Cristiano Ronaldo, the greatest goalscorer of the modern era has been one of the most influential people in world football. If not all, most of the footballers who played with Cristiano Ronaldo agreed on the fact he is by far the best player they have played with. Ronaldo has played for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus FC and Al-Nassr at club level and broke multiple records while playing for those clubs. In international football, he represents Portugal and is the player with the most international goals in the history of football. In the FIFA Friendlies between Slovenia and Portugal match on 27th March, Pepe went past Karim Benzema to become the player with the most games alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. That's who on our latest article on football facts special, we present you the list of players who have played the most number of games with Cristiano in our latest article on football facts special.

Read Also: Football facts: 10 players who have played most games with Lionel Messi

10. Xabi Alonso | 208 matches

Xabi Alonso, the current manager of Bayer Leverkusen, played 208 matches alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. All of their matches were for the Real Madrid team where they went on to win several trophies including 1 Champions League, 1 La Liga, 2 Copa de Rey, 2 Spanish Cup 1 Spanish Super Cup and 1 UEFA Super Cup. However, it is to be noted that Xabi was not on the playing eleven in the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League final against Atletico Madrid. Both of them shared 16,692 minutes on the field together and had 6 goal contributions in between them as well. Xabi left for Bayern Munich in 2014 while Ronaldo continued playing the Galacticos till 2018.

9. John O'Shea | 215 matches

John O'Shea, the Manchester United centre-back from Ireland played 215 matches alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. The Irish defender is one of the most underrated Manchester United players of his time. He shared 12,612 minutes on the field with Ronaldo and won 3 Premier League titles, 1 UEFA Champions League in 2007-08, 1 English Super Cup, 2 English League Cups, 1 FA Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.

8. Rio Ferdinand | 221 games

Rio Ferdinand, the Manchester United and England legend was one of the players who backed a young Cristiano Ronaldo to become world beater one day. Rio was the backbone of Sir Alex Ferguson's backline and played a crucial role as a leader of the team to help Ronaldo flourish. Rio shared 17233 minutes alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United and won the same 8 trophies together alongside John O'Shea.

7. Luka Modric | 222 matches

In this special football facts list Luka Modric comes at number seven with 222 games alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. The Croatian great joined Real Madrid in the 2012-13 season and since then has proven himself as a midfield maestro as well. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner won four Champions League trophies with Ronaldo in the 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, and  2017-18 season. They also won 3 FIFA Club World Cups, 2 Spanish Super Cups, 3 UEFA Super Cups and 2 La Liga titles together. They have 16 goal contributions together as well.

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6. Ikar Casialls | 228 games

The former Real Madrid and Spain captain played 228 games alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. One of the most decorated goalkeepers Casialls was already a Real Madrid star when Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009. Casillas joined Real Madrid in 1999 and was there till 2015. Ronaldo and Casialls played 228 games together and shared the pitch for 19432 minutes, the most Ronaldo shared with a goalkeeper in his career. They both won 1 La Liga, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 2 Spanish Cup, 1 Spanish Super Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup,  1 FIFA Club World Cup and 1 UEFA Champions League together. 

5. Raphael Varane | 231 games

Varane is the first and only player on our special football facts list who has played with Ronaldo for two clubs. The French defender shared the field with Ronaldo while playing for Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo. Though most of his games with Ronaldo are for Real Madrid, they shared the United dressing room during Ronaldo's second stint at Old Trafford. Both of them shared the field for 17610 minutes. They won four Champions League titles, three FIFA Club World Cups, two La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cups, and one Spanish Cup together.

Read Also: Football Stats: 8 years when Cristiano Ronaldo scored 50+ goals

4. Marcelo | 332 matches

Marcelo, the Brazilian defender is regarded as one of the best mates of Cristiano Ronaldo and one of his best teammates. Marcelo and Ronaldo shared the field on 332 occasions before Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018. Just like Varane, Marcelo won four Champions League titles, three FIFA Club World Cups, two La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cups, and one Spanish Cup while playing with Cristiano Ronaldo. They shared 26,091 minutes and have 33 goal contributions among themselves. As a player, Marcelo won six La Liga titles.

