The football players with most Champions League goals are led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 140 times in the competition proper and built a record that has survived after his departure from European football. Lionel Messi follows with 129, while Robert Lewandowski is the only other player to pass 100. Karim Benzema sits fourth, and the next generation is already moving upward through Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
FootballerRank uses UEFA’s Champions League competition-proper definition for this ranking, covering the group stage or league phase through the final and excluding qualifying rounds. That keeps every player’s total consistent and prevents qualifying goals from changing the order unfairly. The list is updated through September 2026, with Mbappé, Haaland, and Harry Kane among the active scorers capable of climbing much higher.
Key Takeaways
- Cristiano Ronaldo holds the Champions League record with 140 goals.
- Lionel Messi ranks second with 129.
- Robert Lewandowski is third with 109 and is one of only three players to reach 100.
- Kylian Mbappé is already joint fifth with Raúl on 71.
- Erling Haaland has scored 59 goals in only 59 appearances.
- FootballerRank excludes qualifying rounds from the main ranking, following UEFA’s competition-proper record definition.
Top 10 Football Players With Most Champions League Goals
| Rank | Player | Country | Champions League Goals | Main Clubs in Competition |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 140 | Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 129 | Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | 109 | Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | France | 90 | Lyon, Real Madrid |
| 5 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 71 | Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid |
| 6 | Raúl González | Spain | 71 | Real Madrid, Schalke |
| 7 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 59 | Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City |
| 8 | Thomas Müller | Germany | 57 | Bayern Munich |
| 9 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Netherlands | 56 | PSV, Manchester United, Real Madrid |
| 10 | Harry Kane | England | 55 | Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich |
Goals are UEFA Champions League competition-proper goals only. Qualifying rounds are excluded.
Who Has Scored the Most Champions League Goals?
Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in UEFA Champions League history with 140 goals.
His record covers spells with:
- Manchester United
- Real Madrid
- Juventus
Ronaldo did not begin his Champions League career as a centre-forward.
In fact, he needed 27 appearances before scoring his first goal in the competition proper.
Once his role became more focused on scoring, his numbers exploded.
He eventually became the first player to reach:
- 100 Champions League goals
- 110 goals
- 120 goals
- 130 goals
- 140 goals
Lionel Messi became the second player to cross 100.
Robert Lewandowski later became the third.
No one else has reached that mark yet.
Why Does Ronaldo Sometimes Have 141 Champions League Goals?
This is one of the most important methodology questions.
UEFA publishes two different historical views.
Competition proper
From the group stage or league phase through the final:
Cristiano Ronaldo — 140 goals
Including qualifying rounds
Ronaldo also scored once in Champions League qualifying for Manchester United.
That raises the wider competition total to:
141
FootballerRank uses 140 because the dedicated UEFA Champions League all-time scorers table normally compares players from the competition proper.
That same rule is applied to everyone.
Why Qualifying Goals Matter for Some Players More Than Others
The difference is not always only one goal.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is an important example.
His competition-proper total is:
56
When qualifying is included, his wider total becomes:
60
Andriy Shevchenko has an even bigger difference.
He scored:
48 in the competition proper
but:
59 when qualifying is included
Mixing those two systems can completely change the bottom half of an all-time Top 10.
That is why methodology must be defined before ranking the players.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo — 140 Goals
Country: Portugal
Champions League goals: 140
Competition-proper appearances: 183
Clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest goalscorer in Champions League history by total goals.
He scored 140 times in the competition proper.
His goals were divided across three clubs.
The largest share came at Real Madrid.
Ronaldo scored:
105 Champions League goals for Real Madrid
That is the second-highest total any player has scored for one club in the competition.
Only Messi’s Barcelona total is higher.
Ronaldo’s Champions League transformation is remarkable.
During his early Manchester United years, he operated mainly as a winger.
He created chances and attacked defenders rather than functioning as a pure scorer.
His first competition-proper Champions League goal did not arrive until 2007.
He then developed into one of football’s most devastating penalty-box attackers.
Ronaldo’s Champions League Titles
Ronaldo won the competition five times:
- Manchester United — 2008
- Real Madrid — 2014
- Real Madrid — 2016
- Real Madrid — 2017
- Real Madrid — 2018
He also became the only player to score in three different Champions League finals.
His knockout scoring is a major reason the record feels even bigger than the total alone.
Ronaldo repeatedly produced:
- Hat-tricks
- Quarter-final goals
- Semi-final goals
- Final goals
against elite opposition.
