Ranking the 5 forwards with the most goals in their first 100 Champions League games

Who has scored the most goals in their first 100 Champions League games?
Who has scored the most goals in their first 100 Champions League games?

The group stages of the UEFA Champions League are moving towards its business end, and the urgency to book a spot in the last 16 is evident. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Europe's most prestigious competition has delivered on expectations.

Some teams have shone as a unit whereas some individuals have single-handedly turned the tide of the fixture in favor of their teams. The Ballon d'Or is definitely on the minds of all those who made the 30-man shortlist and some are desperate to strengthen their claim to fame.

One such man, named Robert Lewandowski, has been extremely phenomenal game after game and is considered one of the favorites for the Ballon d'Or. The Polish striker featured in his 100th Champions League game on Matchday 4 as Bayern Munich beat SL Benfica 5-2.

He achieved a special feat on his special day and it prompted us into finding out what other renowned and successful strikers did with the same amount of opportunities. So here are the five forwards who scored the most goals in their first 100 Champions League appearances:


#5 Raul - 51 goals

Raul was the runner up to the 2001 Ballon d'Or
Raul was the runner up to the 2001 Ballon d'Or

He might not have remained the most magnificent goalscorer in the Champions League but Raul has enough history attached to his name. The Spaniard had a stunning career at Real Madrid and is the fifth highest goalscorer in the Champions League.

Raul made a total of 142 appearances in the competition and scored 71 goals in the competition. The majority of those appearances came for Los Blancos and and the remainder with Schalke. Of his grand total, the Spaniard scored 51 in his first 100 appearances.

In a league of his own, the striker's movement and timing were immaculate and helped his exploits in the Champions League as well. When Raul grabbed his third Champions League winners' medal he did it in style as well by becoming the first player to score in two finals.

He is now Real Madrid's second highest goalscorer of all time, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo. Raul also holds the record for being the youngest player to score a Champions League hat-trick.


#4 Karim Benzema - 53 goals

Benzema has become the focal point of Real Madrid's attack
Benzema has become the focal point of Real Madrid's attack

His recent exploits have left Raul lingering at number five on the list of the Champions League's top goalscorers. That Karim Benzema is having the time of his life in a Real Madrid shirt is undeniable. Last month, in a 2-1 loss to Sheriff Tiraspol, the Frenchman took over Raul as the fourth highest goalscorer in the Champions League.

He cemented his place further in the history books by scoring Real Madrid's 1000th Champions League goal in the 2-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk. Benzema's goal tally stands at 75 in the competition. In terms of goalscoring in their first 100 Champions League appearances as well, Benzema closely pips Raul with 53 goals to his name.

The only Frenchman to come close to Benzema's tally is Thierry Henry with 50 goals in the Champions League. Benzema made his 100th appearance against PSG in the last 16 second leg game at Parc de Princes in March 2018.

He has put in a string of dazzling performances so far this season, both in La Liga and in the Champions League. In 14 games for Real Madrid, Benzema has scored 13 goals and registered eight assists.

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo - 64 goals

Ronaldo is one of the main reasons why Ole Gunanr Solskjaer still has his job
Ronaldo is one of the main reasons why Ole Gunanr Solskjaer still has his job

"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

Messi is yet to score his first goal in Ligue 1
Messi is yet to score his first goal in Ligue 1

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

There is no stopping Lewandowski in his current form
There is no stopping Lewandowski in his current form

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.

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Edited by Nived Zenith