Who finished top of the European scoring charts, season by season.
The Champions League top scorer is a stranger award than the domestic equivalents, because the number of games available to a player depends entirely on how far their club goes. A striker eliminated in the round of sixteen has played six matches; one who reaches the final has played thirteen. The award is therefore as much a measure of a team as of a player, which is why the winner is so often someone from the eventual winners or finalists — but not always, and the exceptions are the interesting part.
The qualifying rounds complicate it further. In several seasons the official count has included goals scored in qualifiers, which has produced winners whose totals look inflated against the knockout-stage scorers they beat.
Every season since the competition took its current name in 1992-93 is below, with the tally and the club.
Play the champions league top scorers quizEvery answer below is quoted from the page it came from. Where a claim could not be confirmed against a source, it was left out rather than guessed at.
Ronald Koeman was joint-top scorer of the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League with how many goals?
Eight
Koeman was joint-top scorer with eight goals in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, in which Barcelona were beaten 0–4 in the final by A.C. Milan at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. source
George Weah finished as top scorer of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League with how many goals?
Seven
He also became the top scorer of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League, with seven goals, after reaching the semi-finals with the club, one of which was a skillful individual "wonder-goal" against Bayern Munich in the group stage, on 23 November 1994. source
Jari Litmanen was the 1995–96 UEFA Champions League top scorer with how many goals?
Nine
In the 1995–96 edition of the Champions League, he was the Champions League top scorer with nine goals, including the equaliser in the final against Juventus, which Ajax lost on penalties. source
Milinko Pantić finished as top scorer of the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League with how many goals?
Five
In the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League he scored five goals, finishing as the top-scorer of the tournament (to this date he is the only Atlético Madrid player to achieve this). source
Alessandro Del Piero finished as 1997–98 UEFA Champions League top scorer with how many goals?
10 goals
The 1997–98 Serie A campaign was his best season yet, as he scored a joint career best of 21 goals in Serie A, and finished top scorer in the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League with 10 goals, one of which included a freekick and a hat-trick against Monaco in the semi-finals. source
Raúl was named UEFA Club Forward of the Year in three consecutive seasons. Which were they?
1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02
One of the most successful players in Champions League history, Raúl was named the UEFA Club Forward of the Year three years in a row (1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02) and was the top goalscorer in the competition in 1999–2000 and 2000–2001. source
In which two seasons was Raúl the Champions League's top goalscorer?
1999–2000 and 2000–01
One of the most successful players in Champions League history, Raúl was named the UEFA Club Forward of the Year three years in a row (1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02) and was the top goalscorer in the competition in 1999–2000 and 2000–2001. source
Who was the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League top scorer, with 10 goals from the first group stage through to the semi-final?
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy was the tournament's top scorer, scoring 10 goals from the first group stage through to the semi-final. source
Ruud van Nistelrooy was again top scorer in 2002–03. How many goals did he score over the two group stages and the knockout stage?
12 goals
Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy was again the top scorer, scoring 12 goals over the two group stages and knockout stage, in addition to two goals he had scored in the qualifying phase, although his side bowed out in the quarter-finals and missed out on the chance of playing in a final at their own stadium. source
Fernando Morientes finished as 2003–04 UEFA Champions League top scorer with how many goals?
Nine
It was in the Champions League, however, that he really made an impact, finishing as top scorer at nine goals: Monaco met Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, where he scored a vital away goal in the first leg (4–2 away loss); in the second match, he again found the net as his team won 3–1, taking the aggregate score to 5–5 (away goals rule victory). source
Who scored a Champions League-best eight goals in 2004–05 despite missing a large part of the season through injury?
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy missed a large part of the 2004–05 season due to injury, but nonetheless scored a Champions League-best eight goals. source
Andriy Shevchenko was top scorer of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League with how many goals in 12 games?
9 goals
Despite this, he still ended up being the top scorer of the whole competition with 9 goals in 12 games. source
Kaká finished as top scorer of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League with how many goals?
Ten
He finished as the top scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League campaign with ten goals. source
As the 2007–08 Champions League top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo was named what?
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year
As the Champions League top scorer, Ronaldo was named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. source
Lionel Messi was 2008–09 Champions League top scorer with nine goals in how many games?
