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The 2020-21 Champions League season is approaching its finale, with the first leg of the semi-finals reaching their conclusion. Chelsea managed to hold on to a crucial 1-1 draw against Real Madrid, while Manchester City staged an incredible 2-1 comeback win at the Parc Des Princes.
With Karim Benzema scoring against Chelsea, he entered the top five goalscorers in Champions League history. On that note, let's take a look at the five most prolific scorers in the competition.
Five most prolific scorers in the UEFA Champions League:
#T4 Raul | 71 goals
Real Madrid and Schalke legend Raul Gonzalez is one of the most prolific scorers in Champions League history.
In 142 appearances (130 for Madrid, 12 with Schalke), Raul notched up 71 goals and 32 assists in the competition. The Spaniard won three Champions League titles between 1997-2002 (all with Real Madrid).
Raul was the top scorer in the 1999-00 Champions League, scoring ten goals, including a brace in the 3-0 win against Valencia in the final. The Real Madrid legend also scored for Los Blancos in the 2001/02 Champions League final, where Real Madrid beat Bayer Leverkusen.
Raul was a big-match player, appearing in three Champions League finals and winning all of them. He also made six semi-final appearances. That includes a magical run to the semis with Schalke in his farewell 2010-11 season.
#T4 Karim Benzema | 71 goals
One of the more recent movements on this list is the Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
The Frenchman has been one of the most consistent performers in the Champions League over the past decade, winning four Champions League titles.
The “Benz” has been integral to Real Madrid’s run to the semi-finals this season and has become their leading man in attack. The 33-year has scored six goals in the Champions League this season, including the all-important equaliser against Chelsea in the first leg of the semi-final.
Benzema has 71 Champions League goals in his career. He has been widely underrated in a star-studded Real Madrid squad for years, but in the absence of 'big' names this season, Benzema has taken centre stage.
If the Frenchman leads Madrid to Champions League glory this season, his reputation will be further enhanced.
#3 Robert Lewandowski | 73 Champions League goals
The Polish goal machine is the only player on this list to have made less than 100 appearances in the Champions League. That makes his tally of 73 goals in 96 appearances an impressive achievement as Lewandowski has established himself as one of Europe’s best leading men.
Lewandowski laid his hands on the Champions League trophy in the 2019-20 season with Bayern Munich, who won the continental treble. The Polish international ended the Champions League campaign as the leading goalscorer with a whopping tally of 15 goals.
He also tallied six assists in just ten appearances. Lewandowski won the FIFA Best Player award for his exploits last season.
The Polish hitman has scored at least five Champions League goals in eight consecutive editions of the competition and has scored against 26 different opposition teams. While playing for his former club, Borussia Dortmund, Lewandowski scored four goals in a single match against Real Madrid.
#2 Lionel Messi | 120 goals
The Argentine wizard has 120 goals to his name in 149 Champions League appearances for Barcelona.
Lionel Messi has been one of the most successful players in Champions League history, occupying the second spot in both the goalscorers and assists charts.
The six-time Ballon D’Or winner has 41 assists in the Champions League, including four in semi-finals and finals. Messi has won four Champions League titles during his time at the Camp Nou, finished as the top-scorer in six different seasons.
Messi holds the joint record with Cristiano Ronaldo for most hat-tricks (8) in the competition.
The Argentine also has the unique distinction of scoring five goals in a single Champions League match, doing so in a Round of 16 games against Bayern Leverkusen.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo | 134 goals
It is impossible to have a Champions League 'top 5' list without arguably the most successful player in competition history - Cristiano Ronaldo.
While the Portuguese is one of the elites in whichever tournament he’s plays in, Ronaldo has taken a particular liking to Europe’s biggest stage.
Ronaldo has five Champions League titles in his trophy cabinet - four with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United. The four Champions League titles with Real Madrid came in a span of just five years - with Ronaldo one of the key players in Real Madrid’s European dominance.
In these four seasons when the Los Blancos achieved Champions League glory, Ronaldo was the top scorer each time. The 5-time Ballon D’Or winner has appeared in the knockout stage in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons, including 11 semi-finals and five finals.
The 5-time Ballon D’Or winner has the most goals in a single Champions League season - 17 in the 2013-14 season, which helped Real Madrid win their 10th title in the competition - the most by any club.
The Portuguese ace was also indispensable in Real Madrid subsequent three-peat in the Champions League from 2016-18.
