Ronaldo to earn UEFA award as top Champions League scorer

As the top scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA is going to present Cristiano Ronaldo with a one-of-a-kind award. During Thursday’s draw for the league phase of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo will be in attendance. There, UEFA will give the Portuguese star an award that commemorates his remarkable goal tally in the top club competition in the world. Ronaldo last played a game in the UEFA Champions League in March 2022. That was a round-of-16 loss against Atletico Madrid.

However, in that 2021/22 season, Ronaldo scored six goals in the tournament’s group stage. The last of those, a game-winning goal against Villarreal, was his 140th goal in the UEFA Champions League. That is the most in the tournament’s history, with his first coming in 2007 during a famous 7-1 win in the quarterfinals against Roma while playing for Manchester United. Those 140 goals are more than any other player. The closest is Lionel Messi, who has 129 goals, 11 fewer than the Portuguese sensation. With both players now playing outside of Europe and their careers winding down, UEFA is ready to honor Cristiano Ronaldo for a seemingly unbreakable statistic.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin will be the one to present Ronaldo with his lifetime achievement ahead of the league-phase draw on Thursday. Čeferin spoke about the importance of Cristiano Ronaldo during a release preparing fans for this award. He admitted that Ronaldo’s goal tally may stand the test of time.

“Over more than two decades, he has continuously evolved and refined his game while preserving a youthful passion for scoring and celebrating goals,” Čeferin said. “His professionalism, work ethic, dedication, and ability to shine on the grandest stage are qualities that football players everywhere should aspire to emulate.”

Ronaldo a set Champions League scorer charts alight at three clubs

Ronaldo’s 140 goals came with three clubs. As mentioned, the first and last of that bunch were with Manchester United. There, Ronaldo also won his first Champions League title in the 2007/08 season. However, the most successful time for Ronaldo in the Champions League came after his 2009 transfer to Real Madrid. The Portuguese made 101 appearances in the Champions League with Los Blancos. He scored an astounding 105 goals in those games to average a ratio better than one goal per game. He then departed Real Madrid when he transferred to Juventus after the 2018 campaign. In 23 games, Ronaldo scored an additional 14 goals with the Italian side in the competition. His final move back to Manchester United rounded out 21 goals in the tournament with the English club.

Real Madrid’s recent successes in the tournament have allowed some of the more experienced players for the club to top a record that used to belong to Ronaldo. His five Champions League titles are second to just two players. Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric have both won six Champions Leagues, with Ronaldo being on the same team for four of those triumphs.

By most standards, Ronaldo is the best player in the history of the UEFA Champions League. Having an award to celebrate his immense goal total is sensible. It should not be the last to commemorate his incredible career in Europe.

PHOTOS: IMAGO