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The Champions League is back with a bang. With the likes of Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund getting the better of firm favourites Liverpool and Paris Saint Germain respectively, we already have more drama than was anticipated in the first set of Round of 16 fixtures.
As the second set of fixtures looms large, one match-up has definitely caught the eye. Manchester City travel to Madrid on Wednesday with a point to prove as this could be their last Champions League outing for the next couple of years. With the Premier League title already gone, Pep Guardiola and his men will surely be giving it their all to win the holy grail of European football.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, have quietly gone about their business this season. Although Los Blancos haven’t displayed the usual swagger associated with them, Zinedine Zidane’s men have showcased an unerring efficiency in the way they have swept teams aside and are on course for their first league title since the 2016-17 season.
With two attacking managers going head-to-head and the likes of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale on either side, there is sure to be fireworks at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening. Goals win matches and, on that note, we take a look at each club’s current Champions League top goal scorers:
Note: Only the goals scored for their respective clubs are being taken into consideration.
All stats courtesy of transfermarkt.com
Also Read: Real Madrid are the club Manchester City want to emulate, says Guardiola
#5 Marco Asensio (Real Madrid) – 6 Goals & Leroy Sane (Man City) – 6 Goals
Occupying fifth place are two promising youngsters- Marco Asensio and Leroy Sane- who have suffered lengthy periods out on the sidelines this season.
Asensio burst onto the scene with a 25-yard screamer against Sevilla in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup, gaining recognition as one of Spain’s most talented youngsters. Talking of the European stage, the 24-year old winger has a Champions League final goal to his name during Real's 4-1 victory over Juventus in Cardiff in 2017. Unfortunately, the young playmaker tore his ACL in July last year and has been out of action since.
In a similar predicament to his Spanish counterpart, Sane has been out of action since August due to an ACL injury sustained during a Community Shield clash against Liverpool at the start of the season.
Linked constantly with a move back to Germany, Sane has been a massive hit in England since his £37 million move from Schalke in 2016. The young German has scored six goals for the Citizens in the Champions League so far, with his main highlight coming in the 2018-19 campaign as he scored both home and away against his former club to send the Blues into the quarter-finals.
With the youngster nearing a return, Sane would be hoping to contribute towards City’s cause in the latter stages of the competition.
Also Read: Injury rules Eden Hazard out of Manchester City and Barcelona games
#4 Marcelo (Real Madrid) – 9 Goals & David Silva (Man City) – 8 Goals
In number four are two club legends in the form of Marcelo Vieira and David Silva.
One of the best full-backs of this generation, Marcelo has been with the Madrid club since 2007, having joined as an 18-year old youngster from Fluminense. Yet, the Brazilian left-back truly began to flourish from the 2010-11 season as he developed a telepathic understanding with Cristiano Ronaldo on the left-hand side. Both would go onto terrorise opposition right-backs throughout the next decade, culminating in four Champions League successes.
Interestingly, Marcelo has scored in the Champions League against the Citizens when the two sides met in the group stage in 2012. The Brazilian’s best season in terms of goals came in the 2017-18 campaign as he netted three times, completing a hat-trick of Champions League successes with Real Madrid.
One of the best Spanish talents of his generation, Silva is most likely to go down as the best Spanish import on British shores. In what might be his last season with the Citizens, the 34-year old has been a joy to watch once again. The man has won it all but only one piece of silverware eludes El Mago - that is the coveted Champions League trophy.
The diminutive midfielder has never been a prolific goalscorer as highlighted by the 8 Champions League goals in his ten seasons with the club. But Silva’s game has never been about scoring it himself, it’s always been setting up for others.
With time running out, the Spaniard will look to give one final shot at winning the Champions League with Manchester City.
#3 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) – 13 goals & Gabriel Jesus (Man City) – 12 goals
A contrasting view as third place on this list is occupied by a defender and a striker. Sergio Ramos is the third-highest active Champions League goalscorer for Los Blancos whereas young Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus takes his place on the podium for Manchester City.
Alongside being one of the best defenders of this era, Ramos is sure to go down as one of the great leaders of the modern game. Cometh the hour cometh the man. This line is pretty apt for the Spaniard, as he has always ahowed up when his team has needed him the most.
Ramos scored a stoppage-time equaliser in the 2014 final that became the catalyst for their 10th Champions League win. He repeated the feat of scoring in the final in 2016 as well.
Despite his questionable disciplinary record on the field, no can argue his passion for the game. Ramos is also the designated penalty taker for Real Madrid since the departure of Ronaldo, so we can expect a few more goals from Los Blancos’ Mr Dependable.
Few teams can boast of a better understudy to their frontline striker than Manchester City. Despite the continued brilliance of Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus has managed to establish himself and even overtake the brilliant Argentine on a few occasions.
Jesus also boasts the best minutes per goal of any City player in the history of the Champions League. The Brazilian youngster has already recorded two hattricks in his short Champions League career and will be hoping to add more against Real Madrid.
#2 Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) – 16 goals & Raheem Sterling (Man City) - 19 goals
Two pacey wingers and extremely talented players – Gareth Bale & Raheem Sterling occupy the second spot on this list.
Once a pacey left-back, Bale has truly transformed himself into one of the most dangerous wingers on his day. Were it not for his constant injury problems and a lack of Spanish-speaking ability, he would surely have had his name taken in the same breath as the footballing greats.
Despite his tough luck with injuries, the winger has carved out a niche for himself at the Santiago Bernabeu. After all, it was the Welshman who scored the winner in his first season in Madrid to end their wait for the much-coveted La Decima. And who can forget his bicycle kick which helped Los Blancos beat Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final?
Despite falling out of favour with Zidane at the start of this season, Bale has found himself in the thick of the action in recent weeks and the French manager will surely rely on the Welshman to produce the goods against a strong Manchester City side.
Lining up on the opposite flank will be Sterling, who will rely on his pace and agility to stretch the Madrid backline. Once known for his profligacy in front of goal, the Englishman has come a long way since, hitting the 20-goal mark in each of his last three seasons (including the current one).
The pacey winger is City’s top scorer in the Champions League this season with 5 goals to his name (including a hattrick against Atalanta). In spite of a few niggling injuries, Sterling is in line to feature against the Los Blancos on Wednesday evening.
#1 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 52 goals & Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) – 34 goals
Ranked 4th & 16th respectively in the UEFA Champions League’s all-time goal-scoring list, it is only apt that two of the best strikers of this generation lead this list.
Having been granted a new lease of life since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, Karim Benzema has taken the opportunity with both hands. Having finished the last campaign with 30 goals to his name, he is on course to match that tally once again with another 18 this campaign.
Despite playing second fiddle to Ronaldo for most of the decade, Benzema has always been amongst the goals in Europe. Aged 32, and with only 7 goals shy of Raul on the European stage, it is only a matter of time before he surpasses the Real Madrid legend into third place in the all-time Champions League top scorer's list.
Such is Benzema’s importance to this Madrid side, that the next highest scorer this season has 7 goals (Sergio Ramos & Rodrygo).
On the other hand, Manchester City do not rely as heavily on Sergio Aguero for goals as Real do on Benzema, yet the fact that the former has more goals (21) than the Frenchman speaks volumes about his consistency.
That the Argentine has missed the 20-goal mark in all competitions just once in nine seasons since joining from Atletico, further emphasises his knack of finding the back of the net.
Since Gabriel Jesus joined City in 2017, Aguero has taken his goalscoring record to another level, notching up 30+ goals in all three seasons since.
Similar to David Silva, the 31-year old striker only has the Champions League trophy missing from his list of club honours. That should make him motivated enough to put on a show at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.
