Champions League is the biggest and best European football tournament. Clubs all over Europe compete for the eligibility to play in the Champions League. Top clubs from different national leagues get the opportunity to play and compete for the biggest prize money in European football. So far now Real Madrid has been the best club in the tournament. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the most champions league goals in the competition's history.

History of the Champions League

The competition started in 1955. Back then the name of the tournament was Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens (French for European Champion Clubs' Cup). Although the tournament was commonly known as the "European Cup".

In 1992, the name of the tournament was changed to UEFA Champions League. There is also a second-tier and third tier of the Champions League. The team that does not qualify for the Champions League but next-in-line gets to play the UEFA Europa League. Further, the teams in line but who do not qualify for the Europa League will play in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Some interesting Champions League stats

• Gerd Muller has the 0.95 goals per game ratio in Champions League, the most by any player.
• Lionel Messi with 0.8 goals per match has the best ratio in the modern era.
• Real Madrid with 13 Champions League Titles is the most successful club in the champions league.
• With 134 goals in the UCL, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest scorer in the champions league history.
• Lionel Messi has scored the most champions league goals for a single team; 120 for FC Barcelona.

Most Champions League Goals in history

Let's look at the top 10 players with most champions league goals in history in detail.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo- 134 UCL goals

Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the best player in the Champions League history. The number 7 from Portugal has been successful wherever he played. Be it for Manchester United, Real Madrid or Juventus, he has been simply the best in the world.

Perhaps, in 2021 he became the first-ever player to score more than 100 goals in the top three leagues in Europe. Ronaldo was most successful with Real Madrid by scoring 105 goals in 101 game. In fact, he is also the highest goal-scorer for Real Madrid in the club's history. Ronaldo is also one of the rare players to win 5 champions league titles as well.

Ronaldo's goal tally for Manchester United is 15 and for Juventus FC is 14.

Read Also: Ronaldo records: Only player to be top scorer of the season in three different leagues

#2 Lionel Messi-120 UCL goals

Now, in every football record, if there is Cristiano, there should be Messi as well. This is how the rivalry has been between the all-time greats of the game. Unlike Ronaldo, Messi has done it with only one team, FC Barcelona.

Messi has scored 120 goals in the Champions League and is second on the list of most champions league goals in history. The little genius took 149 matches to reach that mark. While scoring all of those goals, Messi also became the highest goal scorer for Barcelona as well.

Messi also has 42 assists in the Champions League playing for Barcelona.

Read Also: Most La Liga Titles in the last 20 years

#3 Robert Lewandoski- 73 UCL goals

The 32 years Poland National Player is ageing just like wine. Robert Lewandoski has played all his UEFA Champions League matches for German teams.

He started his champions league career with Borrusia Dortmund. He scored 17 goals in 28 matches before leaving for Bayern Munich. After joining Bayern, Lewandoski started to score at his full potential. Soon, he became the highest scorer in the champions league for Bayern Munich.

Lewandoski till now has scored 56 goals in 68 matches for Bayern Munich in the champions league.

Read Also: Top 10 transfer rumours of the upcoming summer transfer window

#4 Karim Benzema- 71 UCL goals

The next on the list of most champions league goals is Karim Benzema of Real Madrid. The senior pro in the Real Madrid team is their main player now after Ronaldo left for Juventus.

Benzema before joining Real Madrid was with the Olympique Lyon team. He featured in 19 champions league game for them and had scored 12 goals as well.

After joining the most successful club in the champions league history, Benzema became more lethal. Along with Ronaldo and Bale, he formed one of the most famous trios of modern football, B-B-C. If it was not for the injuries he had, Benzema could have more champions league goals against his name.

Till now he has scored 59 goals for Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Read Also: Euro 2020 Schedule, Groups and Fixtures: Every Detail on Euro 2020

#5 Raul- 71 UCL goals

The Real Madrid legend was the king of the Champions League before bidding goodbye to the game. The then no.7 of Real Madrid is one of the greatest strikers of all time. However, he is much underrated due to his nature.

Raul started his Champions League career with FC Schalke 04. Though he only had played 12 UCL matches for them and scored 5 goals for them. However, just like other Real Madrid players on the list, Raul began to showcase his talent in the Madrid jersey.

