Top 10 players with most goals in UEFA Champions League group stage

These elite goalscorers have scored goals season in and season out in the competition

UEFA Champions League is the biggest European competition in world football at the club level. It is a competition for the players to prove their calibre among other leagues and Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time top goalscorer of the competition scoring 140 goals in 183 appearances.

But today we are going to give you the top 10 highest UEFA Champions League goalscorers in the group stage of the competition.

Ronaldo holds the record for most goals in the UEFA Champions League, with Lionel Messi close by. Both the football legends also feature on this list. While Mbappe recent became PSG's all-time top scorer in the competition.

Among current players, Mohamed Salah has 30 goals, one more than Neymar, while Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé have each scored 22 group-stage goals. Haaland has done so in just 16 games, for a ridiculous goals-per-game ratio of 1.38 per game. Three of those outings were as a replacement.

But we bring you the top 10 goalscorers in the UEFA Champions League group stage:

10. Sergio Aguero - 32 goals

Sergio Aguero is one of the best strikers of all-time scoring a ton of goals for Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and the Argentina National team. After winning league titles and many gold medals Aguero failed to win a Champions League with all of his club but managed to be in the top 10 highest goalscorers in the champions league group stage by banging 32 goals.

9. Alessandro Del Piero - 33 goals

Juventus legend known for his loyalty for the club when the club got relegated to Seria B and the captain stayed strong and ended up scoring 33 goals in the Champions League group stage for the club that are the Seria A giants, but failed to win the competition throughout his career.

8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 38 goals

One of the best strikers to this time known for his confidence and attitude on and off the pitch played for the best clubs in Europe (Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Man United) and scored 38 goals in the group stage of the Champions League throughout his career. However, failing to win the Champions League every year of his participation but winning the Europa League with Manchester United in 2017.

7. Thierry Henry - 38 goals

The Greatest French striker of all time was a nightmare for defenders during his playing time scored 38 goals in the Champions League groupstage, was part of the invincible team of Arsenal but achieved his dream of winning the competition with Barcelona. Thierry Henry played for Monaco, Arsenal and Barcelona and now is focusing on football punditry.

6. Ruud van Nistelrooy - 50 goals

It is strange that a striker who has led the continent in scoring in three different leagues and was also the top scorer in the Champions League in three consecutive seasons has never won the competition. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored 50 goals in the group stage and secures the 6th position among the highest goalscorers. He is currently trying to make his dream come true as a manager for PSV.

5. Raúl González - 53 goals

Real Madrid and Spanish Legend Raul is one of the greatest forward of all-time. Being part of Real Madrid's classic squad Raul has always dominated every competition in his prime scoring 53 goals in the group stage of UEFA Champions League. He is the current coach of Real Madrid Castilla training the future of Madrid.

4. Karim Benzema - 56 goals

The 2022 Ballon d'or winner is 4th on the list by scoring 56 goals in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Benzema has achieved everything in life and is missing one World Cup which he could win if he was part of the French squad in 2018 but he can still achieve his dream in the 2022 World Cup Qatar.

3. Robert Lewandowski - 63 goals

Robert Lewandowski is a Polish professional footballer who captains the Poland national team and plays as a striker for LaLiga club Barcelona. Recognized for his positioning, technique, and finishing, Lewandowski is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time, as well as one of the most successful players in Champions League history, having scored 63 goals in the competition's group stage.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo - 73 goals

An absolute legend of the game and the all time top goalscorer of the Champions League many call him the Mr Champions League winning the competition 5 times with Manchester United and Real Madrid though he scored 73 goals in the group stage and rest of his goals came from

RO16 and next qualifying rounds of the League which is absolutely astonishing Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer with 140, while Lionel Messi is the only other player to have scored more than 100 goals. Ronaldo and Messi have both won the Golden Boot the most times in competition history, seven and six times, respectively.

1. Lionel Messi - 78 goals

The 7 time Ballon d'Or winner holds the record of the maximum goals in the Champions League group stage with 78 goals. Surprisingly, the Argentine has done it in only 84 games, a ratio of 0.93 goals per game. Even Cristiano Ronaldo cannot compete with him in that regard.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo haven't played against one another in over two years, yet their defining careers remain inextricably linked. The two best players of all time will continue to compete for supremacy until one of them retires (and eternally have it fought for on their behalf by the football community).

They may have spent the last four and a half seasons setting standards in distinct domestic competitions, but La Liga was never really their major stage; that's always been the Champions League, which they've won four times each. Messi reached the semi-finals nine times with Barcelona and Ronaldo eight times with Real Madrid.