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In club football, the Champions League is Europe's most elite competition. It's a grand stage where the best clubs across all the European top-flights come to battle it out for continental supremacy.
After the group stages, only the best and most consistent sides make it to the knockout stages. As such, the Champions League can be experienced in its full glory in the knockout stages of the tournament.
UEFA Champions League knockout stages gets the best out of some players
The players know it's a great stage for them to shine but the opportunity also comes with plenty of scrutiny. Obviously, it's a high-pressure situation and it's in such scenarios that the best in the business separate themselves from the rest.
Scoring a goal, creating chances or setting a teammate up to score in such high-stakes situations are all moments that footballers will treasure for a long time. Without further ado, let's take a look at five players with the most goal contributions in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
#5 Arjen Robben - 24 goal contributions
Arjen Robben will go down in history as one of the most exciting wingers of all time. The Dutchman had all the qualities you'd expect of a world-class attacker. He packed blistering pace, possessed immaculate close control and was an extremely accurate shooter.
Robben has played 47 Champions League knockout stage matches. He has scored 16 goals and provided eight assists and has a goal contribution rate of 0.511 per game. Robben famously scored an 89th minute winner in the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.
He was part of one of the most dominant Bayern Munich sides of all time. Having prime Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben on either wing felt like a cheat code at the time.
#4 Robert Lewandowski - 33 goal contributions
Bayern Munich have been a force to be reckoned with in Europe all throughout history. The Bavarians have maintained a high standard for themselves and have consistently delivered some wonderful performances.
Robert Lewandowski is arguably the greatest striker to have played for Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich's Champions League triumph in the 2019-20 season was, in no short part, thanks to Lewandowski's goalscoring exploits. He scored a whopping 15 goals and provided six assists in 10 Champions League matches that season.
In a total of 36 Champions League knockout stage appearances, Lewandowski has scored 24 goals and provided nine assists. His goal contribution rate is 0.917 per game.
#3 Thomas Muller - 36 goal contributions
Bayern Munich has housed a majority of the players on this list. Thomas Muller is a special footballer whose footballing intelligence is on a different level altogether. Although he is not very easy on the eye, Muller is a highly effective and efficient footballer.
He has been absolutely incredible for Bayern Munich and the German national side. Muller has made 54 appearances in the knockout stages of Europe's elite competition. He has scored 23 goals and provided 13 assists.
Muller's numbers are indicative of the kind of role he plays for Bayern Munich. He plays as a second striker of sorts and his movement and positioning are exemplary. Muller's goal contribution rate in the knockout stages of the Champions League stands at 0.667 per game.
#2 Lionel Messi - 61 goal contributions
Okay, we've moved to a different class altogether now. Lionel Messi is a phenomenal footballer who is one of the greatest of all time. He has won four Champions League titles with Barcelona and has turned in some legendary performances in the competition over the past decade and a half.
Messi has provided us with plenty of unforgettable moments in the Champions League and has featured in some of the greatest games of the last decade. The Argentina international has appeared in 71 UEFA Champions League knockout stage matches.
He has scored a whopping 47 goals and provided 14 assists and has a goal contribution rate of 0.859 per game in the knockout stages of the competition.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 77 goal contributions
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest player in the history of the UEFA Champions League. It's a competition in which he has consistently stepped up and delivered. The Portuguese international has won five UEFA Champions League titles in his career and was arguably his side's best player in all of those editions.
Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League. He has 135 goals to his name from 177 appearances in the competition. The Manchester United man has also delivered when it matters the most with 77 goal contributions in the knockout stages.
Ronaldo has scored 67 goals and provided 10 assists in 79 Champions League knockout stage games. His goal contribution rate is 0.975 per game in the knockout stages.
