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Cristiano Ronaldo still owns the biggest scoring record in Champions League history, with 140 goals in the competition proper. That total remains the benchmark after the 2025-26 round of 16, and the latest update now shows how far clear he remains of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and the next generation led by Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
This ranking covers the top 20 scorers in UEFA Champions League history, using totals updated through the end of the 2025-26 round of 16. The figures below exclude qualifying-round goals, which is the standard used by UEFA for the official all-time Champions League chart.
Top 20 UCL top scorers of all time
| Rank | Player | Nation | Clubs scored for in UCL | Goals | UCL seasons | Notable UCL marker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus | 140 | 19 | Record holder; scored in three finals |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain | 129 | 19 | Four-time winner; 120 goals for Barcelona |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona | 109 | 15 | Third man to 100+ UCL goals |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | France | Lyon, Real Madrid | 90 | 19 | 2021-22 top scorer with 15 |
| 5 | Raúl González | Spain | Real Madrid, Schalke | 71 | 15 | Modern-era benchmark before Messi and Ronaldo |
| 6 | Kylian Mbappé | France | Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid | 68 | 10 | Leading active chaser in 2026 |
| 7 | Thomas Müller | Germany | Bayern Munich | 57 | 17 | One-club UCL scorer |
| 8 | Erling Haaland | Norway | Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City | 57 | 7 | Fastest ever to 50 goals |
| 9 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Netherlands | PSV, Manchester United, Real Madrid | 56 | 11 | Three-time seasonal top scorer |
| 10 | Thierry Henry | France | Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona | 50 | 13 | Crossed 50 across three clubs |
| 11 | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | Basel, Roma, Liverpool | 50 | 11 | First African player to hit 50 |
| 12 | Harry Kane | England | Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich | 50 | 8 | First English player to hit 50 |
| 13 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain / Argentina | Real Madrid | 49 | 8 | European Cup giant before UCL era |
| 14 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain | 48 | 16 | Scored for five UCL clubs |
| 15 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea | 48 | 12 | 1998-99 and 2005-06 top scorer |
| 16 | Eusébio | Portugal | Benfica | 46 | 11 | European Cup great of the 1960s |
| 17 | Filippo Inzaghi | Italy | Juventus, AC Milan | 46 | 11 | Two final goals for Milan |
| 18 | Antoine Griezmann | France | Real Sociedad, Atlético Madrid | 44 | 13 | Highest active total outside the top 17 |
| 19 | Didier Drogba | Côte d’Ivoire | Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray | 44 | 12 | Chelsea’s defining UCL striker |
| 20 | Neymar | Brazil | Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain | 43 | 10 | Key figure in Barça’s 2015 title run |
The goal totals and season counts in this list reflect UEFA’s official Champions League scoring chart and Transfermarkt’s all-time leaderboard as updated in March 2026. UEFA’s separate all-time scorers article also confirms the latest movement around the 50-goal line, with Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah both reaching that mark in the round of 16.
What makes the top of the list so hard to reach
Ronaldo’s 140 is not just first place. It is 11 clear of Messi, 31 ahead of Lewandowski and 72 above Mbappé, who is already sixth and still active. UEFA’s all-time chart shows only six players have even reached 68 goals, which underlines how rare true long-term Champions League scoring longevity is.
Messi remains second on 129 and still owns the record for the most Champions League goals for a single club, with 120 for Barcelona. Lewandowski, now on 109, became the third player to cross the 100-goal barrier and is the only member of the top three still playing in the competition in 2025-26.
Below that group, the most striking active climb belongs to Mbappé. He finished the round of 16 on 68 goals after another prolific season for Real Madrid, putting him within three of Raúl’s 71 and within realistic range of moving into the top five before the end of the current campaign if Madrid keep advancing.
Active players who could break records
Kylian Mbappé
Mbappé sits on 68 Champions League goals and is already sixth all time at age 27. He needs three goals to draw level with Raúl on 71 and four to move outright into fifth, which makes that the next immediate milestone rather than Ronaldo’s distant record. Real Madrid are still alive in the competition after the round of 16, so Mbappé could realistically reach or pass Raúl before the 2025-26 tournament ends.
Erling Haaland
Haaland has 57 Champions League goals in only 58 appearances, which is why his profile is different from every other active scorer. Manchester City are out of the 2025-26 competition, so his next move up the list will have to wait until next season, but he needs only one more goal to move clear of Thomas Müller and three more to reach 60. He already owns the record for the fastest run to 50, getting there in 49 matches.