Ronaldo’s Best Champions League Season
His greatest single-season scoring total came in 2013/14.
Ronaldo scored:
17 goals
Real Madrid won the trophy.
That remains one of the greatest individual Champions League campaigns.
Ronaldo also finished as the competition’s leading scorer more often than any other player.
Record status: No. 1 with 140.
2. Lionel Messi — 129 Goals
Country: Argentina
Champions League goals: 129
Appearances: 163
Clubs: Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain
Lionel Messi ranks second with 129.
His total came across only two clubs.
He scored:
- 120 for Barcelona
- 9 for Paris Saint-Germain
Messi’s 120 Barcelona goals remain the Champions League record for one player with a single club.
That is one of the strongest scoring records in the competition.
Messi’s first Champions League goal came against Panathinaikos in 2005.
He then developed into the central attacking figure of one of football’s greatest club teams.
Messi’s Champions League Titles
Messi was part of Barcelona squads that won the tournament four times.
His most direct final involvement came in:
- 2009
- 2011
- 2015
He scored in both the 2009 and 2011 finals against Manchester United.
The 2011 performance is especially remembered because Barcelona produced one of the most dominant Champions League final displays of the modern era.
Messi’s Scoring Milestones
Messi became the second player to reach 100 Champions League goals.
He also reached several milestones faster than Ronaldo.
For example, Messi needed fewer appearances to reach:
- 60
- 70
- 90
- 100
goals.
He finished as Champions League top scorer or joint-top scorer six times.
His final goal total stopped at 129 after his move away from European club football.
Record status: No. 2 with 129.
3. Robert Lewandowski — 109 Goals
Country: Poland
Champions League goals: 109
Clubs: Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona
Robert Lewandowski is the third member of the Champions League 100-goal club.
He reached that milestone during his Barcelona career.
Only:
- Ronaldo
- Messi
- Lewandowski
have scored 100 or more Champions League goals.
Lewandowski built his European total at three clubs.
His greatest period came with Bayern Munich.
He scored 69 Champions League goals for Bayern.
His movement inside the penalty area made him extremely difficult to defend.
Lewandowski could score through:
- First-time finishes
- Headers
- Penalties
- Both feet
- Counterattacks
- Combination play
Lewandowski’s Greatest Champions League Season
His defining campaign came in 2019/20.
Lewandowski scored:
15 goals
Bayern Munich won every Champions League match they played and completed the treble.
Lewandowski finished as the competition’s top scorer.
He did not score in the final against Paris Saint-Germain, but his scoring throughout the tournament had already been crucial.
Lewandowski’s 100-Goal Milestone
Lewandowski reached 100 Champions League goals in his 125th appearance.
That was faster than Cristiano Ronaldo.
He became only the third player to reach the landmark.
By the end of his Barcelona Champions League career, he had reached 109.
He also scored against a remarkable number of different opponents.
Record status: No. 3 with 109.
4. Karim Benzema — 90 Goals
Country: France
Champions League goals: 90
Appearances: 152
Clubs: Lyon, Real Madrid
Karim Benzema ranks fourth with 90 Champions League goals.
His scoring career began with Lyon.
He later moved to Real Madrid in 2009.
For years, Benzema played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
That meant some of his value came from:
- Link play
- Movement
- Creating space
- Assisting teammates
rather than maximizing his own goal total.
When Ronaldo left Madrid, Benzema became the central scorer.
His numbers rose dramatically.
Benzema’s 2021/22 Champions League Run
The greatest campaign of his career came in 2021/22.
Benzema scored:
15 Champions League goals
Real Madrid won the competition.
His knockout performances were extraordinary.
He scored a hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain.
Then another hat-trick against Chelsea.
He also scored crucial goals against Manchester City.
That campaign played a major role in his 2022 Ballon d’Or victory.
Benzema’s Real Madrid Record
Benzema scored:
78 Champions League goals for Real Madrid
Only Messi, Ronaldo, and Lewandowski scored more for a single club among the leading names.
He also won five Champions League titles with Madrid.
Record status: No. 4 with 90.
5. Kylian Mbappé — 71 Goals
Country: France
Champions League goals: 71
Appearances: 99
Clubs: Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid
Status: Active
Kylian Mbappé has already moved into the historical Top 5.
At only 27 in September 2026, he has time to climb much further.
His Champions League total stands at:
71 goals
That puts him level with Raúl.
Mbappé has scored Champions League goals for:
- Monaco
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Real Madrid
His first major European breakthrough came with Monaco in 2016/17.