3. Sergio Ramos | 339 games

Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos were one of the main reasons for Real Madrid's success in the 2010s. In 2009, when Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for a record transfer fee, Ramos was already a rock at the back for the Los Blancos. Despite being a defender, Ramos always had the knack of scoring goals for Real Madrid at crucial times. His 93rd-minute goal in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final in Lisbon is considered one of the greatest goals in the tournament's history. That goal helped them win the "La Décima". Together, they also won four Champions League titles alongside three FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, two La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cups, and two Spanish Cups.

2. Karim Benzema | 342 games

Karim Benzema played as many as 342 games alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid, part of the historical B-B-C attack that led Real Madrid to many great successes. At the club level, no one has played more matches with Ronaldo than Karim Benzema. They share 76 goal contributions between themselves as well. They had played 22,356 minutes together winning four Champions League titles alongside three FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, two La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cups, and two Spanish Cups.

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1. Pepe | 343* games

During the Slovenia vs Portugal match on 27th March 2024, Pepe surpassed Karim Benzema's record to become Cristiano Ronaldo's longest-standing teammate. The Portuguese defender has been playing with Ronaldo since the 2007/08 season and still going strong. At 41, he recently became the oldest player to score in UEFA Champions League history. He started sharing the field at the club level in the 2009/10 season and it continued till the 2017 season before Pepe left Real Madrid to join Besiktas. Alongside winning three Champions Leagues together, Pepe and Ronaldo both helped the Portugal National football team win the historical 2016 Euro Cup as well. 

The European Golden Boot or European Golden Shoe is awarded annually to the leading goal scorer in league matches in the top divisions of European football. First awarded in 1968, this prestigious honour is judged on a points-based system.

Also Read: Players with the most champions league titles

Golden Boot: Rules

The winner is not simply the player with the most goals in the season. There is a weighting system where the goals scored in the top-ranked leagues are worth more. Players from the five highest ranked leagues according to UEFA (based on results of each league's clubs in European competition over the previous five seasons) get 2 points per scored goal, leagues ranked 6-22 get 1.5 points per goal and the remaining leagues get 1 point per goal.

The top five ranked leagues in 2022 were Germany, Spain, England, Italy, and France. The winners usually come from the top-ranked leagues.

Historical Overview

Between 1968 and 1991, the award was given by L'Équipe to the highest goalscorer in any European league. Between 1991 and 1996 there were no official awards given to the top goal scorers, but the leading goalscorer for those years have since been recognized.

Since the 1996–97 season, the award, given by European Sports Media, has used a weighted points system.

Most Golden Boots win

Lionel Messi has won the European Golden Boot a record six times (2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19). The next closest is Cristiano Ronaldo with four (2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15).

Let's take a look at the most Golden Boots win in football history.

Also Read: Manchester United Trophy Cabinet

Most Golden Boots win in football history (All Time)

1. Lionel Messi | 6 Times

2. Cristiano Ronaldo | 4 Times

3. Luis Suárez | 2 Times

4. Thierry Henry | 2 Times

5. Robert Lewandowski | 2 Times

The English Premier League, or the Premier League, has been the best football league in Europe for a long now. As per UEFA Club Coefficients, the Premier League is the best football league on the continent, with the best standard of football and competitiveness. 

The competitiveness not only makes it tough for teams to finish at the summit of the points table, but the battle for the UEFA Champions League spot also intensifies. This season, Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC, Manchester City, Chelsea FC, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have already qualified for the UEFA Champions League from the Premier League. 

This is the first time six teams from any league have qualified for the Champions League. Not only that, there is also a chance that another team can qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season, depending on Chelsea's performance in the Conference League final this season. 

Read Also | Ranking all 33 UEFA Champions League finals

How do teams qualify for the Champions League from a league?

