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The 2018/2019 Champions League season is gradually drawing to a close, as we are down to the final eight.
Goals have played a large part in bringing the various clubs this far, without which they would have been eliminated a long time ago and it is for this reason why regular goalscorers are placed at a premium.
When it comes to goalscoring, there are not many who have done it on a higher or more consistent level than Ronaldo through the years, with the Portuguese icon taking it a notch further when it comes to European club football's most prestigious tournament.
With 125 goals from 166 appearances, he is the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of the competition while he has incredibly won the UCL Golden Boot in each of the last six seasons consecutively.
His superhuman performances on the continent earned him the well-deserved moniker 'Mr Champions League' and was extremely significant in Real Madrid's recent successes in the tournament.
The 34-year-old scored a hattrick in the last round to unbelievably eliminate Atletico Madrid, but despite his trio of goals, the Juventus number 7 still finds himself in unfamiliar territory - as he is not among the top scorers in the competition this season.
Incredibly, Ronaldo's hat-trick could only take him up to 4 goals this season and 13th on the standing (but you can be sure that he would rise much higher before the season ends). In this piece, we shall be giving a rundown of 10 players who have outscored Ronaldo in the UCL so far this season.
#10 Paulo Dybala (Juventus) - 5 goals
The 25-year-old used to be the undoubted star of the Juventus team, with all their attacks being channeled through him. However, the big money arrival of Ronaldo in the summer expectedly pushed him to the backseat.
Dybala might have lost his star status as well as starting shirt, but that has not stopped him from contributing his quota to the Juventus cause, as he has weighed in with five goals to help lead Juve's quest for a first Champions League trophy in 22 years.
#9 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) - 5 goals
Manchester City might be conquering all and sundry domestically in England, but they are yet to translate that dominance onto the continent.
The Cityzens are looking to win their first ever European trophy and as such would be banking on the performance of Sergio Aguero on the field of play to help them achieve this.
The 31-year-old Argentine international has scored five goals from five appearances in the tournament this season including a brace in the last round of fixtures to down Schalke 04 and with him in this form, City can fancy their chances of going al the way.
#8 Harry Kane (Tottenham) - 5 goals
Arguably the best striker in the world over the last five years, Harry Kane has been nothing short of exceptional in front of goal and Tottenham have benefitted immensely from his services.
So far this season, the 25-year-old Word Cup Golden Boot winner has scored five goals from seven appearances to help Spurs get this far and if the club is to take one step further and make their first-ever semifinal appearance, then Harry Kane would have a large role to play in it.
#7 Andrej Kamaric (Hoffenheim) - 5 goals
Even though Hoffenheim might have long been gone from this season's Champions League having been eliminated from the group stages, the German side won many admirers for their enthralling and attacking style of play despite only making their debut appearance in the competition.
A large part of this was down to 27-year-old striker Andrej Kramaric, as the Croatian international weighed in with five goals and one assist to prove his mettle on the biggest stage of club football.
#6 Neymar Jr (PSG) - 5 goals
Neymar finds himself sixth on the list of UCL top scorers this season, despite last kicking a ball in the competition in December of last year.
A recurrence of the injury he suffered last season ruled him out of his club's clash with Manchester United in the last round, hence he was powerless to stop their shock elimination.
How PSG missed him, as the Brazilian international showed his class in the group stage, scoring five goals from six matches including a hattrick against Red Star Belgrade while he also weighed in with two assists to help the Ligue 1 side top their group.
#5 Edin Dzeko (AS Roma) - 5 goals
Edin Dzeko is easily one of the most underrated strikers in the world - strong, good in the air, technically proficient and a clinical finisher, the 32-year-old is just about a complete striker and has a decent goals record but surprisingly does not get the recognition his performances deserve.
This season the Bosnian scored five goals and created a further four assists in just six appearances in the Champions League although he was powerless to stop Roma's elimination at the hands of Porto.
#4 Moussa Marega (Porto) - 6 goals
Moussa Marega has been one of the revelations of the season, with his form being one of the driving factors that has propelled Porto this far in the Champions League.
The Malian international has scored six goals in addition to two assists from seven matches, with his goals coming in six consecutive matches to make him only the sixth player to achieve this unique feat.
#3 Dusan Tadic (Ajax) - 6 goals
Dusan Tadic signed for Dutch giants Ajax in the summer for the sum of €11.4m, but despite his impressive displays for Southampton in the Premier League, few could have predicted the sudden impact the Serbian would have at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
So far this season, the 30-year-old has been one of the driving forces behind Ajax's spectacular run in the tournament, scoring six goals and registering three assists with his standout performance coming in the demolition of Real Madrid in the last round.
#2 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 8 goals
Robert Lewandowski made a name for himself in the colors of Borussia Dortmund, helping the club to two Bundesliga titles as well as the UCL final in 2013.
He, however, sought bigger challenges and completed a transfer to German giants Bayern Munich in 2013, with a view to winning the Champions League.
It has however not panned out to plan for the Polish goal-getter, as his final appearance with Dortmund in 2013 remains the closest he has come to winning the trophy.
It has however not been for want of trying, as the 30-year-old has been a prime goalscorer and was at his lethal best this season, scoring eight goals from eight matches although that did not stop Bayern Munich from getting eliminated by Liverpool at the last round.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 8 goals
Barcelona might be five times winners of the Champions League and two-time treble winners, but they have massively struggled on the continent in recent years.
However, the Blaugrana have the presence of arguably the greatest player of all time within their ranks and the 31-year-old has made it his priority to return continental glory to the Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi began the season in emphatic fashion, netting a hattrick in the 5-0 demolition of PSV on the opening day and he has not shown any signs of relenting since then.
So far this season, the Argentine maestro has scored eight goals and registered four assists from just five matches.
Having seen eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo mastermind the elimination of Atletico Madrid, Lionel Messi responded in kind just a day later, scoring and assisting two each coming in the 5-1 demolition of Lyon in the last round to send his statement of intent to the rest of Europe.
