Cristiano Ronaldo's Top 5 Champions League Records

The Champions League is the most prestigious football tournament in club football and arguably the most elite in all of football. It is also the tournament in which Cristiano Ronaldo undoubtedly plays his best football.

Whilst most of the best players in history have all played in the Champions League; or European Cup as it was formerly known, none have illuminated the tournament quite like Ronaldo has.

The Real Madrid legend's consistency throughout the years, especially in the crucial knockout stages of the competition, is simply unrivaled amongst both his contemporaries and past players.

With CR7 gearing up to compete in a third consecutive final, in Kiev, it seemed appropriate to compile a list of his top 5 records in the Champions League (in no particular order) in honour of what an undisputed talent he is:

#1 Most Goals in Champions League History

Ronaldo has scored 120 goals in the Champions League

The first and most obvious Champions League record that CR7 possesses is that he is the tournament's all-time leading goal scorer.

With the Portuguese's handsome tally currently sitting at a mouthwatering 120 goals, he is head and shoulders above the rest with his closest competitor in this department a whopping 20 goals behind.

This record is an incredible one as it shows that Ronaldo's masterful ability enables him to score consistently in the most elite tournament in football, against the best teams, highlighting that he doesn't rely on weak opposition to boost his numbers.

In addition to that, whilst he was initially slow to find his scoring boots with Manchester United, once he reached Real Madrid in 2009, he has been unstoppable, scoring 105 goals in just 100 games!

#2 Most Assists in Champions League History

Ronaldo is the top assist maker in Champions League history

This record may surprise some as Ronaldo isn't genuinely regarded for his assists, however, he currently holds the record for most assists in the tournament's history with an impressive 34.

This record is important as it shows that Ronaldo has been the best in front of goal in the Champions League whilst also providing for his teammates

This not only shows that his ability on the football pitch goes beyond scoring goals but hopefully also dispels the notion that he is an inherently selfish player.

In addition, when one adds Ronaldo's assists and goals together it shows that he has directly contributed to 1.01 goals per game!

Ronaldo Goals: 120

Ronaldo Assists: 34

Ronaldo Appearances: 152

Ronaldo Goals and Assists/Per Game: 1.01

#3 Top Goalscorer in 5 Consecutive Seasons

Ronaldo scoring a stunning bicycle kick vs Juventus

Not only has Ronaldo been the top goalscorer in a Champions League season a record 6 times, he also holds the record for winning this individual accolade the last 5 consecutive seasons.

This record is a special one as it shows that in front of goal Ronaldo has been consistently the best for a healthy period of time, with this record illustrating his uncanny ability to always perform in the Champions League regardless of how badly other aspects of his season are going.

Furthermore, with Ronaldo currently sitting on 15 goals in the 2017/18 season and with only the final left to play it looks certain that he will extend this record to 6 in a row, making this record even more incredible and one that will be difficult to break in the future.

#4 Scoring in 11 consecutive games

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

By scoring a last-minute penalty against Juventus in the second leg of the quarterfinals Ronaldo not only secured his team's progression to the semi-finals but also set a record of scoring in 11 consecutive matches in the Champions League.

The previous record was held by old teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy who had scored in 9 consecutive Champions League matches, however, during the 2017/18 season, CR7 eclipsed this record by scoring in 11 games consecutively, tallying a staggering 17 goals during this period!

In addition, en route to setting this record he also created a whole new one of scoring in every group stage match of the Champions League, a feat that no one before him had achieved.

#5 Top goalscorer in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals

Real Madrid v Atletico de Madrid - UEFA Champions League Final

It is during the knockout stages of the Champions League that Ronaldo truly comes alive, with the all-time great thriving on the opportunity to vanquish the greatest goalkeepers and defences in the world.

His ungodly talent mixed with his unparalleled determination have resulted in CR7 being the top scorer in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals of the Champions League.

This record is perhaps his most impressive as it shows that even when he is drawn against the toughest teams in the world he is still able to score goal after goa, appearing almost unfazed by the prospect of playing against such high caliber opponents.

Furthermore, it also demonstrates that when his team need him the most he rises to the challenge time and again to guide them through tough phases.

His rival Lionel Messi meanwhile has faced criticism for becoming less prolific in the knockout rounds of the Champions League over the last 4 seasons.

This criticism is justified considering that the Argentine has scored 0 goals in his last 10 Quarter Final matches in the Champions League and when considering Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in his last 10 Quarter Final matches it undoubtedly puts the Portuguese in a better light.

To illustrate this point more clearly, Ronaldo has double the number of goals as any other player in each of these stages of the competition, demonstrating that his performances in the knockout stages aren't just slightly better than past and present players, but are instead incomparably better.

Quarter Finals goals: Ronaldo 23 goals, Messi 10 goals

Semi Finals goals: Ronaldo 13 goals, Messi 4 goals

Finals goals: Ronaldo 4 goals, Messi 2 goals