Till the 2022-23 season, every top-four team from the European Leagues used to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Along with the top four teams, the Europa League winners also qualified for the Champions League next season. 

But, from the 2024 season, along with the top four teams and Europa League/Conference League winners, leagues started getting an additional European Performance Spot. EPS is awarded to the league with strong UEFA coefficient performances, which the Premier League earned this season as well. 

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Premier League teams to qualify for the Champions League every season since 2016

2015-16

In the 2025-16 Champions League season, Chelsea qualified as the champions of the Premier League 2014-15. Manchester City and Arsenal qualified as the second and third finishers of the league. 

Meanwhile, Manchester United qualified for the Champions League play-off round as the UEFA Europa League 2014-15 winners.

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester City
3. Arsenal
4. Manchester United

2016-17

Leicester City surprised everyone to win the 2015-16 Premier League after a historic season. They entered the Champions League as the champions of England. Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester City qualified as the second to fourth spot finishers. 

• Leicester City (Champions, 1st)
• Arsenal (2nd)
• Tottenham Hotspur (3rd)
• Manchester City (4th)

2017-18

Chelsea qualified for the Champions League by winning the 2016-17 Premier League. Spurs, who were very close of a title, finished second to qualify for Europe. Manchester City and Liverpool qualified as the third and fourth place finishers. 

Meantime, Manchester United, who were sixth in the league qualified after winning the 2016-17 UEFA Europa League. 

• Chelsea (Champions, 1st)
• Tottenham Hotspur (2nd)
• Manchester City (3rd)
• Liverpool (4th)
• Manchester United (6th, qualified via Europa League win)

2018-19

Manchester City's domination in the Premier League started with winning the 2017-18 season, as they entered the Champions League 2018-19 as the champions of England. Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool were the other teams to qualify for Champions League.

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur played an all-England final where Liverpool defeated Spurs by 2-0 to win the title. 

• Manchester City (Champions, 1st)
• Manchester United (2nd)
• Tottenham Hotspur (3rd)
• Liverpool (4th)

2019-20

After winning the Champions League, Liverpool finished second in the Premier League, just one point behind the champions, Manchester City. Chelsea and Spurs qualified as the third and fourth team from Premier League.

• Manchester City (Champions, 1st)
• Liverpool (2nd)
• Chelsea (3rd)
• Tottenham Hotspur (4th)

2020-21

Liverpool finally broke City's Premier League domination as they lifted 2019-20 Premier League title with 18 points lead over Manchester City, who finished second. Manchester United and Chelsea were the other teams to qualify for the Champions League.

Manchester City and Chelsea played an all-English Champions League in 2021, where Chelsea won their second UCL title. 

• Liverpool (Champions, 1st)
• Manchester City (2nd)
• Manchester United (3rd)
• Chelsea (4th)

2021-22

Manchester City again won the Premier League title to qualify for Europe, with Manchester United finishing second in the league. Liverpool and Chelsea were the other tequalified as the third and fourth teams from the Premier League. 

Liverpool lost the Champions League final against Real Madrid in the 2021-22 season.

• Manchester City (Champions, 1st)
• Manchester United (2nd)
• Liverpool (3rd)
• Chelsea (4th)

2022-23

City defended the Premier League title in the 2021-22 season and entered the Champions League 2022-23, which they eventually won, beating Inter Milan in the final. 

Liverpool, who lost the Premier League race by just one point, qualified alongside Chelsea and Spurs.

• Manchester City (Champions, 1st)
• Liverpool (2nd)
• Chelsea (3rd)
• Tottenham Hotspur (4th)

2023-24

City won their third consecutive Premier League title helped them earn the Champions League spot. Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League 2023-24. 

• Manchester City (Champions, 1st)
• Arsenal (2nd)
• Manchester United (3rd)
• Newcastle United (4th)

2024-25

Back-to-back four Premier League titles for City ensured them another go at the Champions League. Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa were the other teams from Premier League to qualify for the new format Champions Legaue. 

