From a mere European club tournament to a global football spectacle, the UEFA Champions League, originally established as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1955, has undoubtedly witnessed a tremendous growth in its popularity on a global scale. With a star-studded lineup of legendary football players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane and many others, the UEFA Champions League has established its own loyal fan base of over 500 million football aficionados from all over the world as of April 2025. The goalscorers have undoubtedly been the cornerstone behind the skyrocketing popularity of the UEFA Champions League as they have continued to be the ultimate game-changers in high-stakes matches.
In this article we will take a look at the top four goals-scorers of the UEFA Champions League who have led their clubs to a dominant streak of victories over the years.
UEFA Champions League : Top 4 Goal Scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Apps | Ratio |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 140 | 183 | 0.77 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | 129 | 163 | 0.79 |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski | 105 | 132 | 0.8 |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | 90 | 152 | 0.59 |
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Cristiano Ronaldo – 140 Goals
Often hailed as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All-Time), the Portuguese professional football player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is at the first spot in our list of the top four goal-scorers of the UEFA Champions League, with the highest-ever total of 140 goals. Well, Ronaldo’s undefeated dominance in the UEFA Champions League transcends beyond the unbelievable count of goals scored as he has continued to be one of the most reliable goal scorers for his club in the most dreadful situations on the field.
As of April 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the highest total of 140 goals in 183 appearances that he has made in the Champions League. Additionally, Ronaldo scored a record total of 17 goals in a single season (2013–14) — which continues to be an undefeated record till date. Moreover, Ronaldo has captured the highest total of UCL titles, i.e. five, as of April 2025. Most significantly, Ronaldo also holds the record for scoring the highest number of goals in the knockout rounds, i.e. sixty-seven.
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Lionel Messi – 129 Goals
Next, at the second spot in our list of the top four goal scorers of the UEFA Champions League, we have the legendary Argentine professional player often hailed as one of the greatest football players of all-time, Lionel Messi. Messi has played for Barcelona (2004-2021) and Paris Saint-Germain (2021-2023) in the UCL seasons.
Often hailed as one of the most decorated football players in the history of the UEFA Champions League, Lionel Messi has scored a total of 129 goals in 163 appearances and established himself as the second-highest goal scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League, just behind Cristiano Ronaldo. Additionally, Messi has clinched a total of four UCL titles with the Barcelona club in the 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11 and 2014–15 editions. Moreover, Lionel Messi was also honoured with the prestigious Golden Boot award in the 2014-15 edition alongside Ronaldo and Neymar.
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Robert Lewandowski – 105 Goals
Widely hailed as one of the greatest strikers of all-time, the 36-year-old Polish professional footballer, who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelonaand captains the Poland national team, Robert Lewandowski, is at the third spot in our list of the top four all-time goal scorers of the UEFA Champions League.
Often hailed as one of the most successful players in Bundesliga and Bayern Munich history, Robert Lewandowski has scored a total of 105 goals in 112 appearances as of April 2025. Robert Lewandowski clinched the coveted UCL title with the Bayern Munich club in 2020 and was also honoured with the prestigious Golden Boot award for scoring 13 goals.
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Karim Benzema – 90 Goals
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four goal-scorers in the history of the UEFA Champions League, we have one of the most prolific strikers of all-time, Karim Benzema, who has clinched a record total of 25 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, three Copa del Rey, and five UEFA Champions League titles.
As of April 2025, Karim Benzema has scored the fourth-highest total of 90 goals in 152 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, playing particularly with the Real Madrid club. Interestingly, Karim Benzema has clinched a total of five UCL titles in 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2021-22 (as captain and top-scorer).
The 2021-22 UEFA Champions League season turned out to be the golden season for Karim Benzema as he scored 12 goals in 12 matches, leading Real Madrid to their 14th UCL title and was also honoured with the UEFA Player of the Season (2021–22) award and the prestigious Ballon d’Or award.
