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The UEFA Champions League is Europe's most elite competition. The majority of the world's best players ply their trade in Europe and as such, it is the most high-profile continental club tournament in the world.
The UEFA Champions League features the greatest strikers in the world
Owing to the fact that the Champions League is made up of the very best teams from Europe's top leagues, the quality of football is unmatched. It's a stage where the best footballers in the world put their skills on display.
Four of the highest goalscorers in the history of the Champions League, namely Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema, are all set to feature this season. So it's safe to say that we will have some elite goalscorers playing in Europe's elite competition.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top 5 favourites to win the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot.
#5 Kylian Mbappe - Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe finished second in the Champions League goalscoring chart last season. He scored eight goals and provided three assists in 10 appearances in the competition last term.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick against Barcelona and bagged a brace against Bayern Munich in PSG's run to the semi-finals in the 2020-21 season. The Frenchman made no secret of his desire to join Real Madrid this summer but has been forced to stay put.
He has an incredible supporting cast around him and on paper, Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League this season. They are certain to go a long way this term and Mbappe is expected to score plenty of goals once again.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo is the man with the most number of goals in the history of the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese international, who made a sensational return to Manchester United this summer, has scored 134 goals in the Champions League.
He has also been the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League in seven different seasons. Ronaldo is 36-years-old but he is still one of the best forwards in the game. He won the Serie A Golden Boot in the 2020-21 season with Juventus and also picked up the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 with Portugal.
Manchester United have a very promising set of players and Ronaldo's addition could just be the X-factor that they've seemed to miss in recent times. There's every chance that the Red Devils could have an extended run at the competition. If that's the case, then Ronaldo will have an impressive goal tally.
#3 Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund
At 21, Erling Haaland has already established himself as one of the best strikers in the world. The Borussia Dortmund henchman has been a nightmare to defend against and is currently the most sought-after striker on the continent.
Haaland was the top scorer in the Champions League in the 2020-21 season. He scored 10 goals in eight appearances in the competition last term. Haaland has got off to a flying start in the 2021-22 Bundesliga season.
He has scored six goals and provided three assists in five appearances across all competitions so far in the new campaign. However, Dortmund will be without Haaland's old partner-in-crime Jadon Sancho and it will be interesting to see how far they will get.
They have a relatively easy group to navigate but their journey beyond that will be tough. Dortmund could get overreliant on Haaland and we'll have to wait and see how the youngster reacts to that kind of pressure.
#2 Lionel Messi - Paris Saint-Germain
Lionel Messi is fresh off scoring a hat-trick for Argentina against Bolivia in a 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier. He looks to be in incredible form and his addition will make Paris Saint-Germain even more of a threat.
Messi scored five goals in six appearances in Europe last season but Barcelona were eliminated by PSG in the Round of 16. PSG are the favourites to win the Champions League title this season. Messi has players like Neymar, Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe around him.
He shares a wonderful understanding with Neymar from their days together at Barcelona. Messi has played with Di Maria all throughout his international career as well. The 34-year-old will score plenty of goals this term and it'd be quite astonishing if he doesn't.
#1 Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Nobody's scoring goals like Robert Lewandowski has been for the past couple of seasons. The Polish international was the top scorer in the Champions League in the 2019-20 season when Bayern Munich won the title. He scored 15 goals in the competition as the Bavarians copped continental glory.
The 33-year-old has been in prime goalscoring form over the last couple of years. He has kicked off the 2021-22 season on a promising note as well, scoring seven goals in just four appearances across the Bundesliga and the DF Supercup.
Bayern Munich are tipped to make it far in the Champions League as they are one of the strongest sides in Europe. Lewandowski has been their standout performer for a few years now. The Bavarians will be reliant on their number 9 to inspire them to have a great season this time as well.
