Every Champions League club’s GOAT
The Champions League is the most prestigious competition in football, with the best teams across Europe competing against each other. Each team has had exceptional talent throughout history, but who was the best? Here are the GOATs of each Champions League team.
Thierry Henry is Arsenal's greatest-ever player, scoring 377 goals for the club and leading them to two Premier League titles and the Champions League final in 2006.
Peter Withe was Aston Villa's main offensive threat through their golden era during the early 1980s. Withe scored 20 goals in the season Villa won the league title and scored the only goal in the 1982 European Cup final.
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Argentine magician Papu Gomez played for Atalanta for seven years, becoming the catalyst for their rise up the ranks in Europe. He was the Serie A top assist provider in 2019 and 2020.
Koke is the heart of Atlético Madrid and captained the side for much of his 553 appearances. The central midfielder won two La Liga's and two Europe League's during his career there.
Matthias Sammer spent five years in Dortmund and won everything there is to win. He helped Dortmund win the Champions League in 1997 and became the first defender in 20 years to win the Ballon d'Or in the same year.
Lionel Messi isn't just the GOAT of Barcelona; he's the GOAT of football. He won 10 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues, and 8 Ballon d'Or. Legendary.
Eusebio is Benfica's greatest player. He scored 473 goals for the club, helping Benfica win the Primeira Liga 11 times and the European Cup in 1962.
Schiavio is the greatest player in Bologna's history, becoming the club's record scorer during the early 20th century and helping the club to four Serie A titles.
Croatian Drago Vabec is Brest's greatest-ever player. He became the club's top goalscorer and showcased superb technical ability as a left-winger. Vabec could play across the front line and in defence. He's one of the most versatile players of the 20th century.
Jimmy Johnstone played 515 times for Celtic and scored 130 goals during the 1960s and 70s. He was part of the team that won the European Cup in 1967 and finished third in Ballon d'Or voting in the same year.
Raoul Lambert was elected the club's best ever player by the Club Brugge fans in 2007 after leading the Belgium side to domestic and European success in the 1970s. Lambert led Brugge to the European Cup final in 1978 and UEFA Cup final in 1976. He also won five Belgian First Division titles and scored 270 goals in 548 matches.
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Dzajic is considered one of the greatest left-wingers to play the game. He spent most of his career at Red Star and was voted the best player at the 1968 European Championships.
Van Hanegem was considered the second-best player in the Netherlands in the 1970s, behind Johan Cruyff. With Feyenoord, he won the European Cup in 1970 and UEFA Cup in 1974.
Cristhian Stuani has been a great servant for Girona, top-scoring them to promotion in the Segunda División and then captaining them to the Champions League. He is the club's leading scorer (134 goals).
Mislav Orsic was formidable for Dinamo Zagreb during his career. He helped Zagreb win four Croatian League titles and one Croatian Cup. In 216 games, he scored 91 goals and provided 40 assists.
Javier Zanetti is a modern-day legend for Inter Milan. He made 858 appearances and led Inter to 16 trophies, including the UEFA Cup, Club World Cup, and Champions League.
Striker Del Piero played 19 seasons with Juventus and 705 games for the 'Old Lady.' Per Sport Mole, he scored 290 goals for Juve and delivered Champions League success in 1996.
Werner is Leipzig's all-time top goalscorer, with 111 goals and 46 assists in 192 games. He has the best goals-per-game record and has scored the most hat tricks.
Kirsten isn't just a Leverkusen legend; he's a Bundesliga one. His 182 Bundesliga strikes are seventh all-time, and his 233 across all competitions for Leverkusen are a club record. He won over 100 caps for East and West Germany.
Belgian legend Eden Hazard forged his glistening with Lille at the start of the 2010s. He helped the team win the 2011 Ligue 1 title and was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year twice.
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Gerrard was an unstoppable force in midfield for Liverpool, playing 710 games and scoring 186 goals. He scored the first goal in Liverpool's unthinkable comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final, which he won as captain.
Kevin De Bruyne is still plying his trade for Manchester City, but he's already established himself as their best. He's been the mastermind behind City's last six Premier League title wins and helped them lift the Champions League in 2023.
Maldini is the true symbol of AC Milan. He played his entire professional career there and made over 1,000 appearances. He won seven Serie A titles and five Champions League titles.
World Cup winner and football icon Emmanuel Petit played nearly 300 times for Monaco during his illustrious career. He led the club to a Ligue 1 title and a Coupe de France in ten years.
A host of players could be PSG's number one, but in terms of consistency, longevity, and goals, Mbappé is the man. His 256 goals in 308 appearances helped lead PSG to six Ligue 1 titles and four Coupes de France.
Willy van der Kuijlen is PSV's most incredible attacker, scoring over 300 times in 528 games. He won the Eredivisie three times and the UEFA Cup once.
Often considered the greatest player ever, Cristiano Ronaldo's record for Real Madrid is extraordinary. He scored 450 goals in 438 games, won four Champions League trophies at the club, and is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Popluhar revolutionized football in the 1950s, becoming a sweeper for Bratislava and the Czechoslovakia national team. He played 14 years for the club and made over 300 appearances.
Andreas Ulmer played for RB Salzburg from 2009 until 2024, winning 13 Austrian Bundesligas and nine Austrian Cups. He was Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Year in 2017 and was named to five Team of the Year's.
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Vorobey was a menacing forward for Shakhtar in the early 2000s, winning three Ukrainian League titles and being the Ukrainian Footballer of the Year in 2000.
Ballon d'Or winner Pavel Nedved made waves in Europe from his performances for Sparta Prague and the Czech Republic. He won three league titles and one cup with the side from Prague.
Fernandes was an unstoppable force for Sporting during his time there. During the 2018-19 season, he scored 20 goals and provided 13 assists in 33 league games for the club. He won three cups with the team.
As a record appearance maker (550) and record goalscorer (179), it's hard to argue that Mario Haas isn't Sturm Graz's best-ever player.
Schäfer played 16 years for Stuttgart and gained notoriety for his defensive abilities. Subsequently, he became the club's most popular player. He is among the few players to win two German championships with Stuttgart.
With 140 goals in 242 games for the Swiss side, Jean-Pierre Nsame was a handful in his seven years at the club. Nsame was Swiss Super League Player of the Year twice and the league's top scorer three times. He won five league titles and two Swiss Cups.
Bayern Munich has retired its number 5 jersey in honour of Franz Beckenbauer. He has won three European Cups and two Ballon d'Or as a defender.
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