He scored six goals during the club’s run to the semi-finals.
Mbappé later became PSG’s main European scorer.
He scored 42 Champions League goals for Paris.
His move to Real Madrid then gave him another platform to chase the all-time records.
Mbappé’s Historic 2025/26 Season
Mbappé scored:
15 Champions League goals
in 2025/26.
That made him the tournament’s outright leading scorer.
He scored 13 during the league phase alone, setting a record for that stage of the competition.
His 15-goal season moved him rapidly upward in the career ranking.
By September 2026, he had reached 71.
Mbappé’s Age Records
Mbappé became the youngest player to reach 70 Champions League goals.
He reached the mark before Messi had at the same milestone.
That creates an obvious long-term question.
Can he eventually reach 100?
At his current age and scoring rate, the answer is clearly yes if he remains healthy and continues playing Champions League football.
Record status: Joint No. 5 with 71 and still rising.
6. Raúl González — 71 Goals
Country: Spain
Champions League goals: 71
Appearances: 142
Clubs: Real Madrid, Schalke
Before Messi and Ronaldo took control of the record book, Raúl was the benchmark.
He finished his Champions League career with:
71 goals
For years, that was the competition record.
Messi eventually matched Raúl in November 2014 and then moved past him later that month.
Ronaldo followed.
Raúl scored most of his goals for Real Madrid.
He recorded:
66 Champions League goals for Madrid
He later added five for Schalke.
Raúl’s Champions League Titles
Raúl won the competition three times with Real Madrid:
- 1998
- 2000
- 2002
He also scored in two finals.
Against Valencia in 2000, Raúl completed a famous counterattack to score Madrid’s third goal.
Two years later, he scored again in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.
Zinédine Zidane later scored the famous winning volley.
Raúl represented the first great Champions League scoring era before Messi and Ronaldo pushed the numbers to unprecedented levels.
He now shares fifth place with Mbappé.
Record status: Joint No. 5 with 71.
7. Erling Haaland — 59 Goals
Country: Norway
Champions League goals: 59
Appearances: 59
Clubs: Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City
Status: Active
Erling Haaland has the most extraordinary scoring rate in the Top 10.
As of September 2026:
59 appearances
59 goals
That is exactly one goal per game.
His total breaks down as:
- Salzburg — 8
- Borussia Dortmund — 15
- Manchester City — 36
Haaland announced himself immediately.
On his Champions League debut for Salzburg, he scored a first-half hat-trick against Genk.
His scoring rate never slowed significantly.
Fastest Player to 50 Champions League Goals
Haaland reached 50 goals in only:
49 appearances
That is the Champions League record.
For comparison:
- Van Nistelrooy needed 62
- Messi needed 66
- Kane needed 66
- Lewandowski needed 77
- Mbappé needed 79
- Ronaldo needed 91
Haaland’s scoring speed is therefore historically unusual.
Haaland’s Champions League Title
Manchester City won the tournament in 2022/23.
Haaland finished as top scorer with 12 goals.
That completed City’s treble.
He had also been Champions League top scorer with Borussia Dortmund in 2020/21.
At age 26, Haaland already has 59.
If he stays in the competition for another decade, the Ronaldo record becomes a legitimate long-term target.
Record status: No. 7 with 59 and rising quickly.
8. Thomas Müller — 57 Goals
Country: Germany
Champions League goals: 57
Club: Bayern Munich
Thomas Müller ranks eighth with 57.
Every goal came for:
Bayern Munich
That gives him one of the largest one-club totals in Champions League history.
Müller was never a traditional striker.
He operated as:
- Second striker
- Attacking midfielder
- Wide attacker
- Raumdeuter
His movement allowed him to appear in scoring positions without playing permanently at centre-forward.
Müller’s European Success
Müller won the Champions League twice with Bayern:
- 2013
- 2020
The first completed Bayern’s treble under Jupp Heynckes.
The second came during another treble-winning season.
Müller’s 57 goals show how long he remained influential in Europe.
He also accumulated one of the highest appearance totals in Champions League history.
Unlike Haaland, his record was built through longevity rather than a goal-per-game scoring rate.
Record status: No. 8 with 57.
9. Ruud van Nistelrooy — 56 Goals
Country: Netherlands
Champions League goals: 56
Clubs: PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid
Ruud van Nistelrooy ranks ninth with 56 goals in the competition proper.
This is another player for whom the qualifying rule matters.
