The Champions League’s 5 Top-Scoring Players
There is no denying that the EUFA Champions League has produced some of the world’s most formidable football stars.
Read on to learn more about 5 of the top players of all time according to their number of titles won.
#5: Cristiano Ronaldo – 5 Titles
As much as Ronaldo helped Manchester Title to win their last Champions League title in 2008, he also nearly caused their loss.
He was just a youngster of 23 back then, but by the time he had moved over to Real Madrid for a record-breaking consideration, he was well on his way to becoming one of Europe’s strongest performers.
Since then, Ronaldo has been named the top goal-scorer of the Champions League no less than seven times, helping Los Blancos to win the trophy four times alone. This included their coveted La Decima title in 2014, and the incredible hat trick of claiming Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018.
#4: Hector Rial – 5 Titles
In 1954, Real Madrid signs an unassuming and largely underrated striker from Argentina. He turned out to be a rising star in the making, winning ten trophies in the club including no less than five European Cups.
Although Rial was not an epic goal scorer, he always scored when it counted the most, much like the best online pokies NZ games. He sealed wins for Real Madrid multiple times throughout the course of his career, most notably in the 1956 European Cup and the 1958 equalizer against Milan.
#3: Paolo Maldini – 5 Titles
Maldini was the cornerstone of AC Milan, having joined the academy and made his senior debut at the tender age of 16. A year later, he had already claimed his place as the starting full-back and was wearing his #3 shirt with pride.
Although he never realized his true potential as an Italian international, he made quite the name for himself in Serie A and the Champions League, winning countless trophies across three decades.
His first EU wins came in 1989 and 1990 when he assisted his club to keep a clean sheet in both finals as they took down Steaua Bucuresti and Benfica.
#2: Alfredo di Stefano – 5 Titles
This Argentinian forward, who scored a massive 49 goals in his 58 appearances in Europe, was the subject of a huge tiff between two of Spain’s largest football clubs.
When Barcelona finally reached an agreement with River Plate, Real decided to negotiate with Millonarios in tandem, and it was ultimately decided that di Stefano would play alternate seasons for the two clubs.
Alas, Barcelona was not interested in sharing, and gave up their rights to the player, who spent a further 11 seasons with Los Blancos. He helped them to win five consecutive European Cups, scoring seven skilful goals in the finals alone.
#1: Francisco ‘Paco’ Gento – 6 Titles
Behold, the only player in the world to have won 6 European Cups in total. This record has remained in tact for 52 years and counting, and currently, Gento’s only rival in this department is Ronaldo himself.
A constant trophy winner, Gento won 20 major titles over his career, including a dozen La Liga cups. He was signed by Real Madrid in the same year as di Stefano, and quickly became part of a legendary forward line that included the likes of Hector Rial, Ferenc Puskas, and Raymond Kopa.
The player scored twice in European Finals, including an extra-time win against Milan in 1958, and ended up scoring a whopping 178 goals for Los Blancos over his 18 seasons with the club.