Champions League
UEFA Champions League Top Goal Scorers
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland emerged as the top goal scorer in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League.
The 23-year-old Norwegian striker saw the back of the net with a total of 12 goals in the just-concluded campaign. This impressive feat places him four goals ahead of the second-ranked player, Mohamed Salah.
Salah plays for the English Premier League club, Liverpool and is also the captain of Egypt’s national men’s football team.
Last season, Haaland showcased his prowess by finding the back of the net five times during the group stage. Furthermore, he significantly increased his goal tally by becoming only the third player in history to score five goals in a single Champions League match, specifically during the round of 16 second leg against Leipzig. Haaland’s exceptional performance continued as he scored in both legs of the quarter-final victory over Bayern.
Although these were his final goals in the competition, they proved sufficient for the Norwegian to secure the prestigious award of UEFA Champions League top scorer.
Haaland won home the Golden Boot just as his club, Manchester City, won the 2022/23 Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City poses with the trophy following the 1-0 victory in the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 final match between FC Internazionale and Manchester City FC at Ataturk Olympic Stadium on June 10, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
Haaland was so close to Cristiano Ronaldo‘s single-season Champions League record of 17 goals in 2013/14, but the young striker didn’t keep up with the race after failing to score in the semifinal matches against Real Madrid and in the final against Inter Milan.
In the 2020/21 season, Haaland achieved the prestigious feat of winning the Champions League Golden Boot by securing the top spot with 10 goals. However, in the just-concluded campaign, he surpassed his previous record of individual goals for a single season, but could not beat Ronaldo’s.
Behind Haalan in the last campaign was Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who netted eight goals before the Reds were unfortunately eliminated from the competition in the Round of 16. Kylian Mbappe, who tied for third place, and his team PSG also suffered the same fate in the Round of 16.
It is worthy of note that last campaign was Haaland’s first time playing for Manchester City. The striker hit the ground running by smashing the English Premier League Golden Boot race with 36 goals scored for Pep Guardiola’s side and subsequently adding the Champions League Golden Boot award to his domestic crown, with 12 goals in European action.
Erling Haaland
Recall that City had a historic treble at the end of the 2022/2023 campaign. The 2023/24 Premier League and Champions League campaigns have commenced, and players have entered into the race for the highest goalscoring.
Meanwhile, long-time rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both moved away from Europe. Ronaldo now plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, while Messi plays for the American professional football club, Inter Miami.
Below is the list of 2022/23 UEFA Champions League top scorers
- Erling Haaland [Manchester City] – 12 Goals
- Mohamed Salah [Liverpool] – 8 Goals
- Vinícius Júnior [Real Madrid] – 7 Goals
- Kylian Mbappé [Paris] – 7 Goals
- João Mário [Benfica] – 6 Goals
- Olivier Giroud [Milan] – 5 Goals
- Robert Lewandowski [Barcelona] – 5
- Victor Osimhen [Napoli] – 5 Goals
- Rodrygo [Real Madrid] – 5 Goals
- Rafa Silva [Benfica] – 5 Goals
- Mehdi Taremi [Porto] – 5 Goals
UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League Top Scorers Since 1992 Season:
2022/23: Erling Haaland (Man City) 12
2021/22: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) 15
2020/21: Erling Haaland (Dortmund) 10
2019/20: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern) 15
2018/19: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 12
2017/18: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 15
2016/17: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 12
2015/16: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 16
2014/15: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Neymar (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – 10
2013/14: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 17
2012/13: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 12
2011/12: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 14
2010/11: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 12
2009/10: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 8
2008/09: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 9
2007/08: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) 8
2006/07: Kaká (AC Milan) 10
2005/06: Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan) 9
2004/05: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) 8
2003/04: Fernando Morientes (Monaco) 9
2002/03: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) 12
2001/02: Ruud van Nistelrooy – Man United 10
2000/01: Raul Gonzalez Real Madrid 7
1999/00: Mario Jardel Porto, Rivaldo (Barcelona), Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid) 10 goals each.
1998/99: Andriy Shevchenko Dynamo (Kyiv) Dwight Yorke (Man United) 8
1997/98: Alessandro Del Piero Juventus 10
1996/97: Milinko Pantic Atletico Madrid 5
1995/96: Jari Litmanen Ajax 9
1994/95: George Weah PSG 7
1993/94: Hristo Stoichkov Barcelona 5
1992/93: Franck Sauzee Marseille 5
