The UEFA Champions League is the Holy Grail of club football and few have stamped their name on the competition like Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar holds almost every goal-scoring record in the competition and is the proud owner of five trophies – as many as Barcelona have in the club’s history.
Ronaldo guided Manchester United to 2008 glory, as well as Real Madrid in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 – three titles in a row after no team had ever won back-to-back titles since the competition’s inception in 1955.
Ronaldo’s Champions League records
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Most goals: 128
Most goals in knockout phase: 65
Most goals in knockout phase for one season: ten – 2016-17
First player to reach 100 goals
First person to score in all six group matches (nine goals): 2017-18
Most goals in the group stage for one season (11 goals in six matches): 2015-16
Most consecutive games with a goal scored (11 games): 2017 final and first ten matches of 2017-18 (17 goals in 11 matches)
Most consecutive away goals scored: 17 goals in 12 matches
Most home goals: 67
Most away goals: 57
Most games with at least two goals scored: 35 matches
Most direct free-kicks scored: 12
Most penalties scored: 15 out of 18
Most goals scored in a finals game: four goals in six matches
Most match wins: 106
Most final wins: five
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with Paulo Dybala. (Alessandro Di Marco/ANSA via AP)
Ronaldo has scored some memorable goals, including the competition’s greatest ever bicycle kick, in the semi-final of 2017-18 season.
Of all his incredible European nights, none quite compare to his Round of 16 clash against Atletico Madrid last year.
With their backs against the wall and facing a 2-0 deficit, Juventus turned things around in the second segment of the first knockout stage.
This was Ronaldo’s first season with the Italian giants and he was eager to carry his Champions League form over and win a title with his third team in three top-flight leagues.
Although it was not to be, Ronaldo scored three goals to lead his team to a 3-2 aggregate win – a performance that showed both his mentality and ability, serving as a reminder just whose game the Champions League truly is.
Anthony Abreu
Roar Guru
Very well said, thank you! Still like to stay awake form the would have and should have side of things when it comes to trophies as this can be said in much too many cases
peter ostle
Guest
Dear Anthony, thanks for the reply. In the 2008 game he might have scored the goal, but Lampard equalised, and without Terry slipping, which I quite appreciated, Ronaldo would have 'lost' the final. Lampard did score his penalty. As to 'king' it can still be argued, as you have to omit the European Cup to allow you to say Ronaldo has the most wins. Francisco Gento won 6 titles, further on five are Costacurta and Maldini on five, and 7 Real Madrid players from the early years of the competition. I suppose due to being a team sport I have an aversion to king as owner, rather Ronaldo is a trustee, as their were players akin to him prior to his primacy, which occurred in the time of Messi, and there will be players after. Further, making a player the focal player can have negative effects once he leaves. I think Messi was better when Barcelona relied less on him than others, and so maybe some of his stats show this in comparison to Ronaldo. Also, sometimes losing someone similar to Ronaldo can benefit a team, for example England in 1998 [Gascoigne] and PSG in recent times with Neymar. Lastly, we award now scorers and forget the role of others who do not score but are as integral to a team as the scorer of a goal. Fascinating book is 'The Captain Class' by S Walker.
callumgasowski
Roar Rookie
I agree with all that was said.
Anthony Abreu
Roar Guru
Noted and thank you! ????
Anthony Abreu
Roar Guru
Some very good points here. I feel like he definitely gets a bit of stick and I have to be honest, not everybody loves him. But to say that him missing a penalty in the shootout of a final is very harsh. It has to remembered that he scored during the first 90 minutes and had a great campaign. I’ve seen those ratios that’s why I have gone with the stats that only he holds. But it is extremely impressive as these other players do not have near the amount records that’s he does. It is very hard to argue who the king of the champions league is.
MarkfromCroydon
Roar Pro
Sorry Anthony but an error in one of the article’s first few paragraphs . Other teams have won 3 European cups in a row. (Madrid, Bayern, Ajax) It’s only since the change to the name of the competition to the “Champions League” that no ones won it back to back until Madrid.
peter ostle
Guest
The competition is a team event, a person may be the difference, but without the other players they are going to lose. If the CL belonged to Ronaldo he would have won it every year he was playing in it, I do not think he would want anyone else to have a 'share' of 'la gloire'. It should be pointed out that his ratio of games to goals in the CL is less than one Alfredo de Stefano and someone other modern soccer player called Messi. Further, without John Terry missing his penalty Ronaldo would have lost the 2008 CL, he was the united player who missed his penalty. Also Ronaldo is indebted to UEFA deciding to open up the CL to teams who do not win their leagues, and also for allowing the bigger leagues to have teams go straight into the group phase. Ronaldo is a good player, but making him the 'owner' of the CL is going too far