Champions League Top Scorer Every Season (1955-56 to 2024-25)

71 entries · verified 2026-07-20 · free · hand-checked by Ball IQ

Since the European Cup kicked off in 1955, one player has finished ahead of the rest in front of goal almost every season. This complete list runs from Miloš Milutinović's eight goals in that debut 1955-56 campaign, through the 1992 rebrand to the UEFA Champions League, all the way to the 2024-25 final. In the early decades the leading tallies were modest — often five, six or seven goals — and ties at the top were common, reflecting a straight knockout format with far fewer matches than today's expanded league phase.

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1. How many Champions League hat-tricks have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo each scored — a joint competition record?

   A9B7C6D8

   Messi and Ronaldo each scored 8 Champions League hat-tricks — a joint record. Messi got all 8 for Barcelona; Ronaldo scored 7 for Real Madrid and 1 for Juventus. Both totals are settled, as neither played in the competition again after leaving European club football.

2. Which two Real Madrid players scored late goals — in the 82nd and 88th minutes — at the Bernabéu as Los Blancos beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the 2013 UCL semi-final second leg, falling short 4-3 on aggregate?

   AÖzil & HiguaínBDi María & ModrićCRonaldo & BaleDBenzema & Ramos

   Despite the furious late rally, Dortmund held on to reach the all-German final at Wembley, where they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich.

3. In which year did AC Milan famously beat Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League final?

   A1993B1994C1989D1990

   1994 — Fabio Capello's Milan destroyed Cruyff's Barcelona 'Dream Team' with goals from Massaro (2), Savićević and Desailly.

4. Who scored Barcelona's opening goal in the 2011 Champions League final vs Manchester United?

   APedroBMessiCXaviDVilla

   Xavi slid the pass through for Pedro to finish in the 27th minute at Wembley; Rooney levelled, but Messi and Villa struck after the break as Barcelona won 3-1.

5. Which AC Milan goalkeeper won the 1994 Champions League final 4-0 against Barcelona, keeping a clean sheet at the Olympic Stadium in Athens?

   ADino ZoffBGianluca PagliucaCWalter ZengaDSebastiano Rossi

   Milan's 4-0 triumph over Barcelona was powered by two goals each from Massaro and Savićević.

The modern era belongs to two names above all others. Cristiano Ronaldo topped the scoring charts a record seven times and set the single-season benchmark of 17 goals in 2013-14, while Lionel Messi led or shared the lead five times, peaking at 14 in 2011-12. Between them they dominated a remarkable twelve-year stretch until Robert Lewandowski broke the streak with 15 goals for Bayern Munich in 2019-20.

More recently the crown has spread around. Erling Haaland announced himself in 2020-21 and again in 2022-23, Karim Benzema drove Real Madrid's 2021-22 triumph, and the last two seasons ended in ties — Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé sharing 2023-24, then Raphinha and Serhou Guirassy each hitting 13 in 2024-25. Where a season ended level, every joint-top scorer is listed together in the same row.

More on the Champions League

• Every Champions League Winner (1956–2025) 71 entries
• Clubs With the Most Champions League Titles 24 entries

Champions League Top Scorer Every Season (1955-56 to 2024-25) — FAQ