Eleven
The Argentinian international managed nine goals in eleven games to take the crown from Cristiano Ronaldo, who last term had edged Messi into joint-second place alongside Didier Drogba, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. source
Lionel Messi finished 2009–10 as leading scorer one goal ahead of which two players?
Ivica Olić and Cristiano Ronaldo
The Argentinian international managed eight goals in 11 appearances, one strike less than in 2008/09, to finish one goal ahead of FC Bayern München attacker Ivica Olić and Real Madrid CF's Cristiano Ronaldo. source
Lionel Messi sealed the 2010–11 top-scorer honour by scoring his 12th goal in which match?
the Wembley final against Manchester United
Lionel Messi has finished as the UEFA Champions League's leading scorer for the third season running, scoring his 12th goal in the Wembley final against Manchester United FC. source
Lionel Messi won the top scorer honour in 2011–12 for a record how many successive seasons?
Fourth
Lionel Messi won the top scorer honour for a record fourth successive season with an unsurpassed 14 goals. source
How many goals did Cristiano Ronaldo register to finish as 2012–13 Champions League top scorer?
12 goals
The Real Madrid CF forward registered 12 goals to take the prize he previously collected with eight strikes in 2007/08, when his efforts helped Manchester United FC lift the trophy for a third time. source
Cristiano Ronaldo set a new single-campaign best in the 2013–14 competition with how many goals?
17 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo has broken new ground in the European Cup this season with 17 goals to set a new best for a single campaign in the competition – and finish as the UEFA Champions League's top scorer for the second term running and the third overall. source
The 2014–15 leading-scorer honour was shared by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and which other player?
Neymar Jr
Neymar's late, late goal for FC Barcelona against Juventus in tonight's UEFA Champions League final in Berlin ensured he drew level with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the 2014/15 competition's leading scorer. source
Cristiano Ronaldo was 2015–16 top scorer for the fourth season running with how many goals?
16 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo has finished as the UEFA Champions League's top marksman for the fourth season running, notching 16 goals – and the Portuguese star is closing in on a century in Europe's premier club competition. source
Cristiano Ronaldo overtook Lionel Messi to finish as 2016–17 top scorer by scoring twice in which match?
Real Madrid's 4–1 final win against Juventus in Cardiff
Cristiano Ronaldo has finished top of the UEFA Champions League scorers' table for the fifth year running after overtaking Lionel Messi tonight, his two goals in Real Madrid's 4-1 final win against Juventus in Cardiff taking him to 12 for the season. source
Cristiano Ronaldo finished top of the 2017–18 Champions League scoring charts for how many consecutive seasons?
Sixth
Cristiano Ronaldo has finished top of the UEFA Champions League scoring charts for the sixth consecutive season, ending the campaign with 15 goals to his name. source
Lionel Messi finished 2018–19 as outright top scorer — how many goals clear of Robert Lewandowski?
Four goals
Lionel Messi has finished as outright UEFA Champions League top scorer for the first time since 2011/12, ending four goals clear of Robert Lewandowski. source
Robert Lewandowski finished as 2019–20 Champions League top scorer with how many goals?
15 goals
Robert Lewandowski finished head of the class with 15 goals, two off Cristiano Ronaldo's record. source
Who was the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League top scorer with ten goals?
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League's top scorer with ten goals. source
Karim Benzema finished the 2021–22 Champions League as top scorer with how many goals in total?
15 goals
On 28 May, he won his fifth Champions League title after a 1–0 win over Liverpool in the final, and finished the tournament as top scorer with 15 goals in total. source
Erling Haaland finished as 2022–23 top scorer — how many goals more than second-ranked Mohamed Salah?
Four
Erling Haaland has finished as top scorer in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League with 12 goals, four more than second-ranked Mohamed Salah. source
Who shared the 2023–24 Champions League top-scorer honour with Harry Kane, on 8 goals each?
Kylian Mbappé
Bayern Munich's Harry Kane (left) and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappé (right) were the tournament's top scorers with 8 goals each. source
Which two players finished as joint top scorers of the 2024–25 Champions League with 13 goals each?
Raphinha and Serhou Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy and Barcelona's Raphinha have finished as the top scorers in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League with 13 goals each. source