Top 10 fastest players to reach 30 Champions League goals

Erling Haaland broke the record on Tuesday after scoring five against RB Leipzig.

At 22 years and 236 days old, Haaland became the youngest player to surpass 30 goals in the Champions League with 33 goals in 25 matches. With his five goals in 35 minutes, he surpassed Tommy Johnson's 38 City goals from 1928–1929. The Norwegian set several records when he scored five goals in the Champions League knockout stage as he became the second player behind Messi to do so. 

He additionally became the inaugural player to score 30 goals in the Champions League in the fewest number of games. To find out who else has scored 30 goals in the fewest number of games, find out below.

10. Didier Drogba - 56

The finest striker Chelsea has maybe ever had since Drogba departed the team. The Ivorian was one of the top strikers in the Premier League, and even if he didn't have much success in European elite competition, he did produce the Champions League to Chelsea in 2011–12 by scoring the decisive penalty against Bayern Munich.He also ranks among the top 10 Champions League players with 30 goals in the fewest number of games.

9. Kylian Mbappé - 51

Many believe that Kylian Mbappe, a teenage player from France and Paris Saint-Germain, would replace football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when they retire from the game. At the age of 22 years and 352 days, the striker attained the milestone. Also, he outscored luminaries like Samuel Eto'o, Wayne Rooney, and Kaka in terms of goals scored during the campaign.

8. Karim Benzema - 50

After Ronaldo, a French player, effectively overcame Madrid's goal-scoring issues, Benzema suddenly emerged as one of the game's finest goal-scorers. Nonetheless, he had previously scored 30 goals in the Champions League in 50 games but prospered afterwards and also won the Balon d'Or when he successfully led Madrid to the Champions League championship in 2021-22.

7. Filippo Inzaghi - 49

One of the greatest individual poachers of all time, Filippo Inzaghi joins our list. Inzaghi is best remembered for his period with AC Milan (126 goals in 300 games), but he also had a successful career with Juventus (89 goals in 165 games). He was additionally one of the players to reach 30 goals the quickest. Inzaghi, who was renowned for his deft movement, lethal finishing, shrewd positioning, and leaping sprints behind defences, perfected the technique of playing on the last defender's neck.

6. Edinson Cavani - 49

The Uruguayan international has frequently played on the left wing because Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Blanc's preferred number nine, but he still managed to pick up 30 goals and 49 goals in the Champions League.

Cavani has always been among the top-striker in Europe despite not playing as a striker, he possesses great goal-scoring instincts. renowned for his astute movement off the ball, accurate finishing, and heading skills, Cavani is largely regarded as one of the finest attackers of his generation

5. Neymar - 49

He is just 26 years old and is poised to become the most productive Brazilian in Champions League history, which speaks to both his current calibre and how quickly he rose to the top of the game. Neymar is one of the players who has been particularly good; if he were a prolific player, he would've been seated next to Messi and Ronaldo, despite what many may think.

4. Lionel Messi - 48

Although Lionel Messi is among the best players we have ever seen, he is neither first nor second on the list of players to score 30 goals in the shortest amount of time. Instead, it took him 48 attempts to reach the milestone, and the Argentinean is still the second-highest scorer in Champions League history. The 35-year-old joined PSG but has had a disappointing spell in the Champions League being knocked out of the tournament twice.

3. Robert Lewandowski - 36

you might forgive Robert Lewandowski for having failed to enhance year over year, however, the former Bayern Munich goalscorer has become one of the most influential strikers in Europe. The 34-year-old was the third player to achieve the swiftest 30 goals in 36 contests in the Champions League. Nonetheless, he may have beaten Nistelrooy's record if he had tallied 30 goals three games prior.

2. Ruud van Nistelrooy - 34

Ruud van Nistelrooy might have never won the Champions League, but he was a famous and successful goal scorer who netted 31 goals in 34 games, the second-highest season number in all of Europe, and the greatest season total in the Eredivisie. On top of that, he managed to score all three goals for PSV in a Champions League match against HJK Helsinki on November 25, 1998. In order to cap the season, Van Nistelrooy was named Dutch Player of the Year.

1. Erling Haaland - 25

The City attacker became the youngest player in competitive history to score 30 goals at the age of 22 years and 236 days. He now surpasses Kylian Mbappe, who held the record previously at 22 years and 352 days of age. Both of these players are a far cry from the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Haaland also celebrated breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's old best of 30 games by being the player to reach the 30-goal mark the quickest, doing it in just 25 games.