Top 10 Players with Most Goals in a Single Champions League Season
The UEFA Champions League is one of the most intense football tournaments, and scoring many goals in it is a rare feat. Some players, including legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, and Karim Benzema, have managed to score an impressive number of goals in a single campaign, setting remarkable records.
This list shows the top goal scorers in a single Champions League season, counting goals from both group and knockout stages but excluding qualifiers and penalty shootouts. Names like Ronaldo, Lewandowski, and Lionel Messi stand out for their ability to rack up goals against tough competition, including elite domestic teams during one tournament cycle.
No adjustments were made for changes in tournament format or the number of matches played, so this ranking reflects pure goal counts per season as they happened.
Top Goal Scorers by Season
- Rank: 1 | Player: Cristiano Ronaldo | Goals: 17 | Season: 2013–14 | Club: Real Madrid
- Rank: 2 | Player: Cristiano Ronaldo | Goals: 16 | Season: 2015–16 | Club: Real Madrid
- Rank: 3 | Player: Cristiano Ronaldo | Goals: 15 | Season: 2017–18 | Club: Real Madrid
- Rank: 4 | Player: Robert Lewandowski | Goals: 15 | Season: 2019–20 | Club: Bayern Munich
- Rank: 5 | Player: Karim Benzema | Goals: 15 | Season: 2021–22 | Club: Real Madrid
- Rank: 6 | Player: Lionel Messi | Goals: 14 | Season: 2011–12 | Club: Barcelona
- Rank: 7 | Player: José Altafini | Goals: 14 | Season: 1962–63 | Club: AC Milan
- Rank: 8 | Player: Robert Lewandowski | Goals: 13 | Season: 2021–22 | Club: Bayern Munich
- Rank: 9 | Player: Erling Haaland | Goals: 12 | Season: 2022–23 | Club: Manchester City
- Rank: 10 | Player: Ruud van Nistelrooy | Goals: 12 | Season: 2002–03 | Club: Manchester United
Quick Facts
- Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the highest number of goals scored in three separate Champions League seasons: 2013–14, 2015–16, and 2017–18.
