Robert Lewandowski continued his sensational form in this season’s Champions League after scoring in Bayern Munich’s destruction of Barcelona last Friday evening, the forward now within touching distance of breaking the all-time single season record.
Lewandowski’s goal also took him to 50 goals in the competition for Bayern and saw him become just the fifth player to reach a half century of Champions League goals for a single club, the 31-year-old now the tournament’s fourth-highest goalscorer of all-time.
Following the forward’s exploits we’ve decided to look at the players to have achieved the feat, here are the five players to have scored 50+ UCL goals for a single club:
Robert Lewandowski – 50 goals (Bayern Munich)
The latest player to reach 50 Champions League goals for a single club, Lewandowski reached the landmark following his close-range header in Bayern’s emphatic 8-2 win over Barcelona on Friday.
Lewandowski’s goal was his 14th of an incredible European campaign this season, the 31-year-old enjoying the best goalscoring form of his incredible career to continue climbing the all-time rankings.
Only three players have now scored more than Lewandowski’s 67 Champions League goals, the Poland international having scored 17 times in the competition for Borussia Dortmund before his move to Munich six years ago.
This season has seen the Bayern star become just the fourth player to score in eight consecutive Champions League fixtures, whilst he will hope to keep his hot streak going ahead of the club’s semi-final meeting with Lyon as he looks to win the trophy for the first time.
Few would bet against a formidable Bayern side and their prolific Pole from being crowned champions of Europe given their current form, Lewandowski having averaged a goal every 51 minutes in the competition so far this season.
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Karim Benzema – 53 goals (Real Madrid)
One of the premier forwards in European football over the past decade, Karim Benzema’s talents can often be overlooked despite a glittering career in the colours of Real Madrid.
The fifth-highest scorer in the history of the Champions League, Benzema has plundered 53 goals in the competition for the Spanish giants since signing from Lyon in 2009, scoring in 11 successive seasons for Los Blancos in Europe.
That period has seen Benzema lift the famous old trophy on four occasions, scoring the opener during Real Madrid’s final victory over Liverpool in 2018.
There are perhaps fewer strikers amongst Europe’s elite who are as unselfish as the French forward, Benzema having proven a hugely popular figure with both teammates and managers throughout his time at the Bernabeu, bringing the best out of those around him in addition to regularly troubling the score sheet.
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Raul – 66 goals (Real Madrid)
Before an era which has seen modern phenomenons shatter perceptions over goalscoring exploits there was Raul, the homegrown hero amongst Real Madrid’s Galacticos and one of the most feared frontmen in European football.
The Spaniard was a star of the Real Madrid side which dominated continental competition at the turn of the millennium, winning three Champions League trophies in just five seasons and becoming the first player to score in multiple finals – netting against Valencia in 2000 and Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 respectively.
An archetypal penalty-box predator with evasive movement and a fine finishing repertoire, Raul was a magnificent footballer and remains the third-highest scoring player in Champions League history, netting 71 goals in the competition throughout his career.
Of that haul, 66 came during a trophy-laden career at the Bernabeu, Raul amongst the most favourite sons of arguably world football’s biggest club.
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Cristiano Ronaldo – 105 goals (Real Madrid)
Incredibly the third player to have scored 50+ Champions League goals for Real Madrid, the bright lights of Europe’s biggest stage have seen Cristiano Ronaldo star throughout his record-breaking career.
Ronaldo has scored a staggering 130 goals in 170 Champions League appearances during spells at Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Juventus – the most of any player in the history of the competition.
Over a century of those goals came during his time with Real Madrid, the Portuguese superstar becoming the club’s all-time record goalscorer during his nine-year spell at the Bernabeu, a period which saw Ronaldo fire the Spanish giants to four Champions League titles.
His time with Real Madrid saw him finish as the tournament’s top scorer in six successive seasons, Ronaldo regarded by many as the king of the Champions League for his ability to deliver when it matters most.
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Lionel Messi – 115 goals (Barcelona)
Lionel Messi holds the record for the most goals scored for a single club in the Champions League, netting 115 times during his illustrious one-club career at Barcelona.
Messi came through the academy system at Barcelona to establish himself as the best player in the history of the Catalan side, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner regarded by many as the finest footballer to have graced the game.
The Argentine international has often saved his best displays for Champions League encounters, winning the trophy four times and scoring in final victories over Manchester United in both 2009 and 2011.
No player amongst European football’s leading scorers can better Messi’s goal-per-game ratio in the Champions League, the 32-year-old’s 115 goals coming in just 143 appearances.
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