# Who is the greatest UEFA Champions League player of all time?

> Prolific scorers who shattered records, defensive titans who anchored dynasty after dynasty, and iconic playmakers who turned big European nights into personal showcases — the Champions League has produced an extraordinary gallery of all-time greats. Who reigns supreme?

*By YPB Team · Published April 16, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-greatest-uefa-champions-league-player-of-all-time*

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## Current results (1 vote)

1. **Lionel Messi** — score 1000/1000
   A four-time Champions League winner whose 2008-09 Barcelona side produced perhaps the greatest football of the modern era.
2. **Cristiano Ronaldo** — score 733/1000
   The all-time Champions League top scorer with 140+ goals, five-time winner who defined Real Madrid's historic domination of the competition.
3. **Paolo Maldini** — score 732/1000
   The AC Milan legend appeared in eight Champions League finals, captaining the Rossoneri with unrivaled defensive authority.
4. **Andrés Iniesta** — score 639/1000
   The quiet genius behind Barcelona's midfield domination, frequently the best player on the pitch during the club's two Guardiola-era triumphs.
5. **Xavi** — score 639/1000
   The passing maestro was the engine of Barcelona's back-to-back Champions League wins in 2009 and 2011, redefining the central midfield role.
6. **Kylian Mbappé** — score 639/1000
   The French superstar announced himself at Monaco as a teenage sensation, with blistering pace and finishing that have lit up the Champions League.
7. **Raúl** — score 523/1000
   Real Madrid's greatest son before Ronaldo arrived, Raúl was the Champions League all-time top scorer for years with three winner's medals.
8. **Clarence Seedorf** — score 523/1000
   The only player to win the Champions League with three different clubs — Ajax, Real Madrid, and AC Milan — a record that remains utterly unique.
9. **Zinedine Zidane** — score 523/1000
   His stunning volley in the 2002 final remains the greatest Champions League goal ever scored, and he later won three consecutive titles as a manager.
10. **Fernando Torres** — score 523/1000
   A Spanish striker whose sharp finishing and Champions League exploits at Atlético Madrid made him one of Europe's most dangerous forwards.
11. **Ruud van Nistelrooy** — score 523/1000
   The Dutch striker's lethal penalty-box instincts made him one of the Champions League's most prolific scorers for Manchester United and Real Madrid.
12. **Robert Lewandowski** — score 523/1000
   Bayern Munich's prolific Polish striker owns the single-season Champions League scoring record and has terrorized European defenses for over a decade.
13. **Ronaldo (R9)** — score 374/1000
   El Fenómeno's two Champions League titles and otherworldly skill during his peak years cement his place among the competition's immortals.
14. **Thierry Henry** — score 374/1000
   Arsenal's all-time record scorer and a Champions League finalist in 2006, Henry's electric pace and finishing made him one of the most feared forwards in Europe.
15. **Filippo Inzaghi** — score 374/1000
   Super Pippo scored twice in the 2007 Champions League final for AC Milan, building a career on poaching goals at the highest European level.
16. **Michael Laudrup** — score 374/1000
   The Danish magician was the creative heartbeat of Barcelona's Dream Team of the early 1990s that won the club's first European Cup.
17. **Didier Drogba** — score 374/1000
   The Chelsea striker netted the injury-time equalizer and the winning penalty in the iconic 2012 Champions League final, cementing his legend.
18. **Roberto Carlos** — score 374/1000
   Real Madrid's marauding left-back was a key member of two Champions League-winning sides, bringing irresistible attacking force to the competition.
19. **Wayne Rooney** — score 374/1000
   Manchester United's record scorer appeared in numerous deep Champions League runs including the 2009 final, delivering memorable goals on the European stage.
20. **Arjen Robben** — score 374/1000
   The Dutch winger's trademark cut-inside-and-shoot became the most feared move in European football, culminating in the 2013 Champions League-winning goal for Bayern.
21. **Franck Ribéry** — score 374/1000
   Bayern Munich's electrifying left winger was Robben's perfect partner and a cornerstone of the 2013 treble-winning side that dominated European football.
22. **George Weah** — score 374/1000
   The 1995 Ballon d'Or winner was AC Milan and PSG's Champions League talisman in the 1990s, one of the greatest African players in the competition's history.
23. **Hernán Crespo** — score 374/1000
   The Argentine striker scored twice in the 2005 Champions League final for AC Milan before Liverpool's stunning comeback, one of the most prolific forwards of his era.
24. **Erling Haaland** — score 374/1000
   The Norwegian goal machine shattered Champions League scoring records at Dortmund and Manchester City, combining physical dominance with ruthless finishing.

Tags: sports, soccer, football, players, champions league