Messi, Zanetti, Di María: Who are Argentina's top UEFA Champions League performers?

Plenty of Argentina's top players have come to Europe to seek their footballing fortunes, Alfredo Di Stéfano setting the precedent when he appeared for Real Madrid in the first ever European Cup final in 1956 (a matter of months before he took Spanish citizenship). Diego Maradona played in just 31 UEFA club competition games (scoring 13 times), but his spiritual heir Lionel Messi did rather better, his huge list of honours including three UEFA Champions League triumphs with Barcelona (2009, 2011 and 2015).

Most appearances by Argentinian players in the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League (including qualifying)

163: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Paris)
105: Javier Zanetti (Inter)
103: Ángel Di María (Benfica, Real Madrid, Paris, Juventus)
98: Javier Mascherano (Liverpool, Barcelona)
85: Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus)
84: Esteban Cambiasso (Real Madrid, Inter, Olympiacos)
83: Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona)
83: Nicolás Otamendi (Porto, Manchester City, Benfica)
75: Walter Samuel (Roma, Real Madrid, Inter, Basel)
70: Hernán Crespo (Parma, Lazio, Inter, Chelsea, Milan)

Top-scoring Argentinian players in the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League (including qualifying)

129: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Paris)
49: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid)
47: Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona)
28: Hernán Crespo (Parma, Lazio, Inter, Chelsea, Milan)
25: Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus)
23: Lisandro López (Porto, Lyon)
22: Ángel Di María (Benfica, Real Madrid, Paris, Juventus)
19: Julio Cruz (Feyenoord, Inter)
18: Lucho González (Porto, Marseille)
18: Paulo Dybala (Juventus)

Most appearances by Argentinian players in UEFA club competition*

Javier Zanetti with the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2010©Getty Images

167: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Paris)
160: Javier Zanetti (Inter)
131: Ángel Di María (Benfica, Real Madrid, Paris, Juventus)
114: Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, Milan, Chelsea)
110: Javier Mascherano (West Ham, Liverpool, Barcelona)
109: Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona)
109: Esteban Cambiasso (Real Madrid, Inter, Olympiacos)
104: Nicolás Otamendi (Porto, Manchester City, Benfica)
103: Walter Samuel (Roma, Real Madrid, Inter, Basel)
92: Gonzalo Rodríguez (Villarreal, Fiorentina)

Top-scoring Argentinian players in UEFA club competition*

132: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Paris)
63: Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona)
50: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid)
39: Hernán Crespo (Parma, Lazio, Inter, Chelsea, Milan, Genoa)
37: Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, Milan, Chelsea)
32: Ángel Di María (Benfica, Real Madrid, Paris, Juventus)
25: Claudio López (Valencia, Lazio)
25: Lisandro López (Porto, Lyon)
22: Paulo Dybala (Juventus, Roma)
20: Julio Cruz (River Plate, Feyenoord, Bologna, Inter, Lazio)

Notable firsts

First Argentinian to win/score in the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League
Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid 4-3 Stade de Reims, 1956)

First Argentinians to appear in/win a European Cup Winners' Cup final
Edgardo Madinabeytia and Jorge Griffa (Atlético Madrid 1-1 (3-0 replay) Fiorentina, 1962)

First Argentinian to appear in/win a UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League final
Osvaldo Ardiles (Anderlecht 2-2 agg Tottenham Hotspur, aet, Spurs won 4-3 on pens, 1984)

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*UEFA club competitions means European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, European/South American Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup