Imagine finding yourself inaugurated into a club of which only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are members. That would be proof positive that you were doing something right. Up until November 2024, only two players had scored 100 or more goals in the Champions League since its rebrand from the European Cup in 1992. They are Messi and Ronaldo. But they have since been joined by another member of the club: the prolific Polish striker, Robert Lewandowski.
The Barcelona striker is enjoying a late career renaissance under Hansi Flick, the head coach with whom he enjoyed plenty of success together at Bayern Munich. Flick, now the Barca manager, has overseen a complete overhaul in the club’s fortunes, with goals flying in from all angles – many of them contributed by Lewandowski, who averages more than a goal-per-game so far in 2024/25 in all competitions. And it was his goal against Brest in November 2024 that took him to the 100-goal mark – a feat that not ever be repeated again.
The 100 Club
Messi was the fastest to bring up the magic milestone, taking just 123 games to reach his century. Ronaldo, meanwhile, took 137. Lewandowski is the meat in the sandwich, bringing up his 100th – and 101st, incidentally – in his 125th Champions League outing. After notching the brace that secured Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Brest, Lewandowski commented:
I’m very content, very happy. Sometimes I didn’t believe I would reach this impressive figure in the Champions League. Now I’m in good company with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although Messi got to 100 goals the fastest, and although Ronaldo is the all-time top goalscorer in the Champions League with 140, neither can match the goal-per-game ratio of Lewandowski: his 0.81 per 90 minutes is unmatched by any player that has scored 50 or more goals in the UCL.
Despite having turned 36, Lewandowski shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, since the start of the 2018/19 season, nobody has scored more goals in Europe’s big five leagues… not Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Mo Salah and so on. Whether he can haul in Messi’s Champions League goal tally of 129, only time will tell.
The Next Contender
Who of the current crop of players could be next to join the Champions League 100-goal club? The answer is… who knows?
Karim Benzema
Of those still playing, Karim Benzema has 90 goals, but will he ever return to European football to complete the job? Turning 37 in December, and with a lucrative contract to his name at Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, that seems highly unlikely.
Thomas Muller
Thomas Muller has (at the time of writing) the next highest total of 54 goals. But he’s been playing in the Champions League since 2009, averages 0.35 goals per game and has now turned 35 years of age. It would be a huge surprise if he could reach 100.
Mo Salah
The numbers game would seemingly end Salah’s chances. He is currently scoring at a rate of 0.54 goals per game in the Champions League, which means he’d need to play 186 times in the competition to reach 100 at the same rate.
That would mean the Egyptian featuring in 102 more Champions League games, but there’s only a maximum of 17 games that each team can play in the UCL per season and that’s if they win it. So, Salah will need to be playing Champions League football beyond his 38th birthday, and still scoring at the same rate, in order to have a chance.
Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé is, perhaps, a genuine contender. At the time of writing, he has 49 Champions League goals at a rate of 0.63 per game. If he can maintain that, the Frenchman would need to play in 160 UCL games – or 82 more. At a rate of 17 games per season, which is the absolute best case scenario, Mbappé would get to 100 Champions League goals on the other side of his 30th birthday. The fact that he plays for the mighty Real Madrid certainly helps, but he will need to retain his form and his fitness to get close.
Vinicius Junior
Mbappe’s teammate in Madrid, Vinicius Junior, certainly has time on his side at the age of 24. However, he just doesn’t quite seem to be prolific enough: at his current rate of 0.42 goals per game in the Champions League, he’d need to play in 240 UCL games to get to 100, making him the record appearance-maker in the competition by more than 50 games!
Norwegian Goal Machine
If you were to place a bet on the next player to score their 100th Champions League goal, you would think that Erling Haaland is the smart money. The Norwegian already has 46 Champions League goals to his name, despite only making his debut in the competition in 2019 and having played just 44 times since. All of which means that he boasts a remarkable goals-per-game ratio of 1.05 per 90 minutes; nobody else in the history of the Champions League/European Cup scored at a rate of better than a goal-per-game.
In the unlikely scenario that Haaland is able to keep up that frankly ridiculous run of scoring, he would need to play in just 96 Champions League games in order to bring up his century of goals. Even if he features in 12 Champions League games per season, be it for Manchester City or somebody else, he would reach that milestone in under five seasons, and still be shy of his 30th birthday.
There are caveats, of course. Can Haaland maintain his current rate of scoring? Can he avoid injuries and/or a loss of form? Will he play for European club sides, and thus be Champions League eligible, for the next five years, or will the lure of Saudi Arabia, America or another emerging football superpower prove too hard to resist? If he stays fit, in form and in Europe, there’s surely no doubt that Haaland will reach 100 Champions League goals, he may even get close to Ronaldo’s record tally of 140 into the bargain.
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