Players with the most Champions League goals 1955-2023

As of June 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo held the record for the most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), with a total of 141. The Portuguese forward played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus in the competition. Meanwhile, Argentinian forward Lionel Messi ranked in second place, with 129 goals.

What is the Champions League?

Established in 1955, the Champions League is the pinnacle of European club soccer, with teams from across the continent competing for the famous trophy. As of 2023, Real Madrid was the club with the most Champions League titles, having twice the titles of second-placed AC Milan. In 2001, the European governing body for soccer, UEFA, introduced the UEFA Women’s Champions League. As of 2023, Olympique Lyon was the club with the most UEFA Women's Champions League titles.

Europe’s Big Five leagues

The Champions League features a number of elite clubs, including those from the Big Five European soccer leagues. The Big Five consists of the top-tier leagues of England, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. Altogether, the market size of the Big Five European soccer leagues amounted to more than 17 billion euros in the 2021/22 season. Individually, the English Premier League generated the most revenue out of the Big Five leagues in 2021/22, at over 6.4 billion euros.