Top 10 highest goalscorers in a single Champions League Season

With both Liverpool and Manchester City winning the respective first leg semi-finals, we can expect an all-English UCL final like the 2018/19 season. Manchester City had a tough game against Spanish giants Real Madrid, having won the game 4-3 at Etihad Stadium. It will be a mouth-watering clash when the two meet at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu. On the other hand, Liverpool won comfortably at Anfield against Villareal with a scoreline of 2-0.

Such teams need their strikers to step up if they need a good UCL season. In this article, we will cover the players with the most goals in a single UCL season:

10- Lionel Messi (12 goals, 2010/11)

Messi’s impact on FC Barcelona can be easily proven by how lethal the forward has been during his time. The 2010/11 season was no less for the Argentine. The forward went on to score 12 goals in 13 games for the Catalans. This also included a goal in the final against Manchester United which they comfortably won by 3-1. That season was particularly special for Barcelona and the fans. They got to witness the special El Classico clash in the semis. Messi was instrumental in that as well, scoring 2 goals in the first leg.

9- Cristiano Ronaldo (12 goals, 2012/13)

How can Ronaldo’s name miss out if there is Messi on the same list? A Champions League forward stat and Ronaldo will make his presence, such has been his impact. In the 2012/13 season, the Portuguese played 12 games scoring 12 goals. That season was indeed special for him as he scored 55 goals in 55 games in all competitions. This was the very season where Ronaldo scored his first-ever Champions League hat-trick. It came against Ajax. Unfortunately, Madrid was knocked out in the semis by Borussia Dortmund by Lewandowski’s special performance.

8- Lionel Messi (12 goals, 2018/19)

The 2018/19 season was not one of Barcelona’s greatest, but it was still an excellent season for the legend. In 10 games, he went on to score 12 goals. Overall, Messi scored 50 goals in 51 appearances showing his class in yet another season. Barcelona was eliminated in the semi-finals of the tournament by Liverpool, who eventually went on to win the title by defeating Tottenham comfortably. The semi-final loss was embarrassing for Barcelona as they lost the 2nd leg by a margin of 4-0, after winning the first leg 3-0.

7- Ruud van Nistelrooy (12 goals, 2002/03)

One of only 3 different names in this list dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy was one of Manchester’s best. In the 2002/03 season, the Dutchman managed to score 12 goals in 9 games played. He was in great form that season, scoring 44 goals in 52 appearances. The Red Devils won the Premier League that season. They were eliminated in the quarter-final stage of the Champions League by Real Madrid. The forward scored 150 goals for Manchester United in 219 appearances and won all possible English titles with them.

6- Lionel Messi (14 goals, 2011/12)

Messi makes it into the list once again. The forward massed 14 goals in just 11 games for the Catalans in that Champions League season. 2011/12 is considered one of Messi’s best scoring seasons ever. He shone under Pep Guardiola. In a total of 60 appearances, he scored a brilliant 73 goals for his side. But despite having such a prolific season, his team FC Barcelona did not manage to win either La Liga or the Champions League. Chelsea, the underdogs that season defeated them in the semi-finals of the Champions League. They lost the La Liga to a dominant Real Madrid side who stood on 100 points that season.

5- Karim Benzema (14 goals, 2021/22)

Karim Benzema has been lethal for Madrid this season. Till now he has scored 14 goals with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 2 games left. One should not be surprised if he levels or breaks the record of 17 goals by Cristiano Ronaldo. His best performance came against Chelsea in the quarter-finals. Madrid was looking for revenge after Chelsea defeated them in the semi-finals of the 2020/21 season. Benzema stood up and scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge which Madrid won 3-1. He even scored the winning goal at Bernabeu after Chelsea took a 3-0 lead, which Madrid eventually won 5-4 on aggregate.

4- Cristiano Ronaldo (15 goals, 2017/18)

The Portuguese made yet another appearance on this list. He is set to feature 3 more times in the next 4 names which once again shows his Champions League prowess. In 2017/18 he scored 15 goals in 13 Champions League games. It was his last season in a Madrid shirt and he made sure to make it count. He had an excellent season overall, scoring 44 goals in 44 games. Madrid was crowned champions of Europe again that season defeating Liverpool in the final, and it was their third title on a trot. He left for Juventus for the 2018/19 season.

3- Robert Lewandowski (15 goals, 2019/20)

The only player to feature from Bundesliga in this list, Robert Lewandowski was on fire in the 2019/20 season. The Polish scored 15 goals in 10 Champions League appearances for Bayern Munich that season. Had the Ballon d’Or been given that year, Lewandowski was surely a strong contender. He was instrumental in Bayern Munich’s dominant Champions League display. The forward not only led the goal charts but also had the highest number of assists in the competition. Both he and Angel Di Maria topped the assists chart with 6 assists to their name.

2- Cristiano Ronaldo (16 goals, 2015/16)

Ronaldo was magnificent in the 2015/16 season, scoring 16 goals in 12 Champions League appearances. During that season, the forward recorded 51 goals in 48 appearances for Los Blancos. The 2015/16 season was the start of Madrid’s champions league winning streak of 3 consecutive titles. The season was quite uncertain for Madrid as they sacked 2 managers in the same season. Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in the beginning and later Rafa Benitez got the same treatment. Zinedine Zidane was appointed in January and he gained instant success with the club.

1- Cristiano Ronaldo (17 goals, 2013/14)

The 2013/14 season turned out to be Ronaldo’s best. He created a record for most goals in a single Champions League season. The record stands even after 8 years and it will be interesting to see whether Benzema gets close to it this season. In 2013/14 Ronaldo scored 17 goals in 11 appearances for Real Madrid. He even scored in the finals against local rivals Atletico Madrid which Real Madrid won comfortably by 4-1. Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, and Gareth Bale were other scorers. That season was another season when Ronaldo scored more than 50 goals, scoring 51.

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