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The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious tournament in the European club football calendar. Known previously as the European Cup, this competition enables top clubs from European countries to compete against each other.
Real Madrid have won the Champions League a record 13 times. AC Milan (7), Liverpool (6) and Bayern Munich (5) are the next three most successful clubs in Europe’s flagship club competition.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time Champions League top scorer
Scoring goals is arguably the most crucial aspect of a football match. Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time top scorer in the UCL with 140 goals under his belt. Along with having players who score many goals, having many players who score goals is also essential.
Check out the five nations with the highest number of goal scorers in UEFA Champions League history.
#5 Italy - 112
Italy may not have any representatives in the all-time top ten goal scorers in the Champions League. However, they have produced 112 players who have scored at least one goal in the UCL.
Filippo Inzaghi is their highest goal scorer in the competition, with 46 goals in 81 appearances. Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero is not far behind either, aggregating 42 goals in 89 matches.
Italian clubs have had a great relationship with the UCL. Apart from AC Milan (7), both Inter Milan (3) and Juventus (2) have also won multiple trophies. With a combined 12 accolades between the three clubs, Serie A is third in terms of most UCL titles.
#4 Germany - 142
Germany’s triumphs in the Champions League have been mainly down to Bayern Munich’s prowess. The Bavarians have won six UCL titles, which account for 75% of the eight won by Bundesliga clubs.
Overall, 142 Germans have scored in Europe’s primary club competition. Despite not being known for his goal-scoring prowess, Thomas Muller is their leading goal scorer with 52 strikes in 132 appearances for Bayern Munich. The German forward is currently ranked seventh on the all-time scorers list for the competition.
Gerd Muller has a splendid goal-to-game ratio in the UCL, having scored 34 goals in just 35 matches. Mario Gomez is Die Mannschaft’s third-highest goalscorer with 26 goals under his belt in 44 games. Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV are the other German clubs to have lifted the UCL trophy.
#3 Spain - 166
Spanish clubs have been the most successful in the Champions League. Real Madrid (13) and Barcelona (5) account for all of the 18 titles won by La Liga clubs. Since 1995-96, Real Madrid and Barcelona have won a combined 11 UCL titles.
Spanish players have been prolific in the UCL. Raul, who scored 71 goals in the competition, is a former top scorer but is now 5th in the all-time goal scorers charts. Overall, 166 different Spaniards have gotten their names on the scoresheet in the UCL.
Fernando Morientes (33 goals) and Francisco Gento (30) are second and third as far as the UCL top scorer chart is concerned for Spanish players. Alvaro Morata, with 23 goals in 67 games, is their most prolific active player.
#2 France - 203
France is one of the most successful European nations when it comes to international football. However, Ligue 1 clubs haven’t been very fruitful in the Champions League. Marseille are the only French team to have won the UCL, with their triumph coming all the way back in 1993.
With that being said, French players have been performing at a tremendous level in the UCL, often with non-French clubs. Karim Benzema is their all-time top scorer, scoring 79 times in 137 appearances, and is fourth on the all-time scorers list. Thierry Henry is another player who has scored 50 or more goals in the UCL and is ranked eighth on the all-time list.
A total of 203 players scored at least one goal in the competition. Clubs from nations like the Netherlands and Portugal have won more UCLs than the French sides. However, France has produced more UCL goal scorers than any European nation.
#1 Brazil - 227
Brazil is renowned for giving rise to talented footballers who set the stage on fire. They have not only conquered world football but have also been highly productive in the Champions League. 227 different Brazilians have scored in the UCL.
Neymar Jr is the leading goal scorer in the UCL for the five-time World Cup winners. The PSG star has scored 41 goals in 75 matches, which puts him above the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Wayne Rooney and Ferenc Puskas.
The 2007 Ballon d’Or winner, Ricardo Kaka, is the second-highest goalscorer in the competition among Brazilians. The former AC Milan man has scored 30 goals. Rivaldo and Mario Jardel aren’t far behind, with 27 and 25 strikes to their names, respectively.
