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This year's UEFA Champions League has reached the quarterfinal stage, with only the eight best teams left in the competition. These teams have some of the best players in the world, as is evidenced by their performances in the preceding rounds.
The quarterfinals are usually one of the toughest stages of the competition. 24 of the 32 teams that started the competition proper have been knocked out by this stage. The remaining eight teams usually put in their best to progress in the competition.
A number of teams have regularly delivered remarkable performances at this stage of the competition using a number of star players. These players appear regularly at this stage of the competition, making their absence noticeable whenever they fail to make it.
Without further ado, here are five players with the most appearances in the quarterfinals of the Champions League since it was rebranded in 1992.
#5 Sergio Busquets (21 appearances)
FC Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets enjoyed a meteoric rise at the club in early 2010s. He established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football in that span. The Spaniard has managed 21 appearances in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League since making his debut in the competition in 2008.
Busquets thrives at playing as the deepest member of the midfield trio. He played in this position with Xavi and Andres Iniesta as his midfield partners earlier. The trio formed the bedrock of great success for the Catalan side as they went on to win the competition in 2009, 2011 and 2015. His last quarterfinal appearance came in 2020 as Barcelona lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich.
Busquets will not play in the quarterfinals of the competition this year after his side were knocked out in the group stage. The 33-year-old Spaniard has made 125 total appearances in the competition, all for Barcelona.
#4 Gérard Pique (22 appearances)
Gérard Pique is one of the most decorated defenders in the history of European football. In Manchester United and FC Barcelona, the Spaniard has played for two of the biggest clubs in Europe. He has made 22 appearances in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in his career. He made his debut in the competition as a 17-year-old in 2004 for the Red Devils.
Pique made his first appearance in the quarterfinals of the Champions League in 2008 when Manchester United faced AS Roma. They went on to win the competition that season. Shortly afterwards, he moved to Barcelona and won the competition in 2009, 2011 and 2015. His last appearance in the quarterfinals came in 2020.
Like Busquets, Pique will not be part of this year's quarterfinals after his Barcelona side failed to make it out of the group stage. The defender has made 124 appearances in the competition.
#3 Andres Iniesta (22 appearances)
Andres Iniesta has made 22 appearances in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in his career. The Spanish great spent all of his time in Europe with FC Barcelona, for whom he made his debut in the competition in 2002.
Iniesta first appeared in the quarterfinals in 2006 as Barcelona went on to win the competition. He went on to win the competition with the club three more times in 2009, 2011 and 2015. His last appearance in the quarterfinals came in 2018 as Barcelona lost to AS Roma.
Having left Europe in 2018, Iniesta will not be part of the quarterfinals this season. The 37-year-old midfielder currently plays for Vissel Kobe in Japan.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (22 appearances)
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the most successful player in European Cup/UEFA Champions League history. He is also one of the world's greatest footballers ever. The Portuguese forward has made 22 appearances in the quarterfinals of the competition since his debut in 2003.
Ronaldo enjoyed a remarkable run in the competition as a Manchester United player in his youth, winning it in 2008. He later moved to Real Madrid in 2009, where he remained for nine years and won the trophy on four occasions.
His last appearance in the quarterfinals of the Champions League came in 2019 when he played for Juventus. They lost to a young Ajax team on that occasion.
Ronaldo will not be part of this season's quarterfinals after his Manchester United side were knocked out by Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 stage. The 37-year-old has made 183 appearances in the competition
#1 Lionel Messi (23 appearances)
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers ever. He has made 23 appearances in the quarterfinals of the Champions League since making his debut in the competition. The Argentine forward made all of his quarterfinal appearances for Barcelona.
Messi only made his first appearance in the quarterfinals of the competition in 2009 and Barcelona went on to win it that season. Messi helped the side win the competition in 2006, 2011 and 2015, as well. His last quarterfinal appearance came in a 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in 2020.
Messi will not play in this year's quarterfinals after his Paris Saint-Germain side went out at the hands of Real Madrid in the Round of 16. The 35-year-old has 156 appearances in the competition.
