Luka Modrić and Ronaldo: The Best Champions League Players Ranked

top 10 greatest players in champions league history ranked in terms of quality the UEFA Champions League is arguably the best competition in World football it's where the greatest players on the planet compete year in year out in an attempt to get their hands on Club football's most prestigious trophy many players have cemented their status as Legends of the game thanks to their performances in Europe's Premier Club competition which was originally founded in 1955 as the European cup but rebranded as the Champions League in 1992 a lot of these players are synonymous with Real Madrid who are the most successful team in the competition's history 15 wins as a result a handful of Los blanos icons make our list of the 10 greatest players of the Champions League era putting together the list was an extremely difficult task and the likes of case Maro Roberto Carlos Carlos peol Roy Keane David Beckham and Lio and zagi all miss out however it highlights the Staggering number of quality players fans have been treated to watching since the Champions League in its current format began in the early 9s for the purposes of this exercise and to ensure that as many Moder day Legends as possible make the top 10 we are only looking at the Champions League era 1992 onwards this means the likes of Paco gento who has won more European Cups than any player in history alfredo Stephano George best and usabo weren't eligible for selection ranking factors Champions League era 1992 onwards Champions League titles Champions League goals iconic Champions League moments overall Champions League Legacy 10 CLA and seedorf Champions League titles four the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs Clarence seedorf was a model of consistency and adaptability whether for AC Milan Real Madrid or Ajax seedorf Vision passing range and ability to control the Midfield played a crucial role in his team successes the Dutchman's experience and quality were instrumental in AC Milan's mid 2000's dominance and clearly make him one of the best players in champions league history he's certainly not the first name that would spring to mind in a conversation about the greates of the competition but see or's list of achievements in European football speak for themselves nine R Champions League titles three R's exceptional goal scoring ability combined with his leadership skills left an indelible mark on the Champions League a longtime servant to Real Madrid before moving to Shala he won the tournament three times becoming the competition's top scorer until Messi and Ronaldo surpassed him R was the epitome of a clutch player often scoring important goals in crucial moments making him one of the best players in the competition's history unlike zadon the striker was around for the 1998 and 2,000 final successes meaning he retired with three winners medals to his name he also goes down as the third top goal scorer in the history of arguably the biggest club in the world 323 goals in 741 games not a bad record eight Sergio Ramos Champions League titles for Sergio Ramos tenacity leadership and knack for scoring crucial goals notably his equalizer in the 2014 final we're instrumental in Real Madrid's for Champions League titles in 5 years add the fact that his heroic last gas goal came against Real Madrid's biggest Rivals Atletico Madrid and the love fans of Los blanos have for their former Defender is even more understandable his defensive solidity and ability to rise to the occasion made him a Cornerstone of Madrid's European success an incredible Defender and even better leader it's debatable whether Real Madrid would have dominated the champions league as much in the 2010s had it not been for Ramos's presence seven Chavi Champions League titles for Chavi was the architect of Barcelona's tikit taka style that conquered Europe his exceptional vision precise passing and control of the game's Tempo made him the heartbeat of Barcelona winning the Champions League four times Chi's ability to dictate play from Midfield and his outstanding understanding of the game made him instrumental in Barcelona's European success there are few Central midfielders if any that can live up to the Legacy left by the Spaniard who only ever represented the Catalan Giants in the competition he may not have been the biggest star in the baret team but his contributions cannot be downplayed after all he was on the pitch during four separate successes in the tournament and that can't be put down to coincidence six Paulo Malini Champions League titles three Pao Maldini the embodiment of defensive Excellence spent his entire career at AC Milan where he won the Champions League three times Maldini was renowned for his precise tackling excellent positioning and reading of the game rarely resorting to fouls to dispossess his opponents his longevity class and loyalty to AC Milan set a benchmark for future generations of Defenders with the nature of this list it is important to note that Maldini was playing well before the conception of the competition in 1992 and he actually won the European Cup a further two times this puts the Italian hero On a par with many of the Real Madrid players on this list in terms of number of triumphs in the biggest year European competition five Kareem benma Champions League titles five Kareem benma is the fourth highest goal scorer in champions league history 90 goals and also fourth on the alltime appearances list 152 the French Striker unquestionably played his part in Real Madrid's Champions League victories of 2014 2016 2017 and 2018 however he was always content playing second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo and was often in the Portuguese Superstar Shadow as a result after Ronaldo left the bab though Bena further cemented his status as a true modern-day great the top scorer of the 2021 to 22 Champions League campaign and the tournament's best player Benzema inspired Los blanos to their 14th title with one of the best individual campaigns fans have ever seen four Andre Siesta champion League titles for known for his dribbling creativity and Poise Under Pressure andrees Iniesta played a vital role in Barcelona's European success partnering with Chavi and Sergio buset the trio dictated the rhythm of games like no one else has been able to leaving opponents chasing Shadows NES is ability to perform in key moments including his semifinal winner against Chelsea in 2009 further solidified his status as a Champions Le League great the midfielder has many impressive accolades and moments on his CV such as scoring the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final but his four Champions League titles could be the most breathtaking of all three Luca modri Champions League titles six it's fair to say that Luca modrick has exceeded all expectations since joining Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2012 voted La liga's worth signing after a challenging start to life at the Babu the dommin of Croatian took his game to extraordinary levels after eventually finding his feet an integral player in Real Madrid's Champions League triumphs of 2014 2016 2017 2018 2022 and 2024 the supremely gifted modrick has consistently delivered outstanding performances in the biggest European matches one of the greatest passers in football history modi's Majestic out outside of the boot assist against Chelsea in April 2022 stands out and will surely be remembered for many more years to come two Leonel Messi Champions League titles four with 129 goals in the competition Leonel Messi sits second in the Champions League's all-time goal scoring charts the Argentinian Wizards dribbling ability unparalleled Vision exceptional goal scoring and playmaking skills were pivotal to Barcelona's full four titles between 2006 to 2015 the Argentine was devastated to miss the 2006 final against Arsenal through injury but would score vital goals in the 2009 and 2011 finals both against Manchester United while he was unable to bring European glory to Paris St Germain Messi's performances still Drew off from fans and peers alike further cending his position as arguably the greatest player of all time and one of the best in the competi I's history one Cristiano Ronaldo Champions League titles five Cristiano Ronaldo has etched his name into Champions League folklore with countless top tier performances breaking a host of Records in the process his athleticism strength pace and predatory goal scoring skills remain unmatched for the best part of two decades from his breakthrough at Manchester United his goal Laden tenure at Real Madrid followed by stint at Juventus and a return to Old Trafford Ronaldo's influence on the champions league has been transformative and unparalleled his five titles for with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United speak volumes for his competitiveness and dominance as due as 141 goals in the competition the most of anyone in history thanks for watching like And subscribe for daily 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