In the Real Madrid jersey, Raul played 130 UCL matches and scored 66 matches. Raul had played a then-record 10.936 minutes in the Champions League.

Raul also won 3 champions league with Real Madrid.

Read Also: Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History

#6 Ruud van Nistelrooy- 56 UCL goals

Strong, athletic and a great finisher- Nistelrooy had all of those that a striker needed to score freely even in the biggest competition in the world.

The Dutch striker started his career with PSV Eindhoven. He scored 8 UCL goals in just 11 games for them before joining the Real Madrid team. With Real, he had a great time also. He scored 13 goals in 19 UCL matches for the Spanish giants.

But, his best football came out when he joined Manchester United from Real Madrid. Perhaps, Nistelrooy has the most champions league goals than any other Manchester United player in the club's history. He has scored 35 goals in 43 UCL matches for the Manchester United club.

Read Also: Most Premier League Titles by English Clubs: Premier League 2021

#7 Thierry Henry- 50 UCL goals

A member of Arsenal's invincible team, Henry is remembered for his success with Arsenal. Henry's 50 goals in the Champions League makes him the 7th player with the most champions league goals in football history.

Henry had spent a few seasons at AS Monaco and FC Barcelona before joining Arsenal. Henry had scored 7 goals for AS Monaco and 9 for Barcelona.

Henry's UCL Stats for Arsenal is - 77 matches, 35 goals, 15 assists. Henry is probably the most important player for Arsenal's modern-day football.

And yes, he is Arsenal's top scorer in the champions league.

Read Also: 10 Most FA Cup Winners List: FA cup in detail

#8 Alfredo di Stefano- 49 UCL goals

The best of his generation, Stefano is a legend of the game who the ultimate king of the champions league before there was anyone else. In fact, he was the leading goal scorer in the champions league when he retired in 1966-67.

The 1957 and 1959 Ballon d'Or winner is probably the most important player in Real Madrid's legacy. Along with Cristiano Ronaldo, he is the club's most successful player with 5 Champions League titles with the club.

He played 58 European Champion Club's Cup (Old name of UCL) matches for Real Madrid and scored 49 goals. Before his death, he was the club president of Real Madrid.

Alfredo di Stefano is also one of those rare footballers who played for more than one country. He played for both Argentina and Spain as he had citizenship in both countries.

Read Also: Football Facts: Son-Father Football Pair Who Played For Same Club

#9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic- 48 UCL goals

So, why Zlatan is on this list? Simply because Zlatan wants to.

There is no one in the football world who is as confident as Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But the interesting part is that he delivers. Zlatan played for 7 teams in the champions league, the most by anyone on this list.

He has played for PSG, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus FC, Barcelona, Ajax Amsterdam, and Manchester United in the champions league. Except for Manchester United, he has scored for all of them in the competition.

Zlatan's goal tally looks like this-

#10 Andriy Shevchenko- 48 UCL goals

Shevchenko was one of the best strikers of his time and the best striker of AC Milan's history. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, AC Milan was the team to beat in the champions league. And, Shevchenko was their main man in the attack.

Shevchenko started his UCL career with his national league's team, Dynamo Kyiv. Then moved to AC Milan in the 2000-01 season and became the top scorer in the Champions League with 9 goals. He parted with AC Milan in 2007 and joined Chelsea. Although, he had won the 2002-03 Champions League with AC Milan before leaving.

After leaving Chelsea, he retired from professional football in 2012 at his home team, Dynamo Kyiv.

Shevchenko scored 29 UCL goals for AC Milan, 15 for Dynamo Kyiv and 4 for Chelsea. He also was the winner of 2004 Ballon d'Or.

Who is your favorite among these legends of the game? Let us know in the comment section.

In the world of football, few clubs stand out like Chelsea FC. Their trophy cabinet tells a story of incredible success, proving that they have truly won it all!

With their recent UEFA Conference League 4-1 victory over Real Betis, Chelsea completed a historic sweep of all major UEFA titles, topping up with their 2nd FIFA Club World Cup title, all in 2025.

Here is trophy cabinet of Chelsea FC that defines their successful journey in the football world. Take a look.

European Royalty: Conquering the Continent

Chelsea have battled across the continent's most prestigious stages and won every major UEFA club trophy, a feat few clubs can claim.

