Top five players with most goals in single Champions League campaign before knockout stage
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These players have remained consistent throughout their careers.
Some of the best forwards in the world compete in the UEFA Champions League. Spectators are treated to a barrage of goals from these legends each season.
The UCL Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer in each edition of Europe’s premier club tournament, has been won by legendary football players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ferenc Puskás, Johan Cruyff, and Gerd Müller.
Their consistency in the competition has always seen them turn up for big Champions League nights. With this, we will take a look at players with the most goals in a single Champions League campaign before the knockout stage.
Players with most goals in a single Champions League campaign before the knockout stage
5. Lionel Messi (2016/17): 10 goals
Lionel Messi enjoyed a prolific Champions League campaign in the 2016-17 season when he scored 10 goals in group matches. He also missed a chance to equal Ronaldo’s group stage record with a goal in the group stage.
4. Robert Lewandowski (2019/20): 10 goals
Many people still believe that Robert Lewandowski is underappreciated for the sheer number of goals the Polish striker has scored, despite his several amazing moments on the largest platform.
Robert Lewandowski’s 15 goals were crucial to Bayern Munich’s 2019–20 European championship. Lewandowski led the Bavarians to the top of the standings with a goal differential of +19 in the group stage, scoring 10 goals, including a hat-trick against Red Star Belgrade.
3. Sébastien Haller (2021/22): 10 goals
Sébastien Haller, who stands 1.90 meters tall, was considered AFC Ajax’s most expensive acquisition ever when he joined from West Ham. Following his arrival, he smashed plenty of records in the Champions League as the Dutch champions won all six of their Group C games, ending nine points ahead of their closest rivals.
Sébastien Haller left a memorable impression in his first season in the UEFA Champions League. The Ajax striker led the group stage in scoring with 10 goals in six games.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (2015/16): 11 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the top scorer in the UCL seven times. But the 2013–14 season is particularly noteworthy after his first Golden Boot-winning season in 2007–08.
Ronaldo went on a scoring rampage in 2015–16, hitting 16 goals for Real Madrid and winning the UCL title once more following the record-breaking 2013–14 campaign.
With a hat-trick against Shakhtar Donetsk to start the campaign, the star striker scored eight more goals in the group stage, notably four against Malmö, to finish with 11 goal setting a record for the most goals in a single Champions League campaign before the knockout stage.
1. Kylian Mbappé (2025/26): 13 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo’s milestone for the highest number of goals scored in a single Champions League competition’s group stage or league phase has been surpassed by Kylian Mbappé.
The Real Madrid forward surpassed the previous record of 11 established by Ronaldo in 2015–16 by sprinting in at the back post to put his team ahead against Benfica on Wednesday, bringing his season total to 12 before making it 13 goals with a brace.
It should be highlighted, though, that Mbappé had eight games to score goals in the new Champions League format, while Ronaldo only needed six games to reach his total.
Which player has the most goals in a single group/league phase campaign in the Champions League?
Kylian Mbappé, with 13 goals in the group stage/league phase.
How many goals did Ronaldo score in the group stage of the UCL?
He scored 11 goals.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.