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The UEFA Champions League has been graced by a plethora of world-class players, especially goalscorers, over the years.
Throughout the three decades of the competition, many fine players have scored goals galore, some doing so for multiple clubs. The trend has continued in the 2021-22 edition of the blue-riband event of European club football as well.
Across the first four matchdays of the 2021-22 Champions League, there have been quite a few braces (scoring two goals in a game) already. On that note, here's a look at the ten players with the most braces in the history of the competition.
Note: All stats are as per transfermarkt unless mentioned otherwise.
#10 Sergio Aguero (Barcelona) - 9
Sergio Aguero is one of the most prolific active goalscorers in the game at the moment and has scored 41 goals in the Champions League. He has netted at least once in each of his 12 previous campaigns in the competition, ten of them with Manchester City.
Now at Barcelona, the Argentine scored a brace for Atletico Madrid on his Champions League debut against PSV Eindhoven in 2008. His ninth and latest brace in the competition came almost two years ago, though, when he netted in City's 5-1 win over Atalanta.
Aguero's only hat-trick in the Champions League came against Bayern Munich in 2014.
Last season, he played his first final in the competition, but drew a blank as the Cityzens lost to Chelsea by a solitary goal.
#9 Neymar (PSG) - 9
Neymar is one of the most skilful players to have graced the game. The 2015 Champions League winner recently made history by becoming the first player to score 20 goals in the competition for two different clubs.
Neymar has scored at least three times in each of his last eight Champions League campaigns. He has a rich haul of 41 goals and 31 assists in the competition.
After going scoreless in his first five Champions League games, Neymar opened his account with a hat-trick against Celtic in 2013. He scored his second hat-trick in the competition for PSG five years later, and added a third last year.
Only two of his nine Champions League braces have come with the Ligue 1 giants. Neymar has not scored in his last six games in the competition, though.
#8 Thierry Henry (Retired) - 10
Thierry Henry is one of the most prolific goalscorers to have graced the game since the turn of the century.
Arsenal's record goalscorer has scored 50 times in the Champions League for three different clubs, with most of his strikes coming for the Gunners. Henry was part of Barcelona's 2008-09 Champions League-winning campaign, netting five times that season.
The Frenchman scored two braces in his first four games in the Champions League. Henry netted his last brace in the competition in 2009.
#7 Ruud van Nistelrooy (Retired) - 11
Ruud van Nistelrooy is one of the best goalscorers in Champions League history to have never won the competition.
The Dutchman was a three-time top-scorer in the competition, all with Manchester United, but never reached the final. During his five-season stint at United, Van Nistelrooy scored 35 Champions League goals.
Seven of Van Nistelrooy's 11 braces in the competition came with the Red Devils, for whom he also scored a quadruple. He scored two Champions League braces with Real Madrid, with whom he also scored his 50th goal in the competition.
#6 Filippo Inzaghi (Retired) - 12
Filippo Inzaghi is one of the most prolific scorers in Champions League history. The 48-year-old scored nearly 50 goals in the competition for two different clubs, with most of the goals coming during his team with AC Milan.
Inzaghi played a key role in Milan's dual Champions League triumphs in the 2000s. All but one of his 12 braces in the competition came with the Rossoneri. Inzaghi's brace in the 2007 final against Liverpool helped Milan to their seventh and latest triumph in the competition.
The former Italy international also scored three hat-tricks in the competition, but only one of them came with Milan.
#5 Raul (Retired) - 14
Raul is one of the greatest strikers in the history of the Champions League. The Real Madrid legend scored over 70 goals in the competition, with all but five of them coming for Los Blancos.
The former Spain international is one of the youngest players to score a Champions League hat-trick, having done so in 1995. Raul didn't score another hat-trick in the competition, but registered plenty of braces.
The three-time Champions League winner scored all but one of his 14 Champions League braces with Madrid. However, Raul's only brace in the competition with Schalke inspired the Bundesliga club to a memorable win at Inter Milan.
Raul registered his career-best campaign in the competition in the 1999-2000 season, netting ten times in Madrid's triumphant campaign.
#4 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 17
Karim Benzema is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the history of the Champions League.
The four-time winner is one of only two players to score in 17 consecutive seasons of the competition. He has netted at least once in each of his last 12 Champions League campaigns.
All but two of his 17 Champions League braces have come for Real Madrid. Benzema's latest brace in the competition saw Los Blancos beat Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 4 of the 2021-22 Champions League. The result helped the side go top of their group.
Benzema has also scored two hat-tricks in the Champions League, both with Real Madrid.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 20
Robert Lewandowski is one of the most prolific strikers to have graced the Champions League.
The Bayern Munich marksman has been on a tear across competitions for a while. He scored 15 times in the 2019-20 season to win his first Champions League title. After netting only five times last campaign, Lewandowski has been on a tear once again this season.
With his hat-trick against Benfica on Matchday 4, Lewandowski became only the sixth player to score on his 100th game in the competition. That was his fourth hat-trick in the Champions League, a tally bettered by only two other players.
It comes as no surprise that Lewandowski has scored plenty of braces in the Champions League. Thirteen of his 20 braces in the competition have come with Bayern Munich, with two of them coming this season.
#2 Lionel Messi (PSG) - 34
Lionel Messi is one of the best players to have graced the game. He is one of only two players to score over 100 goals and net eight hat-tricks in in the Champions League.
During his storied career. Messi has won four Champions League titles, two as part of continental trebles. The 34-year-old has scored all but one of his 34 braces in the competition for Barcelona.
Now at PSG, Messi scored his first brace for his new club against Leipzig on Matchday 3.
Messi, along with Benzema, are the only players to score in 17 consecutive seasons in the Champions League.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 38
Cristiano Ronaldo, like Messi, is widely regarded as one of the finest players to have played the game.
Ronaldo is a Champions League behemoth. With 139 strikes, he is the competition's all-time record goalscorer. The only player to win five Champions League titles, Ronaldo has scored more braces than any player in the competition's history.
The 36-year-old's latest brace in the Champions League, away at Atalanta, helped Manchester United force a share of the spoils.
Like Messi, Ronaldo has also netted eight hat-tricks in the competition, four more than anybody else.
Ronaldo has scored in all four Champions League games this season, netting five goals.