Their crowning achivements including 2 UEFA Champions League titles, notable defeating Bayern Munich [1-1 (4-3 pens)] in 2012 and Manchester City (1-0) in 2021.

Beyond the Champions League, Chelsea also lifted the UEFA Europa League twice (2013, 2019), and the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1971, famously against Real Madrid in the replay, and also in 1998.

Additionally, two UEFA Super Cup victories (1998, 2021) further highlight their continental dominance.

The collection was completed with their 2025 UEFA Conference League triumph, where Chelsea FC beat Real Betis 4-1 in the final.

The domestic dominance of Chelsea FC

Beyond their European conquests, they have also established as masters of England by securing highest domestic honors.

The Blues clinched the First Division/Premier League title and impress six times (1955, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017) along with eight FA Cup victories (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018). This makes them the competition's most successful team.

Their domestic dominance also extends to League Cup, which they have won five times in the following years: 1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015.

Completing the Set: Global and Historic Honors

Chelsea's trophy cabinet truly lives upto the "won it all" status by having a collection of unique, historical, and global titles.

The FIFA Club World Cup win over Palmeiras (2-1) in 2021, made them only London club to win the Champions League as well as the FIFA Club World Cup. More recently, they added their 2nd CWC title after a dominating 3-0 victory over PSG in 2025.

Further adding to their phenomenal collection are four Charity/Community Shield triumphs (1955, 2000, 2005, 2009), which mark their traditional early-season dominance.

As we move down to the final count, Chelsea also holds two Full Members' Club Victories (1986, 1990).

A look at Chelsea's Trophy Cabinet:

What does it truly mean to be a world champion club? The FIFA Club World Cup provides the answer, pitting the best against one another in a quest for global dominance.

As the 21st edition of Club World Cup concluded with Chelsea lifting the title after a dominating 3-0 victory over PSG, it is time to look back at the history of this tournament.

This article will explore all the past winners, top scorers, most successful teams, all at once.

FIFA Club World Cup: Past Winners

The FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament designed to crown the world's best club team, first took place in 2000. It then paused for several years, from 2001 through 2004, before returning as an annual event.

Now, 2025 marked the beginning of an entirely new era for the Club World Cup, featuring an expanded format and a fresh vision for global club football. Chelsea FC, with an incredibly successful campaign, stood victorious in this format.

Check out the past winners list below:

FIFA Club World Cup: Top Scorers

Here comes the elite list where individual dominance shines:

FIFA Club World Cup: Most Successful Teams

Real Madrid holds the tag of most successful team in FIFA Club World Cup history with 5 titles. Check out the other clubs that follow:

• Real Madrid: 5 wins
• Barcelona: 3 wins
• Bayern Munich: 2 wins
• Corinthians: 2 wins
• Chelsea: 2 wins

Free kicks or set pieces are one of the most effective methods to score a goal. However, it is also the hardest thing in football. But be it from outside the box or 30 yards from the box, free-kicks are one of the most beautiful things to watch in football when done correctly.

In this article, today we will list the player with the most free-kick goals in football history. 

Who has scored the most free-kick goals?

This is a regular question asked in football quizzes. To give your answer, it is Juninho Pernambucano from Brazil who has scored the most free-kick goals. He has scored 77 free-kick goals in his career.

Most Free-Kick Goals: Messi or Ronaldo?

Whenever one discusses any football record, you can not leave Messi and Ronaldo out of it. At least, the fans can not leave it out. So, who has scored the most free-kick goals? Messi or Ronaldo?

Lionel Messi has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of the most free-kick goals scored. Messi now has 69 free-kick goals, whereas Cristiano has 64 free-kick goals.

Read Also: Messi vs Ronaldo: Longest goal-scoring streak

If we break down the records of both Messi and Ronaldo, Messi has only 5 Champions League goals from the dead ball, and Ronaldo has 12. Messi has scored 58 free-kick goals in his club career, while Ronaldo has 53 against his name.

Read Also: 10 Most FA Cup Winners List: FA Cup in detail

Most Free-kick goals in the Premier League

The Premier League is said to be one of the toughest places to play football. Many greats have failed in the Premier League; however, many have flourished in the league as a legend of the game.

