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The UEFA Champions League has been graced by a plethora of prolific goalscorers over the years.
The likes of Marco Van Basten, Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have scored goals galore in the competition.
While players in the attacking and middle third score the bulk of a team's goals, the Champions League has also had amazing goalscoring defenders. Remarkably enough, the goalkeepers have chipped in at times as well.
On that note, here's a look at the most prolific goalscoring XI in Champions League history. A 4-3-3 formation has been considered for this hypothetical XI.
So without further ado, let's get started:
Goalkeeper: Hans-Jorg Butt - 3 goals
Hans-Jorg Butt is one of a handful of goalkeepers to score in UEFA club competitions.
The 47-year-old has scored three goals in the Champions League, the most by a goalkeeper in the competition's history. Remarkably, he has scored for three different clubs in the competition against the same opponent - Juventus.
Butt made most of his 62 Champions League appearances for Bayer Leverkusen.
He also scored 26 goals in the Bundesliga, which is 24 more than any other goalkeeper in German top-flight history.
"Taking penalties also helped me save them," Butt later said. "Good penalty takers wait for the keeper to make a move, so it is good to stand still as long as possible. A duel of keeper versus keeper is the absolute climax of penalty taking."
Left-back: Roberto Carlos - 16 goals
Roberto Carlos is one of the best goalscoring full-backs in the history of the game. With 16 goals, the Brazilian has the most goals by any defender in Champions League history.
The three-time Champions League winner made over 100 appearances in the competition, boasting 41 goal contributions, all for Real Madrid.
Carlos scored breathtaking goals aplenty during his illustrious career. He also racked up key assists. One such assist set up Zinedine Zidane's winner in the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen in Glasgow.
Centre-back: Sergio Ramos - 15 goals
Sergio Ramos is one of the finest goalscoring centre-backs to have graced the game since the turn of the century.
The 35-year-old has racked up 15 goals and 8 assists in almost 130 Champions League games. He has scored in all but five of his 16 seasons in the competition.
Ramos is among a handful of players to score in multiple Champions League finals, doing so in the 2014 and 2016 finals for Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid.
Now at PSG, the four-time Champions League winner will look to replicate his goalscoring exploits at his new club.
Centre-back: Gerard Pique - 15 goals
Gerard Pique is a quintessential modern-day defender, excelling at both ends of the pitch. He has scored 15 goals in the Champions League so far.
The four-time Champions League winner has made almost 120 appearances in the competition, with all but four of them coming for Barcelona. He has scored in 12 of his 17 seasons in the Champions League.
Pique is one of a handful of players to win the Champions League for two different clubs in as many seasons. The 34-year-old scored twice against Inter Milan in 2009-10, but defending champions Barcelona were beaten by the eventual winners in the semi-finals.
Right-back: Dani Alves - 12 goals
Dani Alves is one of the most prolific goalscoring defenders in the history of the game.
The 38-year-old redefined the role of full-backs in the modern game, thanks to his tireless runs down the flanks. He added width to his side's attack while also possessing the speed to track back and perform his defensive duties with aplomb.
Alves is the most decorated player in football history (43), with only the FIFA World Cup missing from his glittering trophy cabinet.
In over 100 appearances in the Champions League, most of them for Barcelona, Alves chalked up 12 goals and 16 assists.
The three-time Champions League winner enjoyed his most prolific campaign in the competition in 2016-17. He scored thrice and provided four assists in Juventus' run to the final, where the Bianconeri lost to Real Madrid.
Left midfielder: Ryan Giggs - 28 goals
Two-time Champions League winner Ryan Giggs is the epitome of a true one-club man, spending his over two-decade-long career at Manchester United.
The Welshman was the first player to score in 16 different Champions League seasons before he was joined by Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema last year. He scored 28 goals in the competition and racked up almost 50 assists.
The 13-time Premier League winner's most prolific campaign in the Champions League was in 2002-03 when he scored five times and assisted on three occasions.
Central midfielder: Frank Lampard - 23 goals
Frank Lampard has been one of the most prolific goalscoring midfielders in the game since the turn of the century.
The all-time Chelsea top scorer netted 23 times in the Champions League across 12 seasons.
He scored Chelsea's equalizer in the 2008 Champions League final against Manchester United, but the Blues fell short in a penalty shootout.
The 2012 Champions League winner's most prolific campaign in the competition was in 2008-09.
Lampard scored thrice and assisted on seven occasions that campaign. The Blues were seconds away from returning to the Champions League final, only to be undone by a late Andres Iniesta goal at Stamford Bridge.
Right midfielder: David Beckham - 16 goals
David Beckham is one of 40 players to have made 100 appearances in the Champions League.
The 1999 Champions League winner scored 16 times in the competition, with most of his strikes coming for Manchester United.
The free-kick specialist enjoyed his most prolific campaign in the Champions League in 2001-02, scoring five goals and providing three assists. However, Manchester United were knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen on away goals in the semi-final.
Left winger: Cristiano Ronaldo - 134 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time top scorer in Champions League history. The 36-year-old has scored 134 goals in the competition for three different teams.
Ronaldo holds a slew of scoring records in the Champions League. He is the only player to score for two different winning teams in the Champions League final, doing so for Manchester United and Real Madrid. His tally of 17 goals - most by a player in a Champions League campaign - helped Real Madrid win La Decima in 2013-14.
The Portuguese legend is the first player to score 100 goals in the competition and the only one to score in all six group games in a campaign. His five Champions League titles are the most by any player in the competition's history.
Now at Manchester United, the Portugal captain will look to resume his staggering exploits in the competition after a modest three-season stint at Juventus.
Centre forward: Robert Lewandowski - 73 goals
Robert Lewandowski is the most prolific goalscoring centre-forward in Champions League history.
The Polish striker has amassed 73 goals in the competition, with most of his strikes coming for Bayern Munich. He won his lone Champions League title in 2019-20, scoring a career-best 15 goals.
That season, Lewandowski scored the quickest quadruple in competition history, netting four times in 14 minutes against Red Star Belgrade.
Lewandowski will hope to hit the ground running when Bayern Munich open their 2021-22 Champions League campaign against Barcelona.
Right winger: Lionel Messi - 120 goals
Along with Ronaldo, Lionel Messi is the greatest player to have graced the Champions League. He has 120 goals to his name in the competition.
Like his Portuguese counterpart, Messi holds a plethora of records in the Champions League.
The Argentine has scored against a record 36 different teams in the Champions League. In 2012, he became the first player to score five times in a Champions League game.
The four-time Champions League winner is the first player to score in 16 consecutive seasons in the competition.
Now at PSG, Messi will hope to win the competition for a fifth time to move level with Ronaldo.
