The Champions League is the most prestigious club soccer competition in the world. 

Since the inception of the UCL in 1955–56, the Champions League Golden Boot award has been presented to the player with the most goals in the competition or the top scorer.

From Alfredo Di Stéfano to Just Fontaine, Ferenc Puskás, Eusébio, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Gerd Müller, Raúl, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Robert Lewandowski, some of the most prominent players of world football have registered their names on the winner’s list.

Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo has won the most UCL Golden Boot award seven times. Ronaldo won the award six consecutive seasons in 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017–18 all at Real Madrid, winning the Champions League in three consecutive seasons simultaneously.

Champions League Golden Boot winners list Updated 2022

• 2021-22 – Karim Benzema (15 Goals, Real Madrid, France)
• 2020–21 – Erling Haaland (10 Goals, Borussia Dortmund, Norway)
• 2010–20 – Robert Lewandowski (15 Goals, Bayern Munich, Poland)
• 2018–19 – Lionel Messi (12 Goals, Barcelona, Argentina)
• 2017–18 – Cristiano Ronaldo (15 Goals, Real Madrid, Portugal)
• 2016–17 – Cristiano Ronaldo (12 Goals, Real Madrid, Portugal)
• 2015–16- Cristiano Ronaldo (16 Goals, Real Madrid, Portugal)
• 2014–15 – Neymar Jr and Lionel Messi (Barcelona – Brazil and Argentina – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal) – (10 Goals)
• 2013–14 – Cristiano Ronaldo (17 Goals, Real Madrid and Portugal)
• 2012–13 – Cristiano Ronaldo (12 Goals, Real Madrid and Portugal)
• 2011–12 – Lionel Messi (14 Goals, Barcelona and Argentina)
• 2010–11- Lionel Messi (13 Goals, Barcelona and Argentina)
• 2009–10 – Lionel Messi (8 Goals, Barcelona Argentina)
• 2008–09 – Lionel Messi (8 Goals Barcelona Argentina)
• 2007–08 – Cristiano Ronaldo (8 Goals, Manchester United, Portugal)
• 2006–07 – Kaká (10 Goals, AC Milan, Brazil)
• 2005–06 – Andriy Shevchenko (9 Goals, AC Milan, Brazil)
• 2004–05 – Ruud van Nistelrooy (8 Goals, Manchester United, Netherlands)
• 2003–04 – Fernando Morientes (9 Goals, AS Monaco, Spain)
• 2002–03 – Ruud van Nistelrooy (12 Goals, Manchester United, Netherlands)
• 2001–02 – Ruud van Nistelrooy (10 Goals, Manchester United, Netherlands)
• 2000–01 – Raúl (7 Goals, Real Madrid, Spain)
• 1999–2000 – Mário Jardel (FC Porto, Brazil)… Rivaldo (FC Barcelona)… Raúl (Real Madrid)
• 1998–99 – Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine)… Dwight Yorke (Manchester United, Trinidad and Tobago) – (8 Goals)
• 1997–98 – Alessandro Del Piero – (10 Goals, Juventus Italy)
• 1996–97 – Milinko Pantić (5 Goals, Atlético Madrid, Serbia)
• 1995–96 – Jari Litmanen (9 Goals, Ajax Amsterdam, Finland)
• 1994–95 – George Weah (7 Goals, Paris Saint-Germain, Liberia)
• 1993–94 – Ronaldo Koeman (FC Barcelona)… Wynton Rufer (SV Werder Bremen, New Zealand) – (8 Goals)
• 1992–93 – Romário (7 Goals, PSV Eindhoven, Brazil)
• 1991–92 – Sergei Yuran (SL Benfica, Ukraine)…Jean-Pierre Papin (Marseille, France) – (7 Goals)
• 1990–91 – Peter Pacult (Tirol Innsbruck, Austria)… Jean-Pierre Papin (Marseille, France) -(6 Goals)
• 1989–90 – Romário (PSV Eindhoven, Brazil)… Jean-Pierre Papin (Marseille, France) – (6 Goals)
• 1988–89 – Marco van Basten (10 Goals, AC Milan, Netherlands) 
• 1987–88 – Gheorghe Hagi (Steaua București, Romania)…Jean-Marc Ferreri (Bordeaux, France)… Rabah Madjer (FC Porto, Algeria) – (4 Goals)
• 1986–87 – Borislav Cvetković (7 Goals, Red Star Belgrade, Serbia)
• 1985–86 – Torbjörn Nilsson (6 Goals, IFK Göteborg, Sweden)
• 1984–85 – Torbjörn Nilsson (IFK Göteborg, Sweden)… Michel Platini (Juventus, France) – (7 Goals)
• 1983–84 – Viktor Sokol (6 Goals, Dinamo Minsk, Belarus)
• 1982–83 – Paolo Rossi (6 Goals, Juventus, Italy)
• 1981–82 – Dieter Hoeneß (7 Goals, Bayern Munich, Germany)
• 1980–81 – Terry McDermott (Liverpool FC)… Graeme Souness (Liverpool FC)… Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich) – (6 Goals)
• 1979–80 – Søren Lerby (10 Goals, Ajax Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• 1978–79 – Claudio Sulser (11 Goals, Grasshopper, Switzerland)
• 1977–78 – Allan Simonsen (5 Goals, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Denmark)
• 1976–77 – Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich, Germany)… Franco Cucinotta (Zürich, Switzerland) – (5 Goals)
• 1975–76 – Jupp Heynckes (6 Goals, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany)
• 1974–75 – Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich, Germany)… Eduard Makarov (Ararat Yerevan, Armenia) – (5 Goals)
• 1973–74 – Gerd Müller (8 Goals, Bayern Munich, Germany)
• 1972–73 – Gerd Müller (11 Goals, Bayern Munich, Germany)
• 1971–72 – Johan Cruyff (Ajax, Netherlands)… Antal Dunai (Újpest, Hungary)… Lou Macari (Celtic, Scotland)… Silvester Takač (Standard Liège, Serbia Yugoslavia) – (5 Goals (
• 1970–71 – Antonis Antoniadis (10 Goals, Panathinaikos, Greece)
• 1969–70 – Mick Jones (8 Goals, Leeds United, England)
• 1968–69 – Denis Law (9 Goals, Manchester United, Scotland)
• 1967–68 – Eusébio (6 Goals, SL Benfica, Portugal)
• 1966–67 – Jürgen Piepenburg (Vorwärts Berlin, Germany)… Paul Van Himst (RSC Anderlecht, Belgium) – (6 Goals)
• 1965–66 – Flórián Albert (Ferencváros, Hungary)… Eusébio (SL Benfica, Portugal) – (7 Goals)
• 1963–64 – Vladica Kovačević (Partizan, Serbia)… Sandro Mazzola (Inter Milan, Italy)… Ferenc Puskás (Real Madrid, Hungary) – (7 Goals)
• 1962–63 – José Altafini (14 Goals, AC Milan, Italy)
• 1961–62 – Heinz Strehl (1. FC Nürnberg, Germany)… Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid, Argentina)… Justo Tejada (Real Madrid, Spain)… Ferenc Puskás (Real Madrid, Hungary) – (8 Goals)
• 1960–61 – José Águas (11 Goals, SL Benfica, Portugal)
• 1959–60 – (12 Goals, Real Madrid, Hungary)
• 1958–59 – (10 Goals, Reims, France)
• 1957–58 – Alfredo Di Stéfano (10 Goals, Real Madrid, Argentina)
• 1956–57 – Dennis Viollet (9 Goals, Manchester United, England)
• 1955–56 – Miloš Milutinović (8 Goals, Partizan Serbia)

