The UEFA Champions League is the stage where the game's greatest attackers are remembered. A handful of players have turned Europe's elite competition into their personal record book — and two names tower above the rest. Here are the all-time top scorers in Champions League history.
Champions League all-time top scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 141 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | 129 |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski | 109 |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | 90 |
| 5 | Raúl | 71 |
| 6 | Kylian Mbappé | 70 |
Figures as of the 2025/26 season. Active players such as Lewandowski and Mbappé are still climbing.
Cristiano Ronaldo: the record holder
With 141 goals across spells at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo is the Champions League's all-time leading scorer — and by some distance. He is also the competition's record holder for most appearances and knockout-stage goals, the engine behind Real Madrid's run of titles in the 2010s.
Lionel Messi: Ronaldo's only rival
Lionel Messi sits second on 129 goals, almost all for Barcelona. For more than a decade, Messi and Ronaldo traded the Champions League scoring crown season after season — the defining individual rivalry in the modern game.
The 100-goal club
Only three players have ever reached 100 Champions League goals: Ronaldo, Messi and Robert Lewandowski, whose tally for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona pushed him past the century mark. Karim Benzema, Raúl and a fast-rising Kylian Mbappé complete the elite group at the top.
Relive the best European nights in our Champions League highlights, and see how the competition now works in our new Champions League format explained.