Lionel Messi may have missed out on a second successive UEFA Champions League final but the FC Barcelona forward can take consolation from being the competition's leading scorer for the second season running.
The Argentinian international managed eight goals in 11 appearances, one strike less than in 2008/09, to finish one goal ahead of FC Bayern München attacker Ivica Olić and Real Madrid CF's Cristiano Ronaldo.
FC Internazionale Milano hero Diego Milito was next on the list after his double intervention either side of half-time in the Madrid final took his seasonal tally to six. Three players scored five times, meanwhile: Nicklas Bendtner of Arsenal FC, Manchester United FC's Wayne Rooney and Marouane Chamakh from FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
The European Champion Clubs' Cup record haul remains 14 goals in a campaign, shared by José Altafini (AC Milan, 1962/63) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United, 2002/03). Real Madrid forward Raúl González is still the European Cup's all-time leading marksman with 66 goals, six more than Van Nistelrooy, with Andriy Shevchenko having 57 strikes to his name.
| 2009/10 UEFA Champions League top scorers | | Player | Club | Goals | Lionel Messi
| FC Barcelona
| 8 | Cristiano Ronaldo
| Real Madrid CF
| 7 | | Ivica Olić | FC Bayern München | 7 | Diego Milito
| FC Internazionale Milano
| 6 | Wayne Rooney
| Manchester United FC
| 5 | | Marouane Chamakh | FC Girondins de Bordeaux
| 5 | | Nicklas Bendtner | Arsenal FC | 5
| Stevan Jovetić
| ACF Fiorentina
| 4
| Edin Džeko
| VfL Wolfsburg
| 4
| Arjen Robben
| FC Bayern München | 4 | Cesc Fàbregas
| Arsenal FC
| 4
| | Falcao | FC Porto | 4
| Pedro Rodríguez
| FC Barcelona
| 4 | | Miralem Pjanić | Olympique Lyonnais
| 4
| | Zlatan Ibrahimović | FC Barcelona | 4 | | Miloš Krasić | PFC CSKA Moskva
| 4
| Michael Owen
| Manchester United FC
| 4 |
|
| UEFA Champions League top scorers season by season | | Season | Player | Club | Goals | | 2008/09 | Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona | 9 | | 2007/08 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United FC | 8 | | 2006/07 | Kaká | AC Milan | 10 | | 2005/06 | Andriy Shevchenko | AC Milan | 9 | | 2004/05 | Adriano | FC Internazionale Milano | 10 | | 2003/04 | Fernando Morientes | AS Monaco FC | 9 | | 2002/03 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Manchester United FC | 14 | | 2001/02 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Manchester United FC | 10 | | 2000/01 | Andriy Shevchenko
Mário Jardel | AC Milan
Galatasaray AŞ | 9 | | 1999/00 | Rivaldo
Mário Jardel
Serhiy Rebrov
Raúl González | FC Barcelona
FC Porto
FC Dynamo Kyiv
Real Madrid CF | 10 | | 1998/99 | Andriy Shevchenko | FC Dynamo Kyiv | 10 | | 1997/98 | Alessandro Del Piero | Juventus | 10 | | 1996/97 | Ally McCoist | Rangers FC | 6 | | 1995/96 | Jari Litmanen | AFC Ajax | 9 | | 1994/95 | George Weah | Paris Saint-German FC | 8 | | 1993/94 | Ronald Koeman
Wynton Rufer | FC Barcelona
Werder Bremen | 8 | | 1992/93 | Romário | FC Barcelona | 7 |
|
