Top European sides are all set to begin their UEFA Champions League journey for the 2023-2024 season on Tuesday. The first group stage fixtures are scheduled to take place tonight. Manchester City goal-machine Erling Haaland will look to continue his dominance after guiding his side to Champions League glory last season. The Norwegian had finished as the top scorer of the campaign with 12 goals. Before the matchday fixtures get started, let’s take a look at the all-time top scorers of the Champions League group stage:
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi made his debut in the Champions League for Barcelona in 2004 at the age of 18. The Spanish side were knocked out of Round of 16 but European football fans got a chance to witness the arrival of a wizard that season. Messi netted his first Champions League goal in November 2005 against Panathinaikos, with Barcelona notching up a 5-0 victory in the home game. Since then, Messi has bagged a total of 80 goals in the Champions League group stage, while playing for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) till last season. The talismanic forward will not be part of this season’s Champions League due to his transfer to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami this summer.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
It is impossible to avoid mentioning Cristiano Ronaldo’s name while discussing the Champions League. The Portuguese international follows Messi on the list of all-time leading goal-scorers in the group stage of the competition. Representing Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, Ronaldo has featured in 98 group-league matches in the Champions League history, having scored 73 goals in total. Like Messi, Ronaldo will also not be a part of this season’s Champions League campaign, having shifted his base to Saudi Arabia in January this year.
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski has already established himself as one of the greatest strikers ever to take part in European football. He is one of the few players who have completed a century in terms of appearances in the Champions League. Lewandowski made his debut in European competition in 2011 for Borussia Dortmund. He hogged the limelight since joining Bayern Munich in 2014. The Polish international has already scored 61 goals in the Champions League group stage. Lewandowski joined Barcelona last summer but the Catalan outfit failed to earn a place in the Champions League knockout stage in the 2022-23 season.
Karim Benzema
After winning five Champions League titles with Real Madrid, Karim Benzema left Europe this summer to join Saudi champions Al-Ittihad. The Frenchman played his first game in the Champions League for Lyon in 2005, featuring in a Round of 16 tie against Werder Bremen. He came to Madrid four years later and enjoyed tremendous success with Los Blancos. Benzema is currently the fourth-highest goal scorer of the Champions League group stage with 56 goals to his name.
Raul Gonzalez
A Real Madrid legend, Raul Gonzalez, who retired from professional football in 2014, still occupies the fifth spot on the list of top scorers in the Champions League group stage with 53 goals. During his decorated club career, Raul became the champion of Europe three times with Real Madrid.
