands Marco van Basten Italy Milan 10
1989–90 Brazil Romário Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 6
France Jean-Pierre Papin France Marseille
1990–91 Austria Peter Pacult Austria Tirol Innsbruck 6
France Jean-Pierre Papin France Marseille
1991–92 Ukraine Sergei Yuran Portugal Benfica 7
France Jean-Pierre Papin France Marseille
1992–93 Brazil Romário Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 7
1993–94 Netherlands Ronald Koeman Spain Barcelona 8
New Zealand Wynton Rufer Germany Werder Bremen
1994–95 Liberia George Weah France Paris Saint-Germain 7
1995–96 Finland Jari Litmanen Netherlands Ajax 9
1996–97 Serbia and Montenegro Milinko Pantić Spain Atlético Madrid 5
1997–98 Italy Alessandro Del Piero Italy Juventus 10
1998–99 Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 8
Trinidad and Tobago Dwight Yorke England Manchester United
1999–2000 Brazil Mário Jardel Portugal Porto 10
Brazil Rivaldo Spain Barcelona
Spain Raúl Spain Real Madrid
2000–01 Spain Raúl Spain Real Madrid 7
2001–02 Netherlands Ruud van Nistelrooy England Manchester United 10
2002–03 Netherlands Ruud van Nistelrooy England Manchester United 12
2003–04 Spain Fernando Morientes France Monaco 9
2004–05 Netherlands Ruud van Nistelrooy England Manchester United 8
2005–06 Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko Italy Milan 9
2006–07 Brazil Kaká Italy Milan 10
2007–08 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo England Manchester United 8
2008–09 Argentina Lionel Messi Spain Barcelona 9
2009–10 Argentina Lionel Messi Spain Barcelona 8
2010–11 Argentina Lionel Messi Spain Barcelona 12
2011–12 Argentina Lionel Messi Spain Barcelona 14
2012–13 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Spain Real Madrid 12
2013–14 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Spain Real Madrid 17
2014–15 Brazil Neymar Spain Barcelona 10
Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Spain Real Madrid
Argentina Lionel Messi Spain Barcelona
2015–16 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Spain Real Madrid 16
2016–17 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Spain Real Madrid 12
2017–18 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Spain Real Madrid 15
2018–19 Argentina Lionel Messi Spain Barcelona 12
2019–20 Poland Robert Lewandowski Germany Bayern Munich 15
2020–21 Norway Erling Haaland Germany Borussia Dortmund 10
2021–22 France Karim Benzema Spain Real Madrid 15
2022–23 Norway Erling Haaland England Manchester City 12
2023–24 England Harry Kane Germany Bayern Munich 8
France Kylian Mbappé France Paris Saint-Germain

By player

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

By club

Club Titles Seasons
Spain 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
Spain Barcelona 9 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15 (2[a]), 2018–19
Germany Bayern Munich 8 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1981–82, 2019–20, 2023–24
England Manchester United 7 1956–57, 1968–69, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08
Portugal Benfica 6 1960–61, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1987–88, 1991–92
Italy Milan 4 1962–63, 1988–89, 2005–06, 2006–07
France Marseille 3 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92
Netherlands Ajax 1971–72, 1979–80, 1995–96
Italy Juventus 1982–83, 1984–85, 1997–98
Serbia Partizan 2 1955–56, 1963–64
Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 1975–76, 1977–78
England Liverpool 1980–81 (2[b])
Sweden IFK Göteborg 1984–85, 1985–86
Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 1989–90, 1992–93
Portugal Porto 1987–88, 1999–2000
France Paris Saint-Germain 1994–95, 2023–24
France Reims 1 1958–59
Germany 1. FC Nürnberg 1961–62
Italy Inter Milan 1963–64
Hungary Ferencváros 1965–66
Belgium Anderlecht 1966–67
East Germany Vorwärts Berlin 1966–67
England Leeds United 1969–70
Greece Panathinaikos 1970–71
Scotland Celtic 1971–72
Belgium Standard Liège 1971–72
Hungary Újpest 1971–72
Armenia Ararat Yerevan 1974–75
Switzerland Zürich 1976–77
Switzerland Grasshopper 1978–79
Belarus Dinamo Minsk 1983–84
Serbia Red Star Belgrade 1986–87
Switzerland Neuchâtel Xamax 1987–88
Czech Republic Sparta Prague 1987–88
Romania Steaua București 1987–88
Scotland Rangers 1987–88
Austria Tirol Innsbruck 1990–91
Germany Werder Bremen 1993–94
Spain Atlético Madrid 1996–97
Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 1998–99
France Monaco 2003–04
Germany Borussia Dortmund 2020–21
England 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.