Top 12 Players With Most Champions League Game By One Player

The topmost tier of European club football, the UEFA Champions League, is the most prestigious competition in the world. Players dream about playing in that competition, scoring goals and leading their team to success. It has seen many record breaking seasons throughout its history.

There is no bigger spectacle than an absolute goal-fest of European football; moreover, fans will always be in for a treat whenever a player scores a galore of goals in a single Champions League game. Throughout the past, we have witnessed a legion of players breaking records for most goals in a single match. Here, we take a look at the players who have scored the most goals in a single game in one of the topmost competitions in the world.

Players with the most goals in a Champions League game by one player

12. Robert Lewandowski – 4 Goals

Scoring four goals in a game is one thing, but doing it in the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid is not everyone’s cup of tea unless his name is Robert Lewandowski. In the 2012-13 campaign, he pulled off one of the best performances in UCL history after scoring all the goals in the 4-1 over Real Madrid in the first leg. Borussia Dortmund, then led by Jurgen Klopp, reached the finals but only to be beaten by their arch-rivals, Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, Lewandowski had a terrific campaign with 10 goals, which catapulted him to one of the hottest players while earning him a move to Bayern later.

Matches	130
Goals	103
Assist	26

11. Mario Gomez – 4 Goals

Next up on the list is another former Bayern Munich player, Mario Gomez. The former German international was one of the underrated strikers of his generation, known for his physicality, deadly poaching instincts, intelligence and above all, impressive consistency. Gomez scored four goals in Bayern’s 7-0 demolition of  Swiss side FC Basel in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League in March 2012. During his time at Bayern, Gomez was a beast of a striker, netting 113 goals and 26 assists in 174 games.

Matches	44
Goals	26
Assist	6

10. Bafetimbi Gomis – 4 Goals

Former French footballer Bafetimbi Gomis had a productive spell at Lyon between 2009 and 2014, winning the French Cup and French Super Cup. During his stint, the striker bagged four goals in Les Gones’ 7-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League in 2011, thereby becoming the first-ever French player to do so in European competitions in more than four decades. Gomis also had spells at St Etienne, Marseille, Galatasaray and Al Hilal.

Matches	23
Goals	9
Assist	–

9. Lionel Messi – 4 Goals

Arguably the best player in the world Lionel Messi was always a top performer when it comes to the Champions League as he is the second all-time top scorer in the competition. The entire world witnessed the Argentine’s magic in a UCL knockout game against Arsenal in 2010. Messi singlehandedly dismantled Arsene Wenger’s side by scoring four goals to help Barca secure a 4-1 victory. It was one of the most enthralling individual performances ever, and the highlight was Messi’s chip over goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

Matches	163
Goals	129
Assist	45

8. Andriy Shevchenko – 4 Goals

One of the best players in the history of AC Milan and the strikers of all time, Andriy Shevchenko, netted four goals in Rossoneri’s 4-0 victory against Fenerbahce in the Champions League in the year of 2005. Ukraine’s legendary striker also achieved the feat of becoming the first-ever player to score as many as four goals in a Champions League away game. Shevchenko went on to win the Golden Boot in that Champions League season, scoring nine goals.

Matches	100
Goals	48
Assist	6

7. Ruud van Nistelrooy – 4 Goals

Rudd van Nistelrooy was one of the prolific strikers back in his playing time. The Dutch legend was always at his lethal best during the Champions League games, strengthened by the fact he is the sixth all-time top scorer of the competition with 60 goals. He became the first Man Utd player since Denis Law in 1968 to score four goals in a European game after doing so in a UCL group game against Sparta Prague in the 2004-05 season.

Matches	73
Goals	56
Assist	18

Also Read: Top 10 Players With Most Champions League Goals 2024-25

6. Dado Prso – 4 Goals

Former Croatian legend Dado Prso was in sublime form during his time at AS Monaco, with whom he won one Ligue 1 title in the 1999-2000 season and two other domestic titles. Moreover, he was an integral part of the French side that reached the UCL finals of the 2003-04 season before losing to Porto. En route, Prso scored half of Monaco’s goals in the 8-3 win against Deportiva La Coruna. He has also won the Croatian Footballer of the Year award three times.

Matches	21
Goals	9
Assist	1

5. Simone Inzaghi – 4 Goals

The current Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi may appear as a surprise name but he still joins this elite list. Not as prolific as his brother Filippo Inzaghi during his playing days, but he is surely a genius coach. Simone managed to score a quadruple of goals in Lazio’s 5-1 win against Marseille in a UEFA Champions League game in 2000. He cements the fifth place on this list with his feat in Europe.

Matches	31
Goals	15
Assist	3

4. Marco van Basten – 4 Goals

One of the fabled “Three Musketeers” of AC Milan alongside Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, former Dutch legend Marco van Basten is arguably one of the best players of all time. Van Basten became the first player to score four goals since the Champions League’s rebranding from the European Cup, after doing it in a game against Swedish side IFK Goteborg in 1992 at San Siro. He has won the European Cup two times and also has three Ballon d’Ors to his name.

Matches	5
Goals	6
Assist	2

Also Read: Top 10 Footballers With Most Champions League Titles

3. Erling Haaland – 4 Goals

Next up on the list is the modern goal machine and Manchester City star Erling Haaland, who continues to conquer record after record. The Norwegian centre-forward is destined to further enrich his legacy in the future. Haaland has already won two Premier League titles and one Champions League title. He had a surreal run in the 2023-24 UCL winning season, ending as the competition’s top scorer. Among the notable performances was his 5 goals against RB Leipzig in the 7-0 victory, the third player ever in the competition’s history to do so.

Matches	48
Goals	49
Assist	5

2. Luiz Adriano – 5 Goals

Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano ran riot for Shakhtar Donetsk in the 7-0 win over Bate Borisov in a Champions League group game in 2014, netting 5 goals, thereby becoming the second player to achieve the feat in the competition’s history. He also scored a hat-trick against Borisov in the reverse fixture, which also saw him create a record for the most goals scored against a single opponent.

Matches	47
Goals	21
Assist	5

1. Lionel Messi – 5 Goals

Standing at the top is Lionel Messi, who also makes the cut on this list for the second time. The record Ballon d’Or winner and the World Champion produced one of the iconic performances in the Champions League history against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012, scoring an unprecedented five goals in the 7-1 win in the last 16 2nd leg. The German side was completely thunderstruck by La Pulga’s sorcery. 

Matches	163
Goals	129
Assist	45

List of players with the Most Champions League goals in a single game

SNo.	Name	Goals	Team	Opposition	Year
1	Lionel Messi	5	Barcelona	Bayer Leverkusen	2012
2	Luiz Adriano	5	Shakhtar Donetsk	Bate Borisov	2014
3	Erling Haaland	5	Manchester City	RB Leipzig	2023
4	Marco van Basten	4	AC Milan	IFK Goteborg	1992
5	Simone Inzaghi	4	Lazio	Marseille	2000
6	Dado Prso	4	Monaco	Deportivo La Coruna	2003
7	Ruud van Nistelrooy	4	Manchester United	Sparta Prague	2004
8	Andriy Shevchenko	4	AC Milan	Fenerbahce	2005
9	Lionel Messi	4	Barcelona	Arsenal	2010
10	Bafetimbi Gomis	4	Lyon	Dinamo Zagreb	2011
11	Mario Gomez	4	Bayern Munich	Basel	2012
12	Robert Lewandowski	4	Borussia Dortmund	Real Madrid	2013

Also Read: 10 Best Champions League Teams in History

FAQs