If qualifying is included, UEFA lists him with:
60
FootballerRank uses 56.
Van Nistelrooy was one of the most efficient Champions League strikers of the early 2000s.
His scoring came through:
- Penalty-box movement
- Rebounds
- First-time finishes
- Headers
- Penalties
- Close-range anticipation
He was rarely interested in scoring spectacular goals from 30 metres.
He wanted the highest-quality chance available.
Van Nistelrooy’s Scoring Speed
Before Haaland arrived, Van Nistelrooy owned several Champions League scoring-speed records.
He needed only:
62 appearances to reach 50 goals
That remains one of the fastest rates ever.
He was also competition top scorer in three seasons:
- 2001/02
- 2002/03
- 2004/05
The surprising part is that he never won the Champions League.
His individual scoring record was stronger than his team trophy record in the competition.
Record status: No. 9 with 56.
10. Harry Kane — 55 Goals
Country: England
Champions League goals: 55
Clubs: Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich
Status: Active
Harry Kane has entered the historical Top 10.
He has scored:
55 Champions League goals
across Tottenham and Bayern Munich.
Kane’s rise accelerated after moving to Germany.
His game fits Champions League football extremely well because he can contribute as both scorer and creator.
He scores through:
- Penalties
- Headers
- Long-range shots
- First-time finishes
- Movement inside the box
He can also drop deeper and play passes for runners.
Kane’s 2025/26 Champions League Season
Kane scored:
14 goals
during the 2025/26 tournament.
Only Kylian Mbappé scored more.
That was the highest number ever produced by an English player in one Champions League season.
Kane also became the highest-scoring English player in Champions League history.
He reached 50 goals in only 66 appearances.
Only Haaland and Van Nistelrooy reached that landmark faster.
At 33 in September 2026, Kane still has time to move several places higher.
Van Nistelrooy, Müller, Haaland, Raúl, and Mbappé are all within realistic range if he continues scoring.
Record status: No. 10 with 55 and still active.
Who Just Misses the Top 10?
Several legendary scorers sit immediately behind Kane.
Thierry Henry — 50
Henry scored 50 Champions League goals for:
- Monaco
- Arsenal
- Barcelona
His largest club total came at Arsenal.
He later won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009.
Mohamed Salah — 50
Salah also has 50 competition-proper goals.
Most came for Liverpool.
He was central to the club’s 2019 Champions League title.
Because Kane has moved to 55, Salah currently sits outside the Top 10.
Zlatan Ibrahimović — 48
Ibrahimović scored for several Champions League clubs.
He remains one of the highest scorers never to win the trophy.
Andriy Shevchenko — 48
Shevchenko’s competition-proper total is 48.
If qualifying rounds are included, his total rises significantly.
That illustrates again why one methodology must be used throughout the table.
Ronaldo vs Messi: Who Scored More Champions League Goals?
Ronaldo leads.
| Player | Goals |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 140 |
| Lionel Messi | 129 |
| Difference | 11 |
Ronaldo therefore finished his Champions League career 11 goals ahead of Messi.
Both are no longer playing European club football.
That makes their totals effectively fixed.
Ronaldo’s 140 remains the record challengers must chase.
Ronaldo vs Messi: Who Scored More for One Club?
Messi wins this category.
Messi for Barcelona
120 goals
Ronaldo for Real Madrid
105 goals
Messi therefore holds the Champions League record for most goals for one club.
Ronaldo has the higher total because he scored more across Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus combined.
Which Players Have Scored 100 Champions League Goals?
Only three.
| Player | Goals |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 140 |
| Lionel Messi | 129 |
| Robert Lewandowski | 109 |
Mbappé is the closest active challenger on 71.
He needs another 29 to join the 100-goal club.
Who Reached 100 Champions League Goals Fastest?
Lionel Messi.
The milestone took:
- Messi — 123 appearances
- Lewandowski — 125
- Cristiano Ronaldo — 137
Haaland and Mbappé have not yet reached 100.
Their scoring rates make this record worth watching.
Who Reached 50 Champions League Goals Fastest?
Erling Haaland holds the record.
| Player | Appearances to 50 |
| Erling Haaland | 49 |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | 62 |
| Lionel Messi | 66 |
| Harry Kane | 66 |
| Robert Lewandowski | 77 |
| Kylian Mbappé | 79 |
| Karim Benzema | 88 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 91 |
This is an important reminder that total goals and scoring rate answer different questions.
Ronaldo has the most goals.
Haaland reached 50 much faster.
