'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo - 64 goals
"Champions League means Cristiano Ronaldo and Cristiano Ronaldo means Champions League" tweeted Fabrizio Romano. Yet again the Portuguese superstar defied age and proved his supremacy on Europe's biggest platform by saving Manchester United in injury time against Atalanta.
That goal took his Champions League tally to 139 goals in 180 appearances. However, it is interesting to note that the top scorer in the tournament netted 64 in his first 100 Champions League appearances and is only third on this list. This is quite understandable because Ronaldo did not start as the lethal centre-forward he is today.
He was more of a traditional winger who loved entertaining the crowds with lots of tricks and skills. So naturally, while starting out, his role was more concerned with setting up those around him from the flanks.
It was only afterwards that he started caring more about the numbers and stats and records that turned him into what he is now. Ronaldo made his 100th appearance in the Champions League wearing a Real Madrid shirt against Borussia Dortmund on 2nd April 2014 in the first leg of the quarter-final.
Los Blancos won the game 3-0. Ronaldo scored one of the goals and took his tally to 64 goals in 100 Champions League appearances. He ended that season scoring 17 goals in the competition, helping Real Madrid win the title in 2013-14.
#2 Lionel Messi - 77 goals
Lionel Messi is trailing Ronaldo in the total number of goals scored in the Champions League. Interestingly though, the Argentine has a better track record when the two greats are compared based on their first 100 Champions League appearances.
The former Barcelona star scored 13 more goals than his Portuguese rival in the concerned number of opportunities. Messi's tally after 100 Champions League appearances was 77. He reached the milestone almost a year later than Ronaldo while playing against AS Roma in September in a 2015-16 group stage game.
The Argentina international neither assisted nor scored in the game, but completed 90 mins on the pitch. He won the Champions League on four occasions before achieving this milestone. In fact, in the season that Messi made his 100th appearance, Barcelona were the defending champions.
Unfortunately they were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing to Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid 3-2 on aggregate. Messi finished the 2015-16 season with six goals and one assist from seven Champions League appearances.
He is currently the second highest scorer in the tournament with 123 goals in 152 appearances. The Argentine maestro has already scored three goals in three Champions League appearances for his new club PSG so far.
#1 Robert Lewandowski - 81 goals
Robert Lewandowski is the man on the summit of this list and quite rightly at the peak of his career as well. The Bayern Munich striker's credentials as the best striker in the world have always been accepted with a pinch of salt given he plays in the Bundesliga.
However, the Pole's most recent milestone was enough to put the cynics to bed. In his 100th appearance in the Champions League, Lewandowski scored a brilliant hat-trick against Benfica and broke quite a few records. He is now the player with the most goals in his first 100 Champions League appearances with 81 to his name.
Notably, the Bayern Munich striker is also the fastest to 80 Champions League goals. Lewandowski is seen as one of the favorites to win this year's Ballon d'Or after the ceremony did not occur last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was the most deserving candidate for the 2020 edition that was skipped and he is an equally strong contender this time. His tally of 81 also means he is the third highest goalscorer in the Champions League, only behind Messi and Ronaldo.
This was his fourth hat-trick in the competition and he has already scored eight goals in this year's edition, with the group stages not even over yet. His red-hot form has continued since the beginning of 2020. Quite remarkably, Lewandowski has scored 101 goals since the start of last year.
