Who are the top goal scorers in the history of the Champions League final?

Real Madrid have dominated the European Cup/Champions League since the tournament’s inception and will have the chance to extend their extraordinary record in London on Saturday in the 69th final of the competition and the last in its present format. Of the 68 previous editions, Madrid have taken part in 43, reached 17 finals and won 14 of them (eight finals and eight triumphs during the Champions League era). Borussia Dortmund is the team that could deny the Spanish giants their 15th title - and incidentally the third German opponents that Madrid have met at this stage.

Real Madrid 69 years of dominance in Europe

As well as holding the record for the most Champions League finals and the most titles, Real Madrid hold a host of other tournament records. No club has made as many appearances (488), won as many games (293) or scored as many goals (1073) as Los Blancos since the start of the competition in 1955 to the present day.

So it’s hardly surprising that when it comes to the all time goal scoring rankings, Real Madrid are well represented in every category. Cristiano Ronaldo is the tournament’s top scorer with 141 goals (21 of those with Manchester United) and also holds the records for the most goals in one single edition - 17, set during the 2013/14 season and the most Golden Boot awards - seven.

A total of 16 Real Madrid players have ended as the top scorers in one single edition of the European Cup/Champions League although the odds are against that happening this year. Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé are the joint top scorers in this current edition with eight goals each and while their teams have been eliminated, Real Madrid’s leading scorers: Joselu, Vinicius and Rodrygo - all on five goals, would need a hat trick in the final to pull level.

That is a feat that has only ever been achieved four times by three players - two of them, from Real Madrid. Ferenc Puskás fired in four and Alfredo Di Stéfano bagged three in the 7-3 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1960 final. The only other player to scorer a hat trick in the final was Pierino Prati, who was on target three times in AC Milan’s 4-1 victory over Ajax in 1969.

The Hungarian shares the record for the most goals scored in a European Cup/Champions League final with another Madrid legend: Alfredo Di Stéfano

Di Stéfano and Puskás top the list

Di Stéfano and Puskás top the list of all-time goal scorers in European Cup/Champions League finals, both scoring seven goals in six final appearances between 1956 and 1962.

Di Stéfano was the first Real Madrid player to score in a European Cup final, pulling Los Blancos back level against Stade Reims in the inaugural final in Paris. The Argentine put his team ahead from the spot in the following year’s final against Fiorentina, paving the way for a 2-0 victory. He pulled the team back level in the 1958 final in Brussels and hit the winner 12 months later, as Madrid beat Reims for a second time.

Di Stéfano surpassed himself in the 1960 final in Glasgow when Madrid thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in front of a crowd of almost 128,000. He was on target twice in the first half and completed his hat trick with just under 20 minutes to go.

Puskás, in his second season at the club, ended on four goals in the 1960 final and became the first player to score a hat trick in a European Cup final, 13 minutes before Di Stéfano completed his. Remarkably, Puskás repeated the feat when Madrid met Benfica in the final two years later - a hat trick in under 21 minutes in Amsterdam, but not enough to prevent the Portuguese side winning the game 5-3 and lifting the trophy.

Top scorers in the final during the Champions League era

In the Champions League era, from 1992 to the present day, the player with the most goals in UCL finals is Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored four goals with two different clubs. In May 2008, he fired Manchester United ahead just before the half hour in his first appearance in a final, against Chelsea. That game ended 1-1 and went to extra-time then penalties and although Cristiano missed his, United prevailed 6-5 to lift the trophy and the No.7 ended as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals.

He didn’t find the net in the following year’s final against Barcelona - his last game for United, just a few weeks later he was unveiled by Real Madrid.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid made it to the 2014 final in Lisbon and finally secured La Décima with Cristiano converting a penalty in the final minute of extra-time. He slotted in again in the shoot-out when the two Madrid clubs met again two years later - however, as far as UEFA are concerned, penalty shoot-out goals are not counted in their official statistics.

Cristiano doubled his tally with a brace in the 2017 final against Juventus. He didn’t find the net in the following year’s final against Liverpool but Gareth Bale beat Loris Karius twice, including an unforgettable overhead-kick as Madrid ran out 3-1 winners and the Welshman took his total to three, to climb into second place on the list, just behind Cristiano.