Can Mbappé Break Ronaldo’s Champions League Record?
It is possible.
It is far from guaranteed.
Mbappé currently has:
71 goals
Ronaldo’s record is:
140
The gap is:
69 goals
That is still enormous.
However, Mbappé is only 27.
If he remains at an elite Champions League club for another seven or eight seasons, he will have enough matches to make the record realistic.
His 15-goal 2025/26 season shows the scoring level required.
The challenge is sustaining it.
Can Haaland Break Ronaldo’s Record?
Haaland may have an even stronger mathematical path.
He already has 59 goals at age 26.
More importantly, he reached that number in only 59 matches.
He needs another:
81 goals
to equal Ronaldo’s 140.
If Haaland remains healthy and continues playing Champions League football into his mid-30s, the record is possible.
The biggest unknown is longevity.
Ronaldo’s record was built through many years of deep Champions League runs.
Haaland needs the same durability.
Who Has the Best Champions League Goals-Per-Game Rate?
Among the leading modern scorers, Haaland is the standout.
His current rate is approximately:
1.00 goal per game
with 59 goals in 59 appearances.
That is extraordinary.
Ronaldo and Messi have much larger samples.
Their rates are lower, but they sustained elite scoring for far longer.
A rate ranking would therefore produce a different order from a total-goals ranking.
Who Scored the Most Goals in One Champions League Season?
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the modern Champions League record with:
17 goals in 2013/14
Real Madrid won the trophy.
Other major single-season totals include:
- Ronaldo — 16 in 2015/16
- Ronaldo — 15 in 2017/18
- Lewandowski — 15 in 2019/20
- Benzema — 15 in 2021/22
- Mbappé — 15 in 2025/26
- Messi — 14 in 2011/12
- Kane — 14 in 2025/26
Ronaldo’s 17 remains the benchmark.
Who Has Been Champions League Top Scorer the Most Times?
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record.
He finished as top scorer or joint-top scorer in seven Champions League seasons.
Messi did so six times.
The two dominated the competition’s scoring race for more than a decade.
Between 2007/08 and 2018/19, either Ronaldo or Messi finished as top scorer or joint-top scorer every season.
Lewandowski eventually broke that run in 2019/20.
Most Champions League Goals for One Club
The leading one-club totals include:
| Player | Club | Goals |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 120 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 105 |
| Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 78 |
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 69 |
| Raúl | Real Madrid | 66 |
| Thomas Müller | Bayern Munich | 57 |
Messi’s 120 for Barcelona is the record.
This record is especially difficult because modern players change clubs frequently.
Champions League vs European Cup Goals
These should not be treated as exactly the same record.
The European Cup began in 1955/56.
The competition became the UEFA Champions League in 1992/93.
The old European Cup usually had fewer matches because it was primarily a knockout competition.
That gave historical players fewer opportunities to accumulate huge totals.
For example:
Alfredo Di Stéfano
49 European Cup goals
Eusébio
47
Ferenc Puskás
36
Gerd Müller
34
Di Stéfano scored 49 in only 58 appearances.
That scoring rate is extraordinary.
But this article targets:
Champions League goals
not:
European Cup and Champions League combined
So pre-1992 European Cup goals do not enter the main Top 10.
Why Di Stéfano Is Not in This Top 10
Because he never played in the UEFA Champions League era.
His 49 goals came in the European Champion Clubs’ Cup.
That is the predecessor competition.
UEFA itself separates the historical tables when discussing Champions League-era scorers.
Di Stéfano’s achievements remain enormous.
They simply belong to a different competition-era record.
Why Gerd Müller Is Not Included
The same rule applies.
Gerd Müller scored 34 European Cup goals.
He never played in the Champions League era, which began in 1992/93.
His goals therefore do not count in this article’s main table.
Does a Champions League Qualifying Goal Count?
Not in FootballerRank’s main ranking.
UEFA provides separate totals that include qualifying.
For example:
Cristiano Ronaldo
- 140 competition proper
- 141 including qualifying
Ruud van Nistelrooy
- 56 competition proper
- 60 including qualifying
Using competition-proper figures produces the cleanest comparison with UEFA’s main Champions League scoring record.
Are Penalty Goals Included?
Yes.
A penalty scored during a Champions League match is a normal competition goal.
UEFA does not remove penalties when ranking all-time scorers.
FootballerRank follows the same principle.
Does a Goal in the Champions League Final Count More?
Not in the total.
One final goal equals one goal statistically.
