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For more than a decade, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Champions League goalscoring charts. The duo have been the competition's top goalscorers in 12 of the last 14 seasons, with Robert Lewandowski breaking their streak during the 2019-20 season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Champions League golden boot six times while Lionel Messi has won it five times. The duo shared the award during the 2014-15 season. Cristiano Ronaldo even holds the record for being the competition's top scorer with 134 goals while Lionel Messi is second to the Portuguese with 120 goals.
Their goalscoring exploits have also helped them win the Champions League trophy, with Lionel Messi lifting it four times compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's five.
Others could break Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's dominance in the Champions League this season
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have sought new pastures this season, with the former returning to Manchester United while the latter moved to Paris Saint-Germain. The duo certainly have a better group of players around them now who can help them become the Champions League top scorer after missing out on the last two seasons.
But there are also plenty of other players in Europe who have looked dangerous in front of goal and can challenge the duo for the honor. As such, we take a look at the five players who can beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the Champions League golden boot this season.
#5 Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
Mohamed Salah takes fifth spot on the list of players who can beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Champions League golden boot. Salah has been one of Liverpool's most prolific goalscorers since joining the Reds in 2017. The forward has scored 127 goals and provided 49 assists in 206 appearances for Liverpool.
The Egyptian lit up the Premier League and Champions League during his debut season with Liverpool by outscoring some of the world's best. He bagged 44 goals in all competitions, including 10 Champions League goals.
He also played a key part in Liverpool's Champions League winning campaign in 2018-19, scoring five goals in 12 games for the club.
He has thrived under the management of Jurgen Klopp, who relies on creativity from Roberto Firmino and the full-backs, allowing Salah to roam freely in the offensive areas.
Although Liverpool struggled last season due to injuries, Salah still managed to score six goals in the Champions League. He surpassed Steven Gerrard as Liverpool's leading Champions League goalscorer.
The Egyptian has started the new season in fine form, scoring and assisting two goals in three Premier League games. If he can carry on this form in the Champions League, he is definitely capable of beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the competition's golden boot.
#4 Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku has been one of the deadliest strikers in Europe over the last two years. The Belgian made a club record move to reigning European champions Chelsea this summer, who arguably boast one of the best squads in Europe. As such, Lukaku is definitely well equipped to beat the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the Champions League golden boot this season.
The Belgian international scored four goals in five appearances in the Champions League for Inter Milan last season, despite the club's group stage exit.
The 28-year-old has been one of the most prolific players in Europe across the past two seasons, scoring 64 goals in all competitions for Inter. Those strikes included the 13 goals in 16 appearances that he scored in the Europa League and Champions League combined for Inter.
Lukaku also scored 24 goals in Serie A last season, helping Inter win their first title in almost a decade. He was the second-highest goalscorer in the league behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now back at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku finds himself in a team that has some quality players who can help him outscore Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He will definitely look to fire Chelsea to another Champions League title, helping them become only the second team after Real Madrid to win it consecutively in the modern era.
#3 Kylian Mbappe - Paris Saint-Germain
Another player who could beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the Champions League golden boot is PSG's young sensation, Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe was heavily linked with a move to Cristiano Ronaldo's former club, Real Madrid in the last week of the transfer window. But PSG rejected all approaches for him and kept him at the club, providing them with the most exciting forward line-up in world football.
The Frenchman has been joined at the Parc des Princes by Lionel Messi this summer. As such, the prospect of Mbappe working with Lionel Messi and Neymar in tandem will really excite PSG supporters as the club looks to win its first Champions League title.
The 22-year-old enjoyed his most productive campaign last season, scoring eight goals in 10 appearances to help PSG reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The France international will definitely look to get more on the scoresheet this season and Lionel Messi might play a big part in Mbappe winning the golden boot.
#2 Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund
Last season's leading goalscorer in the Champions League, Erling Haaland, is once again touted to win the golden boot this term. The Norwegian has enjoyed a frightening introduction to elite-level club football.
He netted 10 goals in each of the past two Champions League seasons, scoring more than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. His exploits made him the fastest player in the competition's history to reach 20 goals. Haaland achieved the feat in 14 appearances, which is 10 games quicker than previous record holder Harry Kane.
He has started the current season in form and has already scored three goals in the Bundesliga for Dortmund.
Haaland will once again lead the charge for Dortmund after remaining with the club during the summer transfer window. With the freakish goalscoring form he has shown recently, the Norwegian is more than capable of outscoring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the golden boot.
#1 Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski is arguably the favorite to finish as the Champions League's leading goalscorer, having cemented his status as arguably world football's premier goalscorer in recent seasons.
The Poland international scored a stunning 15 goals in just 10 games as Bayern Munich won the Champions League in 2019-20. He followed that up by setting a new Bundesliga record after scoring 41 times in only 29 league appearances for the German champions last season.
Lewandowski scored five goals in last season's competition, but was a significant absentee in the latter stages as the then holders crashed out to PSG in the quarter-finals.
Now under the new management of Julian Nagelsmann, Bayern will start amongst the favorites and, in Lewandowski, have a player capable of spearheading their challenge.
The Polish striker is the third-highest goalscorer in Champions League history and has a ratio of 0.76 goals per game, which is equal to that of Cristiano Ronaldo. This ratio is only bettered by Lionel Messi.
With Lewandowski currently in the form of his life, he is definitely the prime contender to beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the Champions League golden boot.
