Can Erling Haaland break Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League goalscoring record?

27/09/21 1864

Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest goalscorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League. The 36-year-old has netted 135 goals in 177 UCL appearances, averaging 0.76 goals per game.

The Portuguese megastar has also lifted the famous trophy on five occasions, guiding Manchester United to glory in 2008 before winning four titles in five seasons between 2014 and 2018 with Real Madrid.

When you couple Ronaldo’s 135 goals with his five triumphs, there is absolutely no denying that he is the most successful player in Champions League history. But for how long?

If the early stages of Erling Haaland’s UCL career are anything to go by, the competition could have a new name atop the all-time scoring charts in the coming years.

At just 21, Haaland has already racked up 21 goals in 17 UCL outings – giving him an outrageous goals per game ratio of 1.24.

It is still early days, of course, but it is worth noting that Haaland is on course to eclipse Ronaldo’s record.

• Cristiano Ronaldo – 135 goals in 177 games (0.76 goals per game)

• Erling Haaland – 21 goals in 17 games (1.24 goals per game)

The Norwegian burst onto the scene back in 2019, scoring ten goals in eight Champions League matches that season – six for Red Bull Salzburg and two for Borussia Dortmund.

He bagged a hat-trick on his UCL debut in Salzburg’s 6-2 rout of Belgian side Genk before going on to score against Liverpool and Napoli in the group stage.

Following his switch from Salzburg to Dortmund during the winter transfer window, he notched a brace against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.

Last season, Haaland finished as the tournament’s top scorer – netting ten goals in eight appearances. After scoring back-to-back doubles against Club Brugge, he scored a further two doubles against Sevilla.

The lethal striker has already opened his UCL account this term, too, finding the back of the net in Dortmund’s Matchday 1 victory over Turkish club Besiktas.

It is quite clear that Haaland thrives on the Champions League stage. In fact, he scored goals in every single competition he plays in.

With a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs on the horizon, Haaland is only going to get more opportunities to score goals in the UCL.

Yes, he is miles behind Ronaldo’s record at the moment. But with the majority of his career ahead of him, Haaland could surpass CR7’s Champions League achievements if he continues at his current rate.