Ronaldo, Messi ... who's the next best Champions League scorer?
Friday, November 17, 2017
Article summary
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are on a different planet when it comes to UEFA Champions League goals but can you name their nearest challenger among current players?
Article top media content
Article body
The Cristiano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi race for supremacy has dominated the elite football landscape over the past decade, not least in the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo became the first man to reach a century of goals in the competition last season and it seems a question of when – not if – Messi will emulate him this term. Between them they have 208 UEFA Champions League goals, almost as many as the next five players combined!
But who is their closest pursuer?
Step forward Karim Benzema, the only other current player to have passed 50 UEFA Champions League goals. It is nearly 12 years since the Frenchman marked his competition debut with a goal as Lyon beat Rosenborg and he has scored consistently ever since – well, at least until his present eight-match drought.
Behind him the injured Zlatan Ibrahimović, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller all have 40 or more strikes – then there is a big gap to the next group of players. The lone candidate in the top ten aged 25 or under is Neymar, with 25 goals. Paris team-mate Kylian Mbappé, 18, already has eight.
All-time top scorers among current players
111 Cristiano Ronaldo (age: 32)
97 Lionel Messi (30)
51 Karim Benzema (29)
48 Zlatan Ibrahimović (36)
41 Robert Lewandowski (29)
40 Thomas Müller (28)
29 Sergio Agüero (29)
29 Edinson Cavani (30)
29 Arjen Robben (33)
25 Neymar (25)
19 Cesc Fàbregas (30)
19 Luis Suárez (30)
19 Gonzalo Higuaín (29)
All-time top scorers
111 Cristiano Ronaldo
97 Lionel Messi
71 Raúl González
56 Ruud van Nistelrooy
51 Karim Benzema
50 Thierry Henry