There's a reason why Cristiano Ronaldo is called 'Mr. Champions League', and him topping this list is only expected. In 20 long years in Europe, CR7 has scored 140 goals in 183 appearances. The 39-year-old Portuguese giant has played for clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, before moving to the Middle East and joining the SPL side Al Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo's rival, probably the greatest of his generation and surely one of the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi is a close second on this list. He is just 11 goals shy from the top spot as he scored 129 goals in 163 appearances between 2005 and 2023. Messi was at FC Barcelona for most of his European soccer career. However, due to the club's financial meltdown, the Argentine great had to part ways and joined the Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, where he was at for 2 years before moving to David Beckham's MLS team, Inter Miami.
Robert Lewandowski is surely one of the greatest strikers right now. The Polish international has been a part of German sides Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, before moving to Spain to join FC Barcelona. Overall, in his 127 Champions League tilts, he has scored 103 goals.
A crucial part of Real Madrid's lethal BBC attack trio, Karim Benzema was largely overshadowed by his compatriots Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale at Real Madrid. But no one can point fingers on the Ballon D'Or winner's quality and the numbers speak for themselves. In his 152 appearances in UCL, he has scored 90 goals.
Another Real Madrid legend, Raul has been simply phenomenal during his time at the tournament. From 1995–2011, while playing for Real Madrid and then for German side Schalke 04 at the later stages of his career, the Spaniard has made 142 UCL appearances and scored 71 goals.
The dutch striker, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, was part of Manchester United's Golden era under Alex Ferguson. In his 11 years of European soccer, Nistelrooy made 73 UCL appearances and scored 56 goals.
One of the cornerstones of German soccer in recent times, Müller has taken his family legacy forward. Son of the famous German striker Gerd Müller, Thomas too has made his mark in the history of the sport. Since 2009, he has made 157 UCL appearances with Bayern Munich and has 55 goals under his belt.
Kylian Mbappé is truly a generational talent. He has already shown time and again what he is capable of. After moving to PSG from Monaco, the striker has only seen the rise of his stature from being the boy wonder to being one of the best strikers to currently exist. So far since 2016, Mbappé has made 80 UCL appearances and has scored 51 goals. We can surely expect him to move much higher on this list as his career progresses further.
Thierry Henry left his mark in the history of this game with his incredible career. During his time with some of the top European sides AS Monaco, Arsenal and FC Barcelona, the French speedster has made a total of 112 UCL appearances and has scored a total of 50 goals.
Legendary Real Madrid striker Alfredo Di Stéfano was surely one of the best in business during his time. He spent his European soccer career with Real Madrid. From 1955-1964, Di Stefano made 58 UCL appearances and scored 49 goals.