Players with most Champions League Golden Boots

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 7

Years won: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 and 2017–18

Oleg Dubyna from Poltava, Ukraine, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cristiano Ronaldo is the player with the most UCL Golden Boots. The Portuguese forward has a total of seven awards, which include six consecutive awards at Real Madrid and one with Manchester United.

Three of Ronaldo’s Golden Boot awards had three consecutive Champions League. Only second to Ronaldo is Lionel Messi, with six awards.

In 2008 when Ronaldo won his first UCL Golden Boot at Manchester United, he scored eight goals, including a goal in the final against Chelsea FC.

Cristiano Ronaldo leads the list of Portuguese players with the most awards in the 21st century at seven. Iconic players like Eusébio, José Águas, José Torres have won it at least once.

Ronaldo went on to write his name in history books, this time winning the Golden Boot for the third consecutive season, 2014–15, along with Barcelona forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. The Portuguese made it three more victories to become the first-ever player to win the UCL Golden Boot in sixfold.

2. Lionel Messi – 8

Christopher Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lionel Messi has won six UEFA Champions League Golden Boots, all at Barcelona. The Argentine who began his professional football career at the Catalan club also won four consecutive awards from 2009 to 2012.

Messi, despite having a direct competition with Cristiano Ronaldo, won four consecutive UCL Golden Boot even though Ronaldo surpassed Messi’s record by winning six straight awards.

In the 21st century, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo lead the award all-time winners chart. The duo have won 13 trophies amongst themselves.

One of the greatest players in the history of FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi, received six UCL Golden Boots. The Argentine was the first ever to win the award in four consecutive seasons surpassing Gerd Müller’s three straight Boots between 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75, all at Bayern Munich.

Lionel Messi won four consecutive awards, all at FC Barcelona, winning two Champions League. Messi’s first successful outing on the European scene was in 2005 during the Champions League.

2008–09

Messi had an uninterrupted season that saw him win his first award. With nine goals, Messi helped Barcelona win their third UEFA Champions League trophy and the treble.

3. Gerd Müller – 4

Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Gerd Müller is the best German footballer with most UCL Golden Boot awards. Müller received four UEFA Champions League Golden Boot, all at Bayern Munich.

Considered one of the best football players in the sport’s history, Müller was known for his clinical finishing and goal-scoring abilities for club and national teams.

Müller won the German Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, the European Cup and the FIFA World Cup with Die Mannschaft (the German Men’s National Team).

Gerd Müller won three consecutive awards and completed a fourth about two years after. His contributions led Bayern Munich to three European Cup titles.

Gerd Müller was the first European footballer to win three consecutive UCL Golden Boots. German football won three trophies, all at Bayern Munich. In total, Müller won four awards.

4. Eusébio – 3 Goals

Harry Pot / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Eusébio won three UCL Golden Boot awards at Benfica in 1965, 1966, and 1968. He was the first winner of the European Cup Golden Shoe, then as top scorer award.

Eusébio helped Benfica win the 1961–62 European Cup. He remains an unchallenged Portuguese best footballer and the best player in the history of SL Benfica.

Others

Jean-Pierre Papin (3), Ruud van Nistelrooy (3), Ferenc Puskás (3)

History of the UCL Golden Boot

The UCL Golden Boot is an annual award presented to the highest goalscorer of the UEFA Champions League, first awarded in 1956. Serbian footballer Miloš Milutinović was the first to receive the award after scoring eight goals for Partizan Belgrade.

It is more like an honour for the best players with the most goals. Some of the greatest goalscorers in European football history like Eusébio, Gerd Müller, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo have won the award.

Overall, Portuguese players lead the all-time winner’s chart by country with 13 titles, with players like Cristiano Ronaldo with seven titles which include a record-setting six consecutive wins at Real Madrid.