Who are the all-time Champions League group stage/league phase top scorers? Kylian Mbappé up to fifth place

Lionel Messi holds the record for most goals in the group stage/league phase of the world's elite club competition, his tally of 80 leaving him seven clear at the top of the standings – no prizes for guessing his nearest competitor at the pinnacle of international club goalscoring. Remarkably, the Argentinian did it in just 86 matches, a ratio of 0.93 goals per game. Even Cristiano Ronaldo does not get close to him on that front.

Robert Lewandowski does, though (0.85), and the Poland striker is clear in third spot in the all-time rankings. The rest of the top ten resembles a who's who of the best strikers from the past three decades, with Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Raúl González, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Mohamed Salah rounding off the list.

Also among current players, Erling Haaland has raced to 38 group stage/league phase goals, in the space of just 35 matches, for a ludicrous goals per game ratio of 1.09 per outing. The Norwegian is now two goals behind Mbappé, however, following the Frenchman's four-goal haul on Matchday 5 in 2025/26.

All statistics are for group stage (six matchdays) games between 1992/93–2023/24 (not including second group stage in 1999/2000–2002/03 seasons), and league phase (eight matchdays) games from 2024/25 onwards. Clubs indicated for players are only those for which they have appeared/scored in the UEFA Champions League group stage/league phase.

Who has scored the most goals in the Champions League group stage/league phase
80 Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain)
73 Cristiano Ronaldo (Man United, Real Madrid, Juventus)
71 Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund, Bayern, Barcelona)**
56 Karim Benzema (Lyon, Real Madrid)
40 Kylian Mbappé (Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid)**
39 Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV, Man United, Real Madrid, Hamburg)
38 Erling Haaland (Salzburg, Dortmund, Man City)**
37 Raúl González (Real Madrid, Schalke)
36 Zlatan Ibrahimović (Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Man United)
36 Mohamed Salah (Basel, Roma, Liverpool)**
35 Antoine Griezmann (Atlético, Barcelona)**
34 Harry Kane (Tottenham, Bayern)**
32 Sergio Agüero (Atlético, Man City)
31 Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
30 Didier Drogba (Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray)
30 Neymar (Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain)

Who has the best goals per game ratio in the Champions League group stage/league phase?*

1.09 Erling Haaland (Salzburg, Dortmund, Man City) – 38 goals / 35 games**
0.93 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – 80 / 86
0.85 Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund, Bayern, Barcelona) – 71 / 84**
0.79 Harry Kane (Tottenham, Bayern) – 34 / 43**
0.76 Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV, Man United, Real Madrid, Hamburg) – 39 / 51
0.74 Cristiano Ronaldo (Man United, Real Madrid, Juventus) – 73 / 98
0.72 Roy Makaay (Deportivo La Coruña, Bayern) – 23 / 32
0.71 Kylian Mbappé (Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid) – 40 / 56**
0.67 Karim Benzema (Lyon, Real Madrid) – 56 / 83
0.64 Didier Drogba (Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray) – 30 / 47
0.62 Filippo Inzaghi (Juventus, Milan) – 29 / 47
0.61 Neymar (Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain) – 30 / 49
0.59 Mohamed Salah (Basel, Chelsea, Roma, Liverpool) – 36 / 61**

* Minimum 20 scored
** Includes 2025/26 season