The Champions League is the pinnacle of club football, with some of the best players of all time starring in the competition, previously known as the European Cup. But who is the top goalscorer of all time in the famous club competition?
Football FanCast has listed the top 20 Champions League scorers, with a detailed look at the top 11.
All information correct as of 14th May 2025.
|
Champions League top goalscorers of all time |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
Goals |
|
1 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
141 |
|
2 |
Lionel Messi |
129 |
|
3 |
Robert Lewandowski |
105 |
|
4 |
Karim Benzema |
90 |
|
5 |
Raul |
71 |
|
6 |
Ruud van Nistelrooy |
60 |
|
7 |
Andriy Shevchenko |
59 |
|
8 |
Thomas Muller |
57 |
|
9 |
Kylian Mbappe |
55 |
|
=10 |
Mohamed Salah |
51 |
|
=10 |
Thierry Henry |
51 |
|
12 |
Filippo Inzaghi |
50 |
|
=13 |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic |
49 |
|
=13 |
Alfredo Di Stefano |
49 |
|
=13 |
Erling Haaland |
49 |
|
=16 |
Eusebio |
47 |
|
=16 |
Sergio Aguero |
47 |
|
18 |
Didier Drogba |
44 |
|
=19 |
Neymar |
43 |
|
=19 |
Alessandro Del Piero |
43 |
|
=19 |
Antoine Griezmann |
43 |
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Here is a detailed look at the top 11 Champions League goalscorers:
11
Thierry Henry
51 goals
Arsenal icon Thierry Henry got his first taste of Champions League football with AS Monaco, helping the French side to the semi-finals in 1997/98.
The Frenchman would go on to turn out for Juventus and then Arsenal, where he suffered heartbreak in the 2006 final against Barcelona. However, Henry would finally get his hands on the trophy after joining Barcelona, defeating Manchester United in the 2009 final.
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10
Mohamed Salah
51 goals
Mohamed Salah has been at the top of his game for a while now, so reaching a half-century of Champions League is a more-than-deserving accolade for a player of his stature.
The majority of his CL strikes have come for Liverpool, with whom he won the Champions League in 2019, thanks in part to the Egyptian scoring early in the final against Tottenham Hotspur, as well at numerous stages along the way.
9
Kylian Mbappe
55 goals
Kylian Mbappe has been around for ages, and yet he is barely into his mid-twenties. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Frenchman has already racked over 50 Champions League goals – overtaking the likes of compatriot Thierry Henry in the process.
Now at Real Madrid, we can maybe expect the goals to continue to flow for the striker, and with more group stage games these days, there’s every chance he’ll reach triple figures before too long.
8
Thomas Muller
57 goals
Thomas Muller has been a fantastic servant for Bayern Munich over the years, notching 57 goals for the Bavarians at the highest level of European competition.
The German made his Champions League debut back in 2009 and won the competition on two occasions, in 2013 and 2020.
Only Robert Lewandowski has more goals (69) in a Bayern shirt than Muller, putting him in some healthy company.
7
Andriy Shevchenko
59 goals
Best known for his time with Dynamo Kyiv and Milan, Andriy Shevchenko netted 59 times in the Champions League, including a famous hat-trick at the Nou Camp against Barcelona for Kyiv.
Shevchenko, who also turned out for Chelsea, won the tournament with Milan in 2003. The Ukrainian retired in 2012 and went on to manage his country between 2016 and 2021.
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6
Ruud van Nistelrooy
60 goals
Powerful Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy turned out for two of Europe’s biggest clubs in Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Upon retiring in 2012, Van Nistelrooy scored 60 goals in the competition and was the top scorer in three separate editions of the tournament, though he never managed to win the Champions League.
5
Raul
71 goals
Real Madrid icon Raul held the record as the all-time top scorer in the Champions League for a number of years and averaged a goal every other game in his 142 appearances in Europe.
The Spaniard lifted the trophy on three occasions with Madrid and became the manager of Real Madrid’s B side in 2019, so he could potentially be a future first-team boss at the Bernabeu.
4
Karim Benzema
90 goals
Another Real Madrid legend who scored plenty of Champions League goals at the Bernabeu is Karim Benzema, who also netted a number of his 90 goals in Europe for Lyon.
Now playing in Saudi Arabia, Benzema netted in a record 18 consecutive Champions League seasons, winning the tournament five times, as well as the top scorer award in 2021/22.
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3
Robert Lewandowski
105 goals
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski became the third player to reach 100 Champions League goals during his time at Barcelona, with the ton secured in their league phase win over Stade Brest in November 2024, 13 years after his CL debut.
Previously of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, Lewandowski is Bayern’s top scorer in European football, scoring 15 times in 2019/20, when he lifted his only Champions League trophy.
2
Lionel Messi
129 goals
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi comes in as runner-up on the list, with 120 of his 129 Champions League goals coming for the Catalan giants.
Messi scored against 40 different teams in the competition, which is a record, but it was against Arsenal that he was most prolific, netting nine times against the Gunners.
The Argentine has also represented Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, winning the tournament with Barcelona on three separate occasions, the last coming in 2015.
