The Champions League is seen as the pinnacle of club football and the competition where a number of legendary players have forged their reputations as all-time greats.
But which have been the European competition’s greatest difference-makers when it comes to the final third? There have been some incredible goalscorers and spellbinding playmakers, but it takes something special to score goals and set them up.
We’ve taken a look at the 10 players with the most goals and assists in Champions League history.
10. Thierry Henry – 66
Famously the only player in Premier League history to score and assist 20+ goals in a single campaign, Henry was also able to finish and create at the very top level.
The Frenchman scored 50 goals (seven for Monaco, 35 for Arsenal and eight for Barcelona) in the Champions League and chipped in with a further 16 assists for good measure.
9. Ruud van Nistelrooy – 72
The Dutchman was one of the most lethal strikers of his generation and represented both Manchester United and Real Madrid in Europe’s most prestigious cup competition – but he never got his hands on ol’ big ears.
Van Nistelrooy couldn’t have conceivably much more on an individual basis, having notched 56 goals and 16 assists from just 73 Champions League appearances.
Erling Haaland has just broken his record for most goals in a Champions League season for a Premier League club – 12 goals as Manchester United reached the quarter-finals in 2022-23.
🇳🇱 Ruud van Nistelrooy = great goalscorer (56 goals in 73 games)…
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⚽️ @realmadriden #UCL | @RvN1776 pic.twitter.com/ESwmEvMse8— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 3, 2020
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 74
Ibrahimovic has won no fewer than 14 league titles in a career that’s spanned over two decades. He’s turned out for some of Europe’s elite clubs and notched 74 direct goal contributions (48 goals, 26 assists) but the Champions League remains elusive.
The 41-year-old has not been included in AC Milan’s Champions League squad this season and won’t receive a winner’s medal if the Rossoneri go all the way.
7. Neymar – 76
Of the players that make up the top 10, Neymar has the most balanced proportion of goals (43) and assists (33) – doing so from just 81 appearances.
The Brazilian’s world-record move to PSG hasn’t delivered the Ballon d’Or he’s coveted, nor the Champions League glory that’s their obsession – but don’t let it be…
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