The last two seasons of UEFA Champions League has been spectacular in match qualify and entertainment for the fans. Goals and assists decides football matches and having most goal contributions in UEFA Champions League makes a player literally the star player to lead a team into being on the best teams in Europe's elite competition.

In the last players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Gareth Bale used to dominate the metrics having the most goal contributions in the UEFA Champions League as Barcelona and Real Madrid dominating the competition for the last decade.

But now, with Messi and Ronaldo gradually fading last the older generation. New players are becoming the star attraction in Europe's top tier competition.

Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr are the stars of world football for present and the future.

Vinicius as already won a Champions League with Real Madrid in 2021, playing in Real Madrid, the Champions League gives an extra motivation to not just participate but win the competition every year. Vinicius Jr being the top goal contributor is no surprise. Vinicius Jr is a top player and is becoming the main man for real.

Kylian Mbappe is already a superstar at an early age and he is living up to his absolute potential leading PSG, a team where Messi and Neymar plays, Mbappe stands out as the leader and the face of PSG and French football in general. PSG has disappointed in the last two seasons of UEFA Champions League but Kylian Mbappe has done his bit having 22 goal contributions.

Also Read: https://sportzpoint.com/football/most-goal-contributions-in-every-season-since-2001/

What more can we say about Karim Benzema, the a Ballon d'or winner, five times UEFA Champions League winner, the main goal scoring outlet for the Los Merengues. Benzema has been the pillar of Madrid with 22 goal contributions while winning the Champions League trophy in 2021. At the age of 35, Benzema is still a phenomenal striker and a legend in the Spanish capital.

Robert Lewandowski has been one of the most consistent player and goalscorer in the last decade. But his 21 goal contributions were not enough to help Barcelona qualify for the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League. The Blaugrana have failed to progress from the group stage, instead finishing third, two seasons in row, going down to the UEFA Europa League.

Mohamed Salah is Mr. Liverpool in every way possible. His sheer quantity of goals and assists have propelled the Merseyside Reds into a major entity in the UEFA Champions League once again. Reaching the final in 2021, failing against Real Madrid.

Most Goal Contributions in UEFA Champions League in the last two seasons:

23 - Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)

22 - Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint Germain)

22 - Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

21 - Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

20 - Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of club football, boasting the best talent from around the globe. Over the years, African players have made a significant impact on Europe's elite competition, with many of them showcasing their skills but also finding the back of the net consistently.

From legendary strikers to dynamic wingers, this article highlights the top 10 African players with the most goals in Champions League history, celebrating their remarkable achievements on the grandest stage of European football.

10 most successful African Players with most goals in the UEFA Champions League:

10. Sebastian Haller| 12 Goals | Ivory Coast:

While the Ivorian found the net just 10 times in 48 games for the Hammers, he experienced a career revival at Ajax, netting an impressive 32 times in 50 games. Sebastian Haller made his Champions League debut in the 2021-22 season, scoring in his first seven games in the competition, including four in his debut against Ruben Amorim’s Sporting. Haller scored just one more UEFA Champions League goal and was given just 10 minutes in the German side’s 2024 final defeat to Real Madrid.

9. Rabah Madjer | Algeria | 12 Goals:

Madjer is considered one of the best players in the history of Algerian football and shot to renown as a Porto player in the 1980s. He scored six goals on Porto’s first UEFA Champions League winning run, including the equalizer against Bayern Munich in the final at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. Madjer retired in 1992 and twice managed his home country, having played in their first ever World Cup in 1982.

8. Vincent Aboubakar | 14 Goals | Cameroon: 

Aboubakar made his UEFA Champions League debut in 2014 with Porto, scoring a goal in a 6-0 thrashing of BATE Borisov. He came back with a goal in the return fixture at home to Shakhtar and scored his first knockout goal against Basel but was an unused substitute in both quarter-final legs against Bayern Munich, including the 6-1 defeat that sent Porto out.

In the next two seasons, one spent at Porto and the other at Besiktas, Aboubakar netted six times but failed to get out of the group stage. He scored his final Champions League goals in 2017 with a brace against Monaco but was injured for the last 16 tie against Liverpool, a 5-0 defeat at the Estádio do Dragao.

7. Seydou Doumbia | 15 Goals | Ivory Coast:

Doumbia scored 15 UEFA Champions League goals in 31 games for three different clubs in his career. He moved to Basel in 2016, scoring just once in six games before ending his European run at Sporting in the 2017-18 season. He made his debut with CSKA Moscow, scoring five times in the 2011-12 season, but never hit that height again.

6. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Gabon | 17 Goals:

 Aubameyang primarily scored his goals with Dortmund, he managed just two for Chelsea, but Gabon’s all-time top scorer never made it past the UEFA Champions League quarter finals having twice exited at that stage in 2014 and 2017. Aubameyang is, however, the all-time top goal scorer in Europa League history, netting 34 times in 62 games.

5. Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | 20 Goals:

Riyad Mahrez kicked things off with two goals in Leicester’s opening group match against Brugge before finding the net two more times ahead of the knockouts. He played every minute of Leicester’s knockout run but could only manage a single assist in that time. 

In the 2020-21 season, Mahrez was a crucial player on Manchester City’s run, scoring in the quarters before three goals against PSG in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. However, he could not find the net as City lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final. By the time of the 2023 win, Mahrez had fallen down the City pecking order and stayed on the bench for the whole of the 1-0 win against Inter.

4. Sadio Mane | Senegal | 27 Goals:

The 2019 and 2022 African Player of the Year Mane was a talisman in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool rebuild. Joining in 2016, Mane along with Salah and Roberto Firmino combined to be a lethal front three with the Senegalese player scoring 10 goals in the 17-18 UEFA Champions League season, a figure only beaten by his team-mates and Cristiano Ronaldo. Moving to Bayern Munich in 2022, Mane struggled to replicate his Liverpool form but still scored three goals in the group stages before departing for Al-Nassr in 2023.

3. Samuel Eto'o | Cameroon | 30 Goals:

The four-time African player of the year winner, a figure only matched by Yaya Toure, scored most of his UEFA Champions League goals for Barcelona including six in their 2005-06 triumph and four in the 2008-09 win under Pep Guardiola. Moving to Inter in 2009, Eto’o became the fourth player in history to win back-to-back Champions Leagues at different clubs and played every game in the Jose Mourinho-masterminded run. Still considered by many to be the best African player of all-time, Samuel Eto’o was a deadly mix of pace and clinical finishing.

2. Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | 44 Goals:

With 10 goals in 10 finals, the Ivorian was the man for the big occasion, and he made his UEFA Champions League debut with Marseille in 2003, scoring five goals in six games. Getting his move to Chelsea the following season, Drogba hit the same number in the 2004-05 campaign but managed just one goal in seven appearances the next year. 

He scored twice in the 2008 semi-final to set up a clash against rivals Manchester United, but a John Terry slip in a rain-soaked Moscow denied Chelsea their first UEFA Champions League title. But that success would come in 2012 with Drogba playing a starring role in the final.

1. Mohamed Salah | Egypt | 50 Goals:

Considering he scored just three goals in his first 15 UEFA Champions League appearances, betting on Mohamed Salah to one day become the leading African goal-scorer would have seemed a waste of money back in 2016. Famously a second choice of Klopp – the German preferred Julian Brandt – Salah hit 10 goals in his first UEFA Champions League season at Anfield, propelling Liverpool to their first final since 2007 but an early injury caused by Sergio Ramos forced him to the sideline as Real Madrid won 3-1 in Kyiv.

Hello and welcome everyone to our LIVE coverage. Tonight, we have the second leg of the round of 16 fixtures in UEFA Champions League 2024-25. 

This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the Barcelona vs Benfica UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg LIVE updates, scores and news from the web desk. 

Barcelona are leading by 1-0 after the first leg in Lisbon and a draw would ensure them a place in the final eight. Meantime, Benfica would have to win by more than 1 goal to stay in the competition. 

Barcelona will be without young central defender Pau Cubarsi, who was shown a direct red card in the match. 

Read the full Barcelona vs Benfica match preview here.

Hello and welcome to another UEFA Champions League night. Tonight we will be covering the first leg of the round of sixteen fixture between Benfica and FC Barcelona.

Last time when these two teams faced each other, Barcelona enjoyed a 5-4 win over the Portuguese giants. What was more remarkable was that Barcelona were down and out by 2-4 and then went on to win the match. 

So, with Benfica looking to take their revenge on their own turf, this promises to be an exciting battle. This is Koushik Biswas who will bring you all the live updates of the Benfica vs FC Barcelona match. 

Enjoy the coverage. 

For his part, Mohamed Salah has been dazzling the football world with astonishing performances and record-breaking feats. Just recently, he accomplished something incredible that had fans and analysts all in madness.

The only thing more incredible about this is that Lionel Messi has reached this insane milestone 13 times in his career. This gives a sense of Messi’s consistency, of course, a level that few, if anyone could have matched, and context to Salah’s achievement. Let’s break down the stats, and how the two superstars compare.

Mohamed Salah's 2024-25 season so far:

The Egyptian Talisman scored his 25th goal of the 2024-25 Premier League season in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Manchester City. Liverpool is at the top of the table and 11 points ahead of the second-placed Arsenal.

The Red's remarkable season has been led by Mohamed Salah, whose strike at the Etihad put his team in front and made it 25 goals for this season- six ahead of the Golden Boot contenders, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland.

