Champions League Top Scorer Every Season (1955-56 to 2025-26)

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. Which player scored in the most consecutive Champions League seasons?

   ARaúlBLewandowskiCRonaldoDMessi

   Messi scored in 18 successive Champions League seasons (2005-06 to 2022-23), a competition record.

2. Two goals from a Brazilian striker won Milan the 1963 European Cup final against Benfica. Who scored them?

   APaolo BarisonBGianni RiveraCJosé AltafiniDDino Sani

   Altafini, nicknamed 'Mazzola', remains one of Milan's top European Cup scorers. He had played for Brazil at the 1958 World Cup before switching to Italy.

3. Who scored a hat-trick for Real Madrid vs Wolfsburg in the 2016 UCL quarter-final second leg to overturn a deficit?

   ARonaldoBBenzemaCMorataDBale

   Cristiano Ronaldo scored 3 to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit. Madrid won the tournament that year — their 11th European Cup.

4. In the 1960 European Cup final — Real Madrid 7-3 Eintracht Frankfurt — which Real Madrid player scored four goals?

   AAlfredo Di StéfanoBLuis del SolCFrancisco GentoDFerenc Puskás

   Puskas hit four at Hampden with Di Stefano scoring the other three — the 7-3 final still held up as the European Cup's greatest.

5. Benfica lost the 1963 European Cup final 2-1 to AC Milan — which forward scored both Milan goals?

   AJosé AltafiniBBruno MoraCPaolo BarisonDGianni Rivera

   Brazilian-born José Altafini scored twice as AC Milan came from behind to beat Benfica 2-1 in the 1963 final.

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 (1956–2026) 71 entries
• Clubs With the Most Champions League Titles 24 entries

Champions League Top Scorer Every Season (1955-56 to 2025-26) — FAQ