The group stage and round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League pose their own challenges, but it is in the quarter-finals where things start to get serious. With the margin for error reduced to almost zero, opposing teams take extra care to keep things tidy on defense, making it incredibly difficult for attackers to find a way through. While ordinary players shy away from such daunting challenges, the greatest players of all time thrive on them.
Today, we’ll take a look at some legendary attackers who have delivered scoring masterclasses in the quarter-finals since the tournament’s inception (then called the European Cup) in 1955. Here are five players who have scored the most goals in history of the Champions League.
#5 Filippo Inzaghi – 9 goals
The legendary Italian striker Filippo Inzaghi played in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals with his presence on 12 occasions and scored nine goals. He represented Juventus and AC Milan in the round of 16 of the competition.
Inzaghi is one of seven players to have scored a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals since the tournament’s revamp in 1992. The centre-forward’s hat-trick came in a 4-1 win in the match return over Ukrainian Dynamo Kyiv in 1997. -98 campaign.
#4 Raul Gonzalez – 10 Goals
‘The Prince of Real Madrid’, Raúl González Blanco scored 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals in his career. The former Spanish international, who currently coaches Real Madrid Castilla, played in 17 quarter-final matches between the white team and Schalke.
Raúl won three UEFA Champions League trophies (1997-98, 1999-2000, 2001-02) in his career, all of them during his time at Real Madrid. He played 142 matches in the tournament of champions, scored 71 goals and also gave 32 assists.
#3 Lionel Messi – 12 goals
Arguably the greatest player in football history, Lionel Messi scored 12 goals in 23 games in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in Barcelona. The Argentine icon spent two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after leaving the Blaugrana as a free agent in the summer of 2021, but was unable to push the Parisians beyond the round of 16.
Messi, who is making history in the United States after signing for Inter Miami last summer, is the only player in Champions League history (excluding the European Cup era) to score four goals in a game. of quarterfinals. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s heroics came in the 4-1 second leg victory over Arsenal in the 2009-10 season.
#2 Alfredo Di Stéfano – 14 goals
The man who put Real Madrid on the map, Alfredo Di Stéfano, scored a whopping 14 goals in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League (after the European Cup). The ‘Blonde Arrow’ played 14 quarterfinal games in his career, including a decisive one in the 1961-62 season.
Di Stéfano, who played as a second striker, helped Los Blancos win the first five European Cups between the 1955-56 and 1959-60 seasons. The Argentine maverick played 58 European Cup matches and scored 49 goals.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo – 25 goals
Mr. Champions League Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list overwhelmingly, having scored a whopping 25 goals in quarter-finals over the years. Ronaldo, who currently plies his trade at Al-Nassr, played 22 quarter-final matches between Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus before leaving Europe.
Ronaldo produced some iconic performances in the Champions League quarter-finals, but none can compare to his remarkable hat-trick against Wolfsburg in the 2015-16 season. Thanks to his majestic hat trick, Real Madrid achieved a 3-0 victory over the Germans in the second leg, overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the first leg to advance to the semi-finals.
The Portuguese legend is the only player to score two hat-tricks in the UCL quarter-finals, with his other hat-trick coming against Bayern Munich in the 2016-17 season.
