Each participant price his salt goals of strolling out onto the pitch underneath the floodlights and soaking within the immortal feeling the UEFA Champions League anthem carries. This sensation is priceless, as solely a handful handle to maintain themselves related sufficient to expertise it time and again. Solely the easiest go on to develop into a Champions League veteran.
Right now, we are going to meet a selected few who’ve cemented their names within the storied historical past of the European Cup/Champions League. Listed here are the 5 gamers who’ve performed essentially the most video games within the historical past of the match of champions:
#5 Karim Benzema: 152 Matches
Actual Madrid legend Karim Benzema performed 152 matches within the UEFA Champions League earlier than jetting off to Saudi Arabia in July 2023. The French famous person represented Los Blancos in 133 UCL fixtures, scoring 78 instances and claiming 27 assists. His different 19 Champions League video games got here for his boyhood membership Olympique Lyon. He scored 12 instances and supplied three assists for the French outfit between 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons.
Benzema received a joint-record 5 UCL trophies with Actual Madrid (2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2021-22). The 2021-22 season was by far essentially the most memorable of his profession, with him pitching in with a campaign-best 15 targets in 12 video games to fireplace Los Merengues to their 14th UCL trophy. Benzema’s heroics within the 2021-22 season received him the Ballon d’Or in November 2022.
#4 Xavi Hernandez: 157 Matches
Barcelona coach Xavi was a pressure to be reckoned with throughout his enjoying profession, taking place as top-of-the-line midfielders the UEFA Champions League has ever seen. He performed a whopping 157 video games within the competitors — all for his boyhood membership Barcelona. The previous Spain famous person scored 11 instances and supplied 31 assists throughout his illustrious UCL run.
Xavi received the competitors 4 instances. His first one got here in 2005-06, the subsequent two in fast succession in 2008-09 and 2010-11 seasons, whereas the ultimate one arrived on the finish of the 2014-15 season. He left Barca for Al-Sadd after lifting his fourth UCL trophy.
#3 Lionel Messi: 163 Matches
Arguably the best participant in soccer historical past, Lionel Messi has clinched the third spot with 163 appearances within the UEFA Champions League. The Argentine famous person, who left for Inter Miami in July 2023, performed 149 video games for Barcelona within the competitors, scoring 120 instances and offering 41 assists. His different 14 video games got here for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) throughout the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner recorded 9 targets and 4 assists for the French aspect within the match.
Messi received 4 UCL trophies in his profession, with all of these coming throughout his time at Barcelona (2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2014-15). The 2008-09 and 2014-15 seasons had been additional particular, as Barcelona went on to clinch the Treble.
#2 Iker Casillas: 181 Matches
Among the finest goalkeepers within the historical past of the sport, Iker Casillas performed 181 Champions League matches all through his adorned profession. The previous Spain worldwide solely performed for 2 groups in UCL — Actual Madrid and Porto. For the All-Whites, the membership legend appeared in 150 Champions League video games, conceding 169 targets and preserving 52 clear sheets. In the meantime, for Porto, Casillas guarded the aim in 31 matches, securing seven clear sheets.
Casillas received the competitors a whopping 4 instances with Actual Madrid (1997-98, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2013-14), rising as their most adorned goalkeeper.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo: 187 Matches
Cristiano Ronaldo performed 187 matches within the UEFA Champions League earlier than leaving Europe in the midst of the 2022-23 season. He performed 59 video games for Manchester United, 101 matches for Actual Madrid, and the remaining 23 video games for Juventus. The Portuguese icon can be the competitors’s high scorer with 141 targets, its main help supplier with 42, its highest penalty scorer (19), and has received the match a joint report 5 instances.
The Al-Nassr famous person first conquered the Champions League as a Manchester United participant within the 2007-08 season. He added his second in 2013-14 at Actual Madrid earlier than serving to the Whites to 3 consecutive UCL trophies between 2016 and 2018.
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