Arsenal were the only team from the Premier League to play semi-final that season.

• Manchester City (Champions, 1st)
• Arsenal (2nd)
• Liverpool (3rd)
• Aston Villa (4th)

Read Also | Most English Top Flight Titles: Liverpool equal with United

2025-26

A record six teams qualified for the 2025-26 Champions League season from the Premier League. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea qualified as the top four teams. The EPS allowed an added spot as Newcastle United qualified as the fifth team.

Spurs qualified as the Europa League 2024-25 winners. Chelsea can also become the seventh team to qualify from the Premier League, if they win the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis on 28th May. 

• Liverpool (Champions, 1st)
• Arsenal (2nd)
• Manchester City (3rd)
• Chelsea (4th)
• Newcastle United (5th)
• Tottenham Hotspur (17th, qualified via Europa League win)

The game between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad was stopped for a few minutes as Luka Modric was substituted in the second half.

Real Madrid players gave him a guard of honour while Toni Kroos and Carlo Ancelotti gave a special hug to Real Madrid's most decorated player ever. 

Read Also | Luka Modric to Depart Real Madrid After Club World Cup, Leaving Legacy as Club Legend

Modric will end his Real Madrid career with the FIFA Club World Cup and, till now, has won 28 trophies for the Los Blancos. 

Along with Modric, it was also Carlo Ancelotti's last home match for Real Madrid, as he will also be leaving Real Madrid at the end of this season. 

The Champions League has always been a huge honour for any team. Teams like Real Madrid have won the trophy as many as 15 times while AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Ajax and Bayern Munich have won found success in Europe's biggest club competition. 

As a result, the players from such elite teams as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Ajax, and AC Milan dominate the charts of players with the most Champions League titles.

Also Read: Most Champions League titles won by Football Clubs

Players who have won the most Champions League titles

Iconic Real Madrid left-winger Paco Gento used to hold the record for the most Champions League titles by a player. He has won six trophies in his 18 years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Real Madrid legends Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Nacho have equalled his record and became the only players to win six Champions League titles in the UCL era. 

Former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is tied up at 5 UCL titles with players like Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Larence Seedorf as well as other Real Madrid giants in Hector Rial and Marquitos, Lucas Vázquez, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and a few others.

Also Read: Top 5 Defenders with the Most Champions League Goals

Former Barcelona superstars, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, and Gerard Pique won four titles as a player. 

List of Players who have won more than four UCL titles:

Real Madrid CF announced that their captain, Luka Modric, will conclude his illustrious tenure with the club following the Club World Cup, set to begin on June 18 in the United States. The Croatian midfielder, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the club’s history, will bid farewell after an extraordinary 13-year journey.

Since joining Real Madrid in 2012, Modric has been a cornerstone of one of the most triumphant eras in the club’s storied history.

Over his 13 seasons, he amassed an unparalleled 28 titles, including 6 European Cups, 6 Club World Cups, 5 European Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey, and 5 Spanish Super Cups.

His trophy cabinet makes him the player with the most titles in Real Madrid’s 123-year history, a record shared by only five players in football history who have won six European Cups.

Modric’s individual accolades are equally remarkable. In 2018, he claimed the Ballon d’Or, FIFA The Best Men’s Player, and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards.

He has been named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI six times and was recognised as the Champions League Best Midfielder twice. On the pitch for Real Madrid, Modric made 590 appearances, scoring 43 goals, and earned a Golden Ball and Silver Ball at the Club World Cup.

Internationally, Modric is Croatia’s record holder for appearances with 186 caps. His leadership guided Croatia to a runner-up finish at the 2018 World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball, and a third-place finish in 2022, earning the Bronze Ball.

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez praised Modric’s impact, stating, “Luka Modric will forever remain in the hearts of all madridistas as a unique and exemplary footballer who has always embodied the values of Real Madrid. His football has captured the imagination of Madridismo and fans all over the world. His legacy will live on forever.”