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There's a different charm in being a part of Europe's biggest footballing stage - the UEFA Champions League (UCL). Be it locking horns with the best that the footballing world has to offer or to simply win that elusive gleaming cup considered as club-level football's Holy Grail, the tournament of the European elite has seen stars and legends vying to make this competition their own, by regularly switching teams just to be a part of it.
While there are players who have played bit-part but memorable roles in this 63-year old competition, there are those who have played season after season with the sole intention of becoming the kings of Europe.
One such ambitious star just competed in his 151st Champions League match, but he still remains a long way off from becoming the all-time highest appearance-maker in this battle of European champions.
So, do you know the names of these 10 iconic legends who have made Europe's premier competition their own by racking up the highest appearances?
#10 Andrés Iniesta
Appearances: 128 (still playing)
Goals scored: 11
Trophies won: 4 (2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15)
Teams played for in Champions League: FC Barcelona.
The ever-dependable captain of the La Liga leaders graduated from their famed La Masia Academy and has recently signed a lifetime contract, effectively keeping him with the club for the remainder of his career.
In a Barcelona career spanning 16 years and running, Iniesta has played in 128 matches in the competition, the highlight being lifting the prestigious Champions League Trophy four times.
#9 Roberto Carlos
Appearances: 128
Goals scored: 17
Trophies won: 3 (1997-98, 1999-00, 2001-02)
Teams played for in Champions League: Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe.
The 'free-kick' legend made the left-back position his own during his 11-year stay at the Los Blancos.
A part of the famous Madrid 'Galacticos' and Turkish giants Fenerbahçe later on, Carlos won the coveted trophy thrice (97/98, 99/00, 01/02) with Real Madrid, gracing the European pitch 128 times, before retiring in 2015.
#8 Paul Scholes
Appearances: 130
Goals scored: 25
Trophies won: 2 (1998-99, 2007-08)
Teams played for in Champions League: Manchester United.
The 'Ginger Prince' as he was fondly called, Paul Scholes has played his entire career at boyhood club, Manchester United. Rising up the ranks from the youth academy, Scholes went on to become a club legend with his accurate long-range passes and an intelligent eye for passes.
Highly acclaimed by legends like Xavi, Zidane, and Blanc as the 'best midfielder of the generation', Scholes went on to play in the competition 130 times and claimed a winner's medal twice in 1998-99 and 2007-08.
#7 Clarence Seedorf
Appearances: 131
Goals scored: 12
Trophies won: 4 (1994-95, 1997-98, 2002–03, 2006–07)
Teams played for in Champions League: Ajax, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, AC Milan.
The only player on this list to have won the gleaming Champions League trophy a record 4 times with three different clubs, Clarence Seedorf needs no introduction.
One of the brightest gems from the famous Ajax academy, Seedorf went on to win innumerable trophies and individual awards in his glittering career across the European continent. The highlights, of course, being on the winning side in this European competition with Ajax once (94/95), Real Madrid once (97/98) and AC Milan twice (02/03,06/07).
#6 Paolo Maldini
Appearances: 139
Goals scored: 3
Trophies won: 5 (1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 2002–03, 2006–07)
Teams played for in Champions League: AC Milan.
Another one-club man on the list, Maldini has spent his entire career (25 seasons!) at AC Milan, wearing the crown of Europe's Champions five times!!
The Italian centre-back has played with quite possibly the best defensive line-up in the history of football, as he raked in 139 appearances in this competition.
#5 Raúl González
Appearances: 144
Goals scored: 71
Trophies won: 3 (1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02)
Teams played for in Champions League: Real Madrid, Schalke 04.
Not only does Raúl feature on this list of highest appearances, he is also third on the list of all-time top scorers in UEFA Champions League! The legendary striker guided Los Blancos to European glory thrice, before sealing a move to Schalke 04.
Though he could not achieve the same European success as he did in Madrid, he still managed to rake in a few more appearances in Europe's elite competition to take his tally to a total of 144 appearances, 5th on the list of all-time appearances.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo
Appearances: 151 (still playing)
Goals scored: 117
Trophies won: 4 (2007–08, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17)
Teams played for in Champions League: Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid.
Man or machine? The debate still rages on, as the record-breaking CR7 broke another record a couple of nights ago by becoming the first ever player to score more than 100 goals for a single club in the Champions League and also competing in his 151st UCL match, thereby moving him to a joint 3rd on the list.
Even at the age of 33 where a lot of players are turning towards retirement, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner seems simply unstoppable. You can't help but wonder, how much more can this man achieve in this lifetime?
#3 Ryan Giggs
Appearances: 151
Goals scored: 30
Trophies won: 2 (1998–99, 2007–08)
Teams played for in Champions League: Manchester United.
One more one-club legend and one more serial-trophy winner - Ryan Giggs, now the manager of Welsh national team had been one of the brightest stars of Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils.
The Mancunian team, who dominated England from the early 90s right till the retirement of Sir Alex in 2013, were sometimes captained by the Welshman who made 151 appearances on the grand European stage.
#2 Xavi Hernández
Appearances: 157 (still playing)
Goals scored: 12
Trophies won: 4 (2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15)
Teams played for in Champions League: FC Barcelona.
Now 38, there is very little chance that Xavi Hernández might grace the European pitch again. However, until 2015, Xavi has seen enough European nights to make it difficult for any other player to reach his milestone feat.
Another La Masia graduate, Xavi set the European stage on fire with his lethal partnership with Andres Iniesta. Fortuitous to have a stellar line-up around him and equally excellent coaches, Xavi has won the trophy four times while making a whopping 157 appearances!
#1 Iker Casillas
Appearances: 170 (still playing)
Goals scored: 0
Trophies won: 3 (1999–2000, 2001–02, 2013–14)
Teams played for in Champions League: Real Madrid, FC Porto.
Winning the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper Award for a joint-record five consecutive years between 2008 and 2012, Iker Casillas is considered one of the best, if not the best goalkeepers in the world.
At the age of 36, he is still plying his trade for FC Porto, however, the chances here are few and slim. His athletic prowess may have waned slightly, his public image a bit tarnished in his last season at Real Madrid but, Casillas still commands respect from not only Madridistas but football fans and rivals alike.
With a few more years under his belt, Casillas may go on to create a record that might just be impossible to break!