David Beckham has scored the most goals by a free-kick in Premier League history. He has scored as many as 18 times from the dead ball in his Premier League career.

Here is the list of players with the most free-kick goals in the Premier League-

1. David Beckham - 18 goals
2. James Ward-Prowse - 17 goals
3. Cristiano Ronaldo - 12 goals
4. Thierry Henry - 12 goals
5. Gianfranco Zola - 12 goals

Read Also: Most Free-Kick Goals In Premier League

Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History

#1 Juninho Pernambucano - 77 free-kick goals

Known as the magnificent 7, Juninho was the best when it came to scoring from a dead-ball situation. The former Olympique Lyonnais legend and midfielder scored as many as 77 goals from set-pieces. Juninho is considered the greatest free-kick taker of all time.

He was also the inventor of the knuckle-ball technique shoots as well.

#2 Pele - 70 free-kick goals

The king of football, Pele, has scored 70 goals from set pieces. Pele could bend the ball both ways with fierce power.

Moreover, his immense game knowledge to out-think the goalkeeper helped him net the ball more often than not. The Brazilian striker's 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which include friendlies, are recognised as a Guinness World Record.

#3 Lionel Messi: 69 Free-kick goals

There is hardly any top 10 attacking list or record in football where you will not find the Argentine maestro, Lionel Messi. Although before 2014, Messi was not considered prolific from the dead ball, he has just proved everyone wrong with his free-kick record since then.

Till now, the Argentinian legend has scored 69 free-kick goals. 58 of those have come for the clubs he has played and 11 for Argentina.

More than that, Messi now has scored a free-kick in every 16.1 match, which speaks volumes for his accuracy from the dead-ball position.

El mejor de todos los tiempos 🎯😮‍💨 #Messi pic.twitter.com/51pkfmbAVW

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 13, 2025

#4 Víctor Legrotaglie - 66 free-kick goals

The Argentine from the 1970s is considered to be the greatest player in Mendoza football. Along with his stunning shooting ability, Victor was known for his 12 Olympic Goals for Argentina as well. There is a stadium named after him in Argentina.

#5 Ronaldinho- 66 free-kick goals

The magician from Brazil was brilliant from any position. Ronaldinho had everything as a footballer. Hence, having the skill to net the ball from a distance was also in his armoury. The Brazilian legend scored 66 goals from set-pieces in his career.

Also Read: Top 10 highest scoring midfielders in the 21st century: Football facts

#6 David Beckham: 65 Free-kick goals

The famous phrase, "Bend it like Beckham", suggests how good Beckham was when it came to scoring from a free-kick. Beckham scored 65 goals from set-pieces in his career. His free-kick to take England to the 2002 FIFA World Cup is still cherished as one of the best moments in English football.

Read Also: Erling Haaland: Top 10 fastest to 20 UEFA Champions League goals

#7 Cristiano Ronaldo - 64 free-kick goals

With his latest free-kick goal in the Saudi Pro League 2024 against Al-Fayha FC, Ronaldo has now moved to the seventh position in the most free-kick goals list. The Portuguese legend now has 64 free-kick goals against his name. With this free-kick goal, Ronaldo now has scored a free-kick goal every season since 2003-04.

Ronaldo till now has scored 53 free-kick goals for the clubs he has featured for and 11 for his national team, Portugal. He has now scored a free-kick in every 20.0 games.

#8 Diego Maradona- 62 free-kick goals

The legend of Argentine football is one of the best in the history of the game. Maradona scored nearly 20% of his career goals with free-kicks. His free-kick against Juventus for Napoli is known as the 'Divine Free-Kick'. Diego scored 62 goals from set pieces in his career.

#9 Zico - 62 free-kick goals

Brazilian legend Zico scored 62 free-kick goals in his career. He was very accurate in his shooting skills. Zico is considered one of the world's best players of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The attacking midfielder was very accurate with his kicks. Along with his accuracy, his languid run-up was very famous in his era.

Read Also: Defenders who have won the Ballon d'Or award

#10 Ronald Koeman- 60 goals

The former Barcelona player and manager is known as one of the highest-scoring defenders of all time. The Dutch defensive midfielder also had his share of success with Ajax.

Koeman has scored nearly 25% of his goals with free-kicks. He is one of the high-scoring defenders in his era. Koeman scored 215 goals in his career and is one of the highest-scoring defenders ever.

