The UEFA Champions League is the most popular cup competition in Europe, attracting the attention of players from all over the world. Every player dreams of making a name for themselves in this prestigious tournament.
While group-stage fixtures set the stage, it is the knockout games where players truly shine. Over the years, only a select few have managed to make a significant impact in these high-pressure matches.
Read on to discover the top 10 players who have scored the most goals in UEFA Champions League knockout fixtures since 2010:
Brazilian superstar Neymar found the back of the net 13 times in Champions League knockout matches, playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before his move to Al-Hilal. During his time at Barcelona and PSG, Neymar scored a total of 43 goals and provided 36 assists in 81 games.
Neymar achieved Champions League glory in his second season at Barcelona in 2014-15. The 32-year-old scored an impressive 10 goals in 12 games, helping his team lift the coveted trophy.
At just 23 years old, Erling Haaland, the sharpshooter from Manchester City, has already scored 13 goals in Champions League knockout matches. He is the only player on this list with an average of more than one goal per game in the competition. Haaland has played 36 Champions League games, scoring an incredible 40 goals and providing five assists.
Haaland played a crucial role in Manchester City’s first-ever Champions League triumph in the 2022-23 season. With 12 goals to his name, he guided his team to victory.
Arjen Robben, the Bayern Munich legend, scored 15 goals in 52 UEFA Champions League knockout matches, showcasing his skills as a winger. Throughout his career, Robben played a total of 110 Champions League games, scoring 31 goals and providing 24 assists.
Robben’s shining moment came in the 2012-13 season when he scored the winning goal for Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund in the nail-biting final.
Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich winger Sadio Mane netted 15 goals in 41 UEFA Champions League knockout games before moving to Saudi Arabian soccer. Prior to his transfer, Mane played 64 Champions League matches, scoring 27 goals and providing nine assists.
Mane experienced Champions League success with Liverpool in the 2018-19 season, contributing four goals and three assists to their triumph.
Kylian Mbappe, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar, secured the sixth spot on this list with an impressive 16 knockout goals in 32 matches. Overall, Mbappe has played 68 Champions League games, scoring 44 goals and providing 26 assists.
Although he has yet to win the tournament, Mbappe reached the final in the 2019-20 season, scoring five goals and providing six assists.
Thomas Muller, the versatile attacker from Bayern Munich, has scored 25 goals in 89 Champions League knockout matches. In his decorated career, Muller has played a total of 150 Champions League games, scoring an impressive 53 goals.
Muller has won the competition twice, first in the 2012-13 season and then again in 2019-20.
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski secured the fourth spot with 30 goals in 73 UEFA Champions League knockout matches. Lewandowski’s standout performance came in the 2019-20 campaign when he scored 15 goals to lead Bayern Munich to Champions League glory.
Overall, Lewandowski has scored 92 goals in just 116 Champions League games, making him the third-highest scorer in the competition’s history.
Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema scored 33 goals in 91 UEFA Champions League knockout matches before leaving for Saudi Arabia. Benzema won the competition a record five times with Real Madrid and was a key player in their 2021-22 triumph, scoring 15 goals in the knockout stages, including two consecutive hat-tricks.
With 90 goals in 152 games, Benzema is the fourth-highest scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League.
In second place is Lionel Messi, who scored 43 goals in 91 Champions League knockout games during his time in Europe. Messi won the competition four times with Barcelona and finished as the top scorer in three of those seasons.
Messi played a total of 163 games in the Champions League, scoring 129 goals before his move to Inter Miami.
Finally, the king of the competition, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored 57 goals in 100 UEFA Champions League knockout fixtures. Ronaldo won the competition five times, four with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United, and finished as the top scorer in each of those seasons. He also scored four goals in three finals.
Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League, with an impressive tally of 141 goals in 187 games.
According to the Source sportslens.com