Even Ronaldo’s biggest haters have to admit that Champions League games just don’t feel the same without him. He is the king of the tournament and here are seven amazing records that he holds in the competition which will likely never be broken.
Most UCL goals of all time
With Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema no longer playing in Europe, Ronaldo’s record of 140 Champions League goals is safe for the time being.
In order for anyone to match his incomparable result in the competition, they’d need to score 10 UCL goals for 14 consecutive seasons.
Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe could get close to that figure by the time they retire, although both players are more than 90 goals away from matching this record.
Most UCL knockout goals
Even if the likes of Mbappe and Haaland catch his all-time scoring record, it will take some effort to match his output in the knockout stages.
Overall, 67 of Ronaldo’s Champions League goals have come in the knockout stages which is more than any other player in the competitions history.
Most UCL goals from the quarter-finals onwards
Ronaldo’s goal tally in the Champions League gets even more impressive when you take into consideration how many goals he’s scored from the quarter-finals onwards.
In total, the Portuguese forward has scored 42 goals from the quarter-finals onwards which is utterly bonkers. For context, Messi has scored 20 goals from this stage of the competition.
Most goals in a single season
The 2013-14 campaign was a truly historic one for Ronaldo. He was the driving force behind Real Madrid winning their first Champions League trophy since 2001–02.
In the process of winning the trophy, he scored a whopping 17 goals which is more than any other player has ever managed in a single UCL campaign.
Karim Benzema (2021–22) and Robert Lewandowski (2019–20) came close to matching the record, but even in their most prolific seasons they only managed 15 goals in the competition.
Scoring in 11 consecutive games
Between June 2017 and April 2018, Ronaldo scored in 11 consecutive Champions League games which is a record that hasn’t been surpassed since.
Most UCL appearances
Few players can hold a candle to Ronaldo’s longevity in the game and it’s reflected in the stats. Between 2003 and 2022, Ronaldo made a whopping 183 appearances in the competition which is more than any other player has managed.
Seven Golden Boot awards
His goalscoring prowess in Europe can be summed up by the fact that he has seven UCL Golden Boot awards – the most of any player in the competition’s history.
Messi isn’t far behind with six Golden Boots himself, although with him now living the high life in Miami, Ronaldo’s record is safe for the time being.