Scoring in the Champions League means scoring against Europe’s best defences. That makes the competition’s scoring records especially impressive. Two players stand far above everyone else.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: 140 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo is the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 140 goals for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. He won the trophy five times, once with United in 2008 and four times with Real Madrid, and was the competition’s top scorer in seven seasons. He also holds the record for most goals in a single campaign: 17 in 2013-14.

2. Lionel Messi: 129 goals

Lionel Messi scored 129 Champions League goals, almost all of them for Barcelona, with the final few for Paris Saint-Germain. He won the competition four times with Barcelona, in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015, and scored in the 2009 and 2011 finals against Manchester United. He also shares the record for most goals in a single match, five against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012, with Luiz Adriano.

3. Robert Lewandowski: more than 100 goals

Robert Lewandowski became only the third player to reach 100 Champions League goals, scoring for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. He won the trophy with Bayern in 2020, when he scored 15 goals in a single campaign.

4. Karim Benzema: 90 goals

Benzema scored 90 goals for Lyon and Real Madrid and won the competition five times. His 2021-22 campaign, with hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, carried Real Madrid to their 14th title.

5. Raul: 71 goals

Before Ronaldo and Messi, Real Madrid’s Raul was the competition’s leading scorer. He won three Champions League titles in 1998, 2000 and 2002.

Other notable names

• Ruud van Nistelrooy: 56 goals for PSV, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
• Thierry Henry: 50 goals, mostly for Arsenal, and a winner with Barcelona in 2009.
• Kylian Mbappe: one of the active players climbing the list fastest, now with Real Madrid.
• Erling Haaland: broke speed records for reaching milestones and won the trophy with Manchester City in 2023.

Why the records may last

Ronaldo and Messi played at the very top level for more than 15 years without a break, at clubs that reached the knockout rounds almost every season. Even with the new format adding more league-phase matches, matching their totals will require extraordinary longevity. Learn how the competition is now structured in our Champions League format guide.