Mohamed Salah's UCL 2024-25 Stats:

Matches Played: 7*

Goals: 3*

Assists: 4*

Goal Contribution: 7*

Total Attempts: 25*

Mohammed Salah's Premier League 2024-25 Stats: 

Matches Played: 27* 

Goals: 25*

Assists: 16*

Goal Contribution: 41*

Lionel Messi's 13 seasons with 50+ Goal Contributions:

No player in football history has a better rate or more consistency in front of goal than Lionel Messi. Messi's record of 50+ goal contributions (goals + assists) in a single season 13 times, most famously his 105 Goal Contribution in 2011-12 season.

Messi has maintained the best level of performance. His ability to score and assist with such solidity across different leagues. From his early years at Barcelona to his later success, Messi’s impact on the game has been unparalleled, making him without doubt one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Messi's 13 Seasons with 50+ Goal Contributions:

Egyptian talisman Mohamed Salah is having some season at Liverpool. After Liverpool triumphed in a 2-0 win over Manchester City, Salah touched 50+ goal contributions this season across all competitions.

Salah's goalscoring tally in the 2024-25 Premier League touched 25 goals and he also provided 17 assists in 28 appearances this season.

The Egyptian international is crushing records as Salah became the only active player on this list, along with legends like Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Sergio Aguero, and Thierry Henry. 

Here is the full breakdown of the 10 players with the most goal contributions in Premier League history.

List of the 10 Premier League Players with the most Goal Contributions

1. Alan Shearer-324 Goal Contributions (260 Goals + 64 Assists)

Alan Shearer’s record as the Premier League’s top scorer is well-established. Still, the former English international also stands top for total goal contributions with an estimable further 64 assists for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.

Erling Haaland certainly has the goalscoring potential, but there is every chance he departs Manchester City for European heavyweights during his peak years.

2. Wayne Rooney-311 Goal Contributions (208 Goals +103 Assists)

The Premier League has seen some of the greatest scorers and creators. At the summit stands Alan Shearer, whose 324 combined goals and assists set a standard that remains unmatched. Wayne Rooney follows with an impressive 311 contributions, splitting his talent between scoring and assisting a true all-around offensive force.

3. Frank Lampard-279 Goal Contributions (177 Goals + 102 Assists)

Frank Lampard is the only Premier League midfielder who could achieve, accumulating 279 contributions from the center of the park. The man with the most goals and the most assists in Chelsea’s history.

4. Ryan Giggs- 271 Goal Contributions (109 Goals + 162 Assists)

Only three players have registered 100+ goals and 100+ assists in the Premier League, Ryan Giggs holds the outright record for Premier League assists with 162. Over fifty more than anybody else.

The former winger’s Manchester United career period from 1990 until 2014, during which time he contributed to 271 Premier League goals.

5. Mohamed Salah-267 Goal Contributions (182 Goals + 82 Assists)*

Mohamed Salah’s remarkable rise demonstrates how today’s high-intensity football can elevate a skilled wide forward. He has surpassed four Premier League legends in Aguero, Henry, Kane, and Cole after craving an insane tally of 25 goals and 17 assists, so far in his amazing 2024-25 campaign so far.

6. Andrew Cole- 260 Goal Contributions (187 Goals + 73 Assists)

Andrew Cole, from an earlier era, matched Salah’s goal-scoring expertise but did so as a traditional number nine. Cole scored 187 Premier League goals, and he did not even score a goal with a penalty. A further 73 assists are not bad going, either.

7. Harry Kane- 259 Goal Contributions (213 Goals + 46 Assists)

Tottenham and England’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League, but Shearer's record looks safe after his 100 million euro transfer to Bayern Munich. Unfortunately, the number nine has failed to win any trophies with the North London side. 

Surprisingly enough, despite dropping deeper and becoming more of a playmaker in his latter Premier League days, Harry Kane registers the fewest assists of any player in the top 10 with 46. Fourteen of those assists came in Tottenham’s 2020-21 campaign.

8. Thierry Henry- 249 Goal Contributions (175 Goals + 74 Assists)

The Frenchman spent eight seasons in the Premier League. In 2002-03, Thierry Henry became the first player to register 20+ goals and assists (24 goals, 20 assists) in a Premier League campaign. Thierry Henry’s elegant style produced 175 goals and 74 assists.

9. Sergio Aguero- 231 Goal Contributions (184 Goals + 47 Assists)

Sergio Aguero established himself as one of the greatest Centre-forwards of the Premier League era. “We love him so much,” Pep Guardiola tearfully responded after Sergio Aguero played his final match for Manchester City back in 2021.

Aguero's consistency left an indelible mark on the league. The Argentine forward netted 184 goals, which is more than the Gunners' icon Thierry Henry.

10. Teddy Sheringham- 222 Goal Contributions (146 Goals + 76 Assists)

Teddy Sheringham still holds the record for the oldest player to appear in the Premier League, having framed for West Ham at the age of 40. Given his career as a Premier League devotee, it is no surprise to see his name on this list.

The forward had already been a pro for nearly a decade by the time England’s top flight was rebranded in 1992. But he was still racing at the highest level as late as 2007 and did not retire until 2008.