Harry Kane
Kane reached 50 goals in Bayern Munich’s round-of-16 win over Atalanta, becoming the first English player to do it and the third-fastest overall at 66 matches. His next league-table target is Ruud van Nistelrooy on 56, which leaves Kane six short of drawing level and seven away from 57, where Müller and Haaland sit. Bayern are still in the competition, so he has a chance to close at least part of that gap immediately.
VinÃcius Júnior
VinÃcius Júnior is not yet in the top 20, but he is close enough to matter. He stands on 34 goals, one behind Edinson Cavani’s 35 and nine behind Neymar’s 43, which is the current total needed to enter the top 20. Because Real Madrid remain in the competition and VinÃcius is still only 25, he is the long-range climber to watch after Mbappé, Haaland and Kane.
Records and milestones that shape the scoring race
Most UCL goals in a single season
The single-season record still belongs to Ronaldo, who scored 17 goals for Real Madrid in the 2013-14 Champions League. That remains one of the toughest attacking records in European club football because it combines volume, knockout-stage longevity and repeated scoring deep into the tournament.
Most Champions League final goals
Ronaldo also leads for goals in Champions League finals with four. UEFA’s final records page lists him alone at the top, ahead of Gareth Bale on three, with several others on two, including Lionel Messi, Raúl and VinÃcius Júnior.
Most UCL goals for a single club
Messi’s 120 Champions League goals for Barcelona remain the competition record for one club. Ronaldo is second on 105 for Real Madrid, while Karim Benzema follows on 78 for Madrid and Lewandowski ranks fourth with 69 for Bayern Munich.
Fastest to 50 Champions League goals
Haaland reached 50 Champions League goals in just 49 matches, the quickest rate ever recorded. Kane’s run to 50 in 66 games is also historically significant, but Haaland’s pace is the one that makes him the most realistic long-term threat to Ronaldo if he can combine scoring efficiency with another decade in the tournament.
How the record has evolved
For much of the modern Champions League era, Raúl was the reference point. His final total of 71 made him the standard-bearer before Messi and Ronaldo turned the scoring race into a two-man era and then lifted the record into territory no previous forward had reached.
Messi pushed the bar beyond the old 70-goal ceiling and finished on 129, but Ronaldo ultimately took complete control of the record with 140. The scale of that gap matters as much as the total itself: Ronaldo is not just first, he is still in a tier of his own when measured against every striker who has come after him.
Lewandowski’s rise into third and Mbappé’s current climb into sixth show that movement still happens near the top, but the list also illustrates how difficult it is to sustain UCL scoring for 10, 15 or even 19 seasons. That is why the Ronaldo-Messi era still dominates every major all-time scoring conversation in the competition.
Why the 2026 update matters
This year’s round of 16 changed the shape of the top 20 again. Kane’s brace against Atalanta took him to 50, and Salah also reached 50 in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Galatasaray. Mbappé’s 2025-26 campaign has pushed him to 68, while Lewandowski has continued to add to his century total for Barcelona.
That means the all-time list is no longer only a historical record. It is still moving at the top, with Mbappé chasing Raúl, Kane chasing van Nistelrooy, Haaland waiting to resume his climb next season, and VinÃcius gradually approaching the top 20. For search intent, that is what makes this ranking different in 2026: the board is active, not frozen.
FAQ
Who has scored the most Champions League goals?
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the most Champions League goals, with 140 in the competition proper. Lionel Messi is second on 129, and Robert Lewandowski is third on 109.
How many Champions League goals does Messi have?
Messi has 129 Champions League goals. UEFA’s records page also credits him with the most goals for a single club in the competition, with 120 for Barcelona.
Who is the top scorer in UCL history per season?
If the question is about the most goals ever scored in a single Champions League season, the record belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo with 17 for Real Madrid in 2013-14. If the question is about the player with the most seasonal top-scorer finishes, Ronaldo also leads there, having finished as the competition’s top scorer seven times.
Final word
The answer to the keyword most champions league goals all time is still straightforward: Ronaldo first, Messi second, Lewandowski third. The more interesting part in 2026 is what comes next. Mbappé is closing on Raúl, Haaland remains the fastest scorer the tournament has seen, Kane and Salah have entered the 50-goal club, and the next major reshuffle in the UCL top scorers list may arrive sooner than expected.