If someone were to rank soccer championships according to which of them has the world’s top scorers, the Champions League would be at the top. The tournament features the world’s best soccer players, however, there is no doubt that the top scorer ever to play the league so far has been Cristiano Ronaldo. Now, learn more about the best striker to ever win the Champions League.
The Portuguese soccer player, who plays forward in the Champions League team Manchester United, and also captains the Portuguese national team, made his debut in the Premier League in 2003 as a young promise.
A little more about Cristiano Ronaldo
He began playing as a substitute and rapidly earned the respect and adoration of Manchester fans. He was given the number 7 shirt, which had been previously worn by some of Manchester United’s most iconic players, such as David Beckham and ultimately gave Cristiano his nickname, “CR7”. The rest is history.
For all of Ronaldo’s feats, UEFA Champions League has seen him flourish the most. Cristiano’s Champions League goals have been the most celebrated by the fans.
The European tournament is home to some of the best players in the world, such as Lewandowski, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo himself. The three of them share the podium in terms of goal scores, but it is CR7 who has scored the most Champions League goals in the history of the competition, achieving a grand total of 134 goals so far, according UEFA’s website.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals
The Portuguese player had also been looking forward to breaking the Guinness World Record for most goals scored in international matches. This past September 1st, he reached that goal —or rather goals—, since he was only one goal away from breaking the record but scored two, in true CR7 fashion.
“Thank you to the Guinness World Records. Always good to be recognized as a world record-breaker. Let’s keep trying to set the numbers even higher!”, wrote the player on his Instagram account, posing proudly with his certificate.
About the Union of European Football Associations
Europe certainly hosts the most renowned players in the world. UEFA is the Union of European Football Associations and it brings together 55 national soccer associations. It is the entity that organizes the Champions League, where players from all over the world come together to make up the most efficient teams in the game.
The European teams that take part in the competition are well-known for harvesting its talents all over the world. Such is the case of Lionel Messi, for example, who was recruited from Argentina and trained over in Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo is another such case of international recruitment. He was hired by British team Manchester United and brought over from Portugal, which made him the first Portuguese player to ever join the team.
The history of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League
CR7 has only recently rejoined Manchester United. He had left the club in 2009 and transferred to Real Madrid later on that same year. After that, he left for Italy, where he played in Juventus F.C. for a couple of years. He finally made his grand entrance back to the first big club he played for in late August 2021, when his return was announced. His debut match is yet to be played.
There is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo’s exploits in UEFA Champions League are celebrated all over the world, but especially by Manchester United’s fans. He goes a long way back and it seems like he has a long way ahead too, seeing as there has been no talk about retirement for him so far.
No one can tell what the future has in store for the Portuguese soccer player. In the meantime, he is getting ready to make his second debut in the club that saw him flourish as an athlete.
