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. Ruud van Nistelrooy – 72 (56 goals, 16 assists)

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.

His tally of 12 goals in Manchester United’s run to the quarter-finals in 2002-03 stood as a record for a Premier League club until Erling Haaland surpassed it two decades later.

9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 74 (48 goals, 26 assists)

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 trophy was always just out of reach. At least his goal collection was top.

8. Neymar – 80 (43 goals, 37 assists)

Of the players in this top 10, Neymar boasts the most balanced proportion of goals (43) and assists (37), registering 80 direct goal contributions in just 81 appearances.

The Brazilian’s world-record move to PSG failed to deliver the Ballon d’Or he coveted or the Champions League glory the club craved, but that shouldn’t detract from just how exceptional he was when fit and available.

7. Thomas Muller – 87 (57 goals, 30 assists)

Only five players in Champions League history have more assists than Bayern Munich’s Raumdeuter (30).

Muller is also 10th in the competition’s all-time top scorers list with 57 goals. He’s also won it twice, having shone in the Bavarians’ historic treble-winning campaigns of 2012-13 and 2019-20.

6. Raul – 87 (71 goals, 16 assists)

The legendary Spanish striker boasted a perfect one-in-two goalscoring record with 71 goals in 142 Champions League appearances for Real Madrid and Schalke.

Raul also chipped in with a further 16 assists.

5. Kylian Mbappe – 100 (72 goals, 28 assists)

The only player in this top 10 still active at a European club, there’s no telling how high Mbappe could climb by the time he hangs up his boots.

The French superstar has registered a remarkably neat 100 direct goal contributions (72 goals, 28 assists) in 100 Champions League appearances for Monaco, PSG and Real Madrid. Exactly one per game.

Real Madrid’s latest Galactico is still only 27 years old and has plenty of time to climb further up this list. Given his incredible consistency in Europe’s elite competition, you wouldn’t bet against him eventually challenging the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

The thing still missing from his CV? A Champions League winners’ medal.

4. Karim Benzema – 119 (90 goals, 29 assists)

Now we’re into stratospheric territory.

Benzema made his Champions League debut for boyhood club Lyon all the way back in 2005. He’s won the competition no fewer than five times with Real Madrid and started in each and every final.

The forward was an elite player for almost two decades and it wasn’t until well into his thirties that he arguably reached his peak.

After Cristiano Ronaldo left the Bernabeu in 2018, Benzema notched 34 goals and eight assists in 46 Champions League appearances – which took his total tally to 90 goals and 29 assists.

King Karim has been particularly deadly in the knockout stages. The epitome of a big-game player.

3. Robert Lewandowski – 136 (109 goals, 27 assists)

Lewandowski is the Champions League’s third all-time top scorer with a remarkable 109 goals in 144 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

The Polish striker has chipped in with a further 27 assists, taking his total tally to 136 direct goal contributions.

A Champions League winner with Bayern in 2019-20, Lewandowski was one of Europe’s most consistently prolific strikers for well over a decade.

The third-highest goalscorer in the history of Europe’s five major leagues, his place among the all-time greats is beyond question.

2. Lionel Messi – 169 (129 goals, 40 assists)

Currently runner-up for both goals (129) and assists (40), it’s no surprise that Messi sits in second place, miles clear of the rest of the competition.

Arguably the greatest player in history, Messi will have ambitions of overtaking his eternal rival for both goals and assists by the time he hangs up his boots.

Messi’s 169 direct goal contributions came from just 163 Champions League appearances. He boasts the best ratio of any player in this top 10.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 182 (140 goals, 42 assists)

The undisputed king of the Champions League, Ronaldo has surely played his last game in the competition, but it’s not unthinkable that his record stands unbeaten forever.

That 41-year-old stands as the European Cup’s all-time top goalscorer (140) assister (42).

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