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After six rounds of matches in the group stage and two in the Round of 16, the UEFA Champions League has reached the quarterfinals. Only eight of the initial 32-team line-up are left to compete for glory in the competition.
This year, the knockout rounds of the Champions League have become much more intense following the removal of the away goal rule. This means that every goal counts the same for every team, regardless of where it is scored.
Over the years, a number of players have stood out for their goalscoring abilities in the UEFA Champions League. Many of these players have enjoyed good goalscoring performances in the quarterfinals of the competition as well. This helped their teams to qualify for the semifinals and possibly win the competition on some occasions.
Without further ado, here is a list of the five players with the most goals to their name in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
#5 Andriy Shevchenko (9 goals)
Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko was one of Europe's most lethal strikers of the early 2000s. His efficiency in front of goal won him the Ballon d'Or in 2004, and he led the Champions League goalscoring charts on three different occasions.
Shevchenko scored nine goals in the quarterfinals of the competition throughout his career. His first quarterfinals appearance was in 1998 when he turned out for Dynamo Kyiv against Newcastle. He scored for AC Milan against Ajax in the 2003 quarterfinals as they eventually went on to win the tournament.
Shevchenko scored Champions League quarterfinal goals for Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan and Chelsea. He lifted the trophy once in 2003 with the Rossoneri. The striker scored 48 goals in 100 appearances in the competition.
#4 Filippo Inzaghi (9 goals)
Brescia manager Filippo Inzaghi was one of the deadliest strikers of his generation. The Italian striker turned out for both Juventus and AC Milan, two of the biggest Italian clubs in the UEFA Champions League.
Inzaghi managed to score nine goals in the quarterfinals of the Champions League throughout his career. His first appearance in the quarterfinals came in 1998 for Juventus against Dynamo Kyiv, and he scored four goals over two games against them during the stage.
Inzaghi scored in the quarterfinals for Juventus and AC Milan, winning the trophy twice with the Rossoneri in 2003 and 2007. He scored 46 goals in 81 appearances in the competition.
#3 Raul (10 goals)
Former Real Madrid captain and legendary striker Raul remains one of the finest ever strikers to feature in the UEFA Champions League. The Spaniard was the tournament's record scorer up until recently when Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema surpassed him.
Raul scored 10 goals in the quarterfinals of the competition in his career. He played in his first quarterfinal in 1996 for Real Madrid when he was only 19 years old, and scored in a 1-0 win over Juventus.
Raul scored eight of his quarterfinal goals in his 16 years with Real Madrid and scored the last two in his first season at Schalke 04. The Spaniard won the trophy three times in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He was also the tournament's top scorer in 2000. He scored 71 goals in 142 appearances in the competition.
#2 Lionel Messi (12 goals)
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers to ever grace a football pitch. The Argentine forward has enjoyed a very successful career since turning professional. He is one of only two players to have scored over 100 goals in the history of the Champions League.
Messi has scored 12 goals in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. He played in his first quarterfinal in 2009 and scored twice as Barcelona thrashed Bayern Munich 4-0. His last qquarterfinalgoals came in a 3-0 win over Manchester United in 2019.
All of Messi's goals in the quarterfinals of the competition have been for Barcelona. The forward has won the trophy on four occasions in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015. He led the scoring in the competition in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019. He has 125 goals in 156 appearances in the competition.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (25 goals)
Cristiano Ronaldo leads nearly every metric in the history of the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese forward is regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all-time. He is the competition's record appearance maker and record goalscorer.
Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in the quarterfinals of the competition, more than double the tally of his nearest competitor, Messi. He first appeared in a quarterfinal in 2007 against AS Roma. His last quarterfinal goal was against Ajax in 2019 as his Juventus side crashed out of the competition.
Ronaldo has scored quarterfinal goals for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. He has won the trophy on five occasions, more than any other player in the history of the competition. He was the top scorer in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. He has 140 goals in 183 appearances in the competition.
