The Champions League is the premier European competition in football, and both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi produced some memorable moments in it during their careers.
Here is a look at who had the biggest impact in the Champions League.
Ronaldo – 5 wins, 140 goals
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Ronaldo leads the way with Champions League trophies in his career. He won the competition four times with Real Madrid, while he also lifted the trophy with Manchester United.
Real Madrid has had a lot of success in the Champions League over the last couple of decades. They are the defending champions this season and just +700 in the Champions League odds to defend their crown. Ronaldo has played a big role in setting the standard at the club for those stars who have followed.
The Spanish giants are sure to be one of the leading Champions League tips this season as they bid to continue their excellent record. Ronaldo’s four wins came in just five years, and that is something they will be bidding to match again with their latest team.
Only two players in history have more Champions League trophies than Ronaldo, with Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric prevailing six times. Ronaldo sits in second place on the all-time list, alongside Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos.
Following spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, Ronaldo has scored 140 goals in the Champions League. He is at the top of the all-time top scorer charts. His last Champions League goal came for Manchester United in a 2-0 victory over Villareal in November 2021.
Messi – 4 wins, 129 goals
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With four Champions League trophy wins during his career, Messi has one less success than his great rival in the European competitions. His four triumphs came with Barcelona in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015. He was key to those wins for the Catalan club.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was unable to win the Champions League in his two seasons with PSG. The French club was eliminated by Real Madrid in the last 16 in his first year in Paris, while in his final season, Messi’s team lost to Bayern Munich in the opening knockout game.
Messi has never lost a Champions League final he has been involved in. He scored in both of Barcelona’s victories over Manchester United at the Stadio Olimpico and Wembley in 2009 and 2011 respectively.
The Argentina star has scored a total of 129 Champions League goals, which leaves him 11 short of Ronaldo. He is 28 goals clear of the latest Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski, who is in third place.
The one stat where Messi and Ronaldo cannot be separated is Champions League hat-tricks. They have both scored an impressive eight each. Ronaldo scored three in the 2015/16 campaign, which remains the most by one player in a season. One of those came in just 11 minutes in an 8-0 victory over Swedish club Malmo.
Although neither player is currently in Europe, perhaps one of them will look for a return to Europe next season to have one last shot at the competition.