The Round of 16 is the first knockout hurdle teams face in the highly competitive UEFA Champions League. The 16 participants throw everything at their opposition, pushing until the last blast of the whistle to gain an advantage. Every goalscorer worth his salt looks to shine in this round, knowing it could turn them into heroes, further increasing their fanfare.
Today, we will look at a few superstars who have set the Round of 16 alight with their performances, time and again, over the years. Here are the five players who scored the most goals in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
#5 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich): 14 Goals
In fifth place, we have Bayern Munich stalwart Thomas Muller. The Germany icon, who has only represented the Bavarians in the UEFA Champions League, has scored 14 goals in 25 Round of 16 appearances so far in his career.
Muller, who remains an integral part of Bayern even after 14 years, has played a total of 147 matches in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 53 times and providing 33 assists. The 34-year-old has won the competition twice so far, once in 2012-13 and again in 2019-20.
#4 Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich): 17 Goals
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has scored 17 goals in the Champions League Round Of 16 thus far. Three of his 17 goals came in four matches for Borussia Dortmund, while the remaining 14 goals came in 16 games for Bayern Munich. Lewandowski will look to improve upon his tally when Barcelona square off against Napoli in the Round of 16 next year.
Lewandowski, whose only Champions League win came with Bayern Munich in 2020, has played 116 matches in the Champions League. With 92 goals to his name, the Poland icon is the competition’s third-leading goalscorer of all time.
#3 Karim Benzema (Lyon, Real Madrid): 17 Goals
One of the finest strikers of the 21st century, Karim Benzema is in third place in the rankings, having netted 17 goals in 28 matches in the UEFA Champions League Round Of 16. Only one of his 17 goals came for Lyon, with the remaining 16 coming for Real Madrid.
The Real Madrid icon won a joint record five Champions League trophies during his 14-season stay at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The competition’s fourth-highest goalscorer of all time, Benzema scored 90 times in 154 games before joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in July.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus): 25 Goals
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo scored 25 goals in 36 matches in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 before leaving Europe in January. The 38-year-old relentless goalmachine scored twice for Manchester United, 18 times for Real Madrid, and five times for Juventus.
Ronaldo, who won the Champions League a joint record five times (2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018), holds the record for most appearances as well as most goals in the competition’s history. The Portugal legend has played 183 Champions League matches in his career, scoring 140 times.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 29 Goals
Arguably the greatest player of this generation, Lionel Messi, has clinched the top spot, having scored 29 goals in 36 matches in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Interestingly, all of his goals came for his boyhood club Barcelona.
Messi, who currently plies his trade at Inter Miami, has played a total of 163 matches in the UEFA Champions League. With 129 goals to his name, the Argentina icon is the competition’s second-leading goalscorer of all time, behind his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Before bidding Europe goodbye in July, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner won the tournament of champions a whopping four times (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015).