#11 Rogerio Ceni - 59 goals

To the shock of everyone, Ceni was a goalkeeper and he has scored 59 goals from dead-ball situations in his career. Ceni is the highest-scoring goalkeeper in the history of the game. He has scored 131 goals in his career.

Except for one goal, all of them came from penalties and free-kicks. The Brazilian played for 25 years, most of that for São Paulo.

Read Also: Goals by Goalkeepers: Top 5 Highest scoring goalkeepers

12. Marcelinho - 59 goals

Marcelinho is nicknamed "Pé-de-Anjo" for his accuracy with free-kicks. The attacking midfielder from Brazil has collected more trophies with Corinthians than any other player in their history. However, Marcelinho failed to feature in any World Cup matches for Brazil. Marcelinho has 505 goals in his career.

Note: States are accurate as of 13th July, 2025.

Current UEFA Champions League winners PSG thrashed and humiliated 2024 UEFA Champions League winner Real Madrid by 4-0 to enter the final of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. PSG will now face Chelsea in the final on 13th July.

Fabian Ruiz scored a brace for the club from France, while Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos scored the other two goals for them. Real Madrid legend and six-time Champions League winner with the Los Blancos, Luka Modric, played his last game for the club. 

What happened in the match?

Luis Enrique had to name a team without Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez, who were suspended for two games for their red cards in the game against FC Bayern Munich. However, after the win against Bayern, the Parisians looked confident to face Real Madrid. 

First half

PSG had a flying start as they scored as many as three goals within the first 25 minutes of the game. The first goals came within the first ten minutes of the semi-final. 

Fabian Ruiz started the goal fest for them. After two nearly missed chances, PSG finally converted as Dembele won the ball from Raul Asencio inside the box and managed to find Ruiz, who opened the scoring in the 6th minute. 

Three minutes later, Dembele, one of the contenders for Ballon d'Or 2025, turned goal scorer as he snatched the ball away from Antonio Rudiger inside the box and found the back of the net easily. 

After the first two mistakes, Real Madrid could not bounce back. In the 24th minute, Ruiz scored his second of the game, as Dembele proved to be the main man for the Parisians. 

In the counterattack attack the Frenchmen initiated the attack, finding Hakimi with a cross, who found an unmarked Ruiz for the third goal of the match. 

Read Also | FIFA Club World Cup: Past Winners, Top Scores, Most Successful Teams

Second half

In the second half, the game slowed a bit, and Real Madrid tried to find gaps through the PSG defence, but failed.

Mbappe's shot in the 52nd minute went over the goal, while Valverde's attempt in the 72nd minute was blocked by Beraldo. Apart from those two occasions, Xabi Alonso's men could not provide any genuine chances in the second half. 

During the final minutes of the game, Goncalo Ramos put the final nail in the coffin. In the 87th minute, Ramos made a quick turn and found the net after receiving a pass from Barcola. 

A lovely tribute from Goncalo Ramos to his former international team-mate, Diogo Jota, with the imitation of his video game celebration.#PSGRMA | #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/LHDShOW1G1

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) July 9, 2025

When the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final will be played?

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final will now take place between PSG and Chelsea at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on 14th July, 12.30 am Indian Standard Time. 

Cristiano Ronaldo chose not to attend his Portugal teammate Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva's funeral on Saturday. This sparked headlines and speculations.

However, as per the Portuguese media, A Bola, Cristiano Ronaldo did not want "excessive attention" at a time when he wanted Jota's family to have more peace and discretion. 

According to them, the Portuguese National team captain had a direct conversation with Diogo Jota’s partner, Rute Cardoso, and was also in contact with Jota’s parents after the incident. 

During this tough time for Jota's family, Ronaldo wanted to show empathy and grieve in private to eliminate any media hysteria, which could have been "more harmful than beneficial."

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When Ronaldo was absent during the funeral, Rúben Neves and João Cancelo made a long trip from the USA to pay tribute and carry the coffin of their teammate Diogo Jota at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar. 

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva and Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot were also there at the funeral. Most of the Liverpool FC players and staff were at the funeral as except for goalkeeper Allison Becker, who sent a special letter to Jota and Andre on social media.

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