Its importance is obviously much greater.
That is why record articles and editorial greatness rankings should remain separate.
Ronaldo’s final goals strengthen his Champions League legacy.
They do not count as two or three goals each in the record table.
Most Champions League Goals vs Best Champions League Players
These are different search intents.
A player could influence Champions League history through:
- Goals
- Assists
- Goalkeeping
- Defending
- Midfield control
- Leadership
without ranking in the top scoring table.
FootballerRank’s Best Champions League Players of All Time article asks who had the greatest overall competition impact.
This page asks only:
Who scored the most Champions League goals?
That distinction prevents cannibalization.
Most Champions League Goals vs Most Career Goals
These pages are also different.
Champions League goals form only one part of a player’s club scoring record.
Ronaldo’s:
140 Champions League goals
are already included inside his complete career total.
They are not additional goals.
FootballerRank’s Football Players With Most Career Goals page combines official senior scoring across club and country.
This page isolates one competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has scored the most Champions League goals?
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the competition-proper record with 140 goals.
Why do some sources say Ronaldo has 141 Champions League goals?
Ronaldo scored one goal in qualifying. His total is 140 from the group/league phase through the final and 141 when qualifying is included.
How many Champions League goals did Lionel Messi score?
Messi scored 129 Champions League goals.
How many Champions League goals does Lewandowski have?
Robert Lewandowski scored 109 in the competition proper.
Who is fourth for most Champions League goals?
Karim Benzema ranks fourth with 90.
How many Champions League goals does Mbappé have?
Kylian Mbappé has 71 as of September 2026.
How many Champions League goals did Raúl score?
Raúl scored 71, putting him level with Mbappé in the current all-time table.
How many Champions League goals does Haaland have?
Haaland has 59 in 59 competition-proper appearances as of September 2026.
Who reached 50 Champions League goals fastest?
Haaland, in only 49 appearances.
Who is the highest-scoring English player in Champions League history?
Harry Kane, with 55 goals as of September 2026.
How many Champions League goals did Thomas Müller score?
Müller scored 57 for Bayern Munich.
How many did Ruud van Nistelrooy score?
Van Nistelrooy scored 56 in the competition proper. His total becomes 60 if qualifying rounds are included.
Who scored the most Champions League goals for one club?
Lionel Messi holds the record with 120 for Barcelona.
Who scored the most in one Champions League season?
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a record 17 during Real Madrid’s 2013/14 title-winning campaign.
How many players have scored 100 Champions League goals?
Three: Ronaldo, Messi, and Lewandowski.
Can Mbappé reach 100 Champions League goals?
Yes. He currently has 71 and needs 29 more.
Can Haaland break Ronaldo’s record?
Potentially. Haaland’s scoring rate is exceptional, but he would need many more seasons of elite Champions League football.
Do European Cup goals count?
Not in the main ranking. This article covers the UEFA Champions League era from 1992/93 onward.
Are Champions League qualifying goals included?
No. FootballerRank uses competition-proper totals for the main ranking.
How often should this page be updated?
During every Champions League matchweek involving active Top 10 scorers, especially Mbappé, Haaland, and Kane.
Sources and Fact-Checking Method
FootballerRank treats this as a competition record page.
The primary record source is UEFA.
The main ranking counts Champions League goals from:
- Group stage in the former format
- League phase in the current format
- Knockout rounds
- Final
Qualifying and playoff-round goals before entry into the competition proper are excluded.
This distinction is necessary because including qualifying changes several historical totals.
The article also keeps the Champions League era separate from the pre-1992 European Cup era.
That means players such as Di Stéfano, Eusébio, Puskás, and Gerd Müller are discussed for context but do not enter the main ranking.
For active players, totals need regular updates.
Mbappé, Haaland, and Kane are already in the Top 10 and continue playing Champions League football.
Their positions can change during 2026/27.
The ranking therefore includes a clear review date rather than presenting live totals as permanent.
Conclusion
Cristiano Ronaldo leads the football players with most Champions League goals with 140 in the competition proper, 11 ahead of Lionel Messi’s 129, while Robert Lewandowski is the only other player above 100 with 109. Karim Benzema ranks fourth on 90, Kylian Mbappé and Raúl share fifth on 71, and Erling Haaland, Thomas Müller, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Harry Kane complete the current Top 10. Mbappé, Haaland, and Kane can still climb substantially, but Ronaldo’s record remains a huge target built through years of deep European runs, record scoring seasons, and decisive knockout performances.
