Cristiano Ronaldo top Champions League goal-scorer in final stages
The Juventus striker has scored more than double the amount of goals Messi has in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of Europe's premier club competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo was on the scoresheet again in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, netting Juventus’ opener against Ajax in their quarter-final second leg in Turin. He had already scored in the Amsterdam leg allowing his side to return with a 1-1 draw but a sublime young Dutch team were too good, ending the Portuguese forward's contribution this season.
Ronaldo onto 126 goals in the Champions League, 42 in the latter stages
That goal was Cristiano Ronaldo’s 126th in the Champions League and his 42nd in the final stages of the tournament (quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals). The Portuguese striker is of course the overall top scorer in the tournament (his closest challenger is Messi on 110, who added a brace against Manchester United), but in terms of final stage goals nobody even comes close to his tally. Next on the list is also Messi, who has less than half Ronaldo's haul at this stage of the Champions League with just 18 goals.
Following Messi are: Raúl González, Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Schevchenko all on 13 goals in the latter stages of Europe’s elite competition.
All time Champions League top scorers
126: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus)
110: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
71: Raúl González (Real Madrid, Schalke)
60: Karim Benzema (Lyon, Real Madrid)
56: Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid)
53: Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund, Bayern München)
50: Thierry Henry (Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona)
48: Zlatan Ibrahimović (Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale Milano, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United)
48: Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea)
46: Filippo Inzaghi (Juventus, AC Milan)