Champions League top scorers of all time: Mohamed Salah bearing down on Real Madrid, AC Milan legends

The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of European football, and the best players the continent has to offer are all desperate to perform on the biggest stage.

The competition has often been a proving ground for those aiming to mark their place in the annals of football history, and it has long been used to measure the greats of the game.

As a result, some of the best players to ever grace a football pitch feature on the list of the Champions League's top scorers, from classic icons such as Alfredo Di Stefano and Eusebio to more modern legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star - who is still playing at 40 years old for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr - netted a staggering 140 goals in UEFA's premier club competition, a tally that is often used by his fans to stake a claim for the mantle of 'greatest of all time' over Messi, who scored 11 fewer during his years in Europe.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, Los Blancos' Kylian Mbappe, Manchester City hitman Erling Haaland and Liverpool's talismanic winger Mohamed Salah are the highest-placed players in the 2025-26 edition of the tournament, and they will be hoping to boost their numbers with a strong campaign.

Here, Sports Mole looks at the latest standings in the Champions League top-scorers list, including every player to have scored 40 goals or more.

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Who has scored the most goals in Champions League history?

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus)

Goals: 140

Appearances: 183

Ratio: 0.77

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2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain)

Goals: 129

Appearances: 163

Ratio: 0.79

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3. Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona)

Goals: 105

Appearances: 137

Ratio: 0.77

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4. Karim Benzema (Lyon, Real Madrid)

 

 

Goals: 90

Appearances: 152

Ratio: 0.59

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5. Raul (Real Madrid, Schalke 04)

 

Goals: 71

 

Appearances: 142

Ratio: 0.50

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6. Kylian Mbappe (Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid)

 

 

Goals: 64

Appearances: 92

Ratio: 0.70

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7. Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

Goals: 57

Appearances: 163

Ratio: 0.35

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8. Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid)

Goals: 56

Appearances: 73

Ratio: 0.77

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9. Erling Haaland (Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City)

Goals: 54

Appearances: 53

Ratio: 1.01

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10. Thierry Henry (Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona)

 

 

Goals: 50

Appearances: 112

Ratio: 0.45

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11. Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid)

Goals: 49

Appearances: 58

Ratio: 0.84

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12. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain)

 

Goals: 48

Appearances: 124

Ratio: 0.39

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=. Mohamed Salah (Basel, Roma, Liverpool)

 

 

Goals: 48

Appearances: 93

Ratio: 0.52

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=. Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea)

 

Goals: 48

Appearances: 100

Ratio: 0.48

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15. Eusebio (Benfica)

Goals: 46

Appearances: 65

Ratio: 0.71

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=. Filippo Inzaghi (Juventus, AC Milan)

 

 

 

Goals: 46

Appearances: 81

Ratio: 0.57

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17. Didier Drogba (Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray)

 

 

Goals: 44

Appearances: 92

Ratio: 0.48

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=. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich)

Goals: 45

Appearances: 62

Ratio: 0.74

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19. Neymar (Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain)

 

 

Goals: 43

Appearances: 81

Ratio: 0.53

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=. Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona)

 

 

Goals: 43

Appearances: 110

Ratio: 0.39

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21. Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)

 

 

Goals: 42

Appearances: 89

Ratio: 0.47

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22. Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona)

 

 

Goals: 41

Appearances: 79

Ratio: 0.52

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