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The European Champion Clubs’ Cup, introduced in 1955, has been known as the UEFA Champions League since 1992.
That was the year when the round-robin and group stage were introduced. Real Madrid (13 titles) are the most successful club in competition history, winning the European Cup six times and the newly-branded Champions League on a record seven occasions.
With some of Europe’s elite clubs competing in the competition, it is no surprise the Champions League has been graced by some of the greatest players to have played the game. That includes the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho, to name a select few.
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So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the five greatest Champions League players of all time.
#5 Xavi
Xavi Hernandez is one of the greatest players to have graced the game, winning four Champions League titles during his illustrious career at Barcelona.
The 'Puppet Master' earned the nickname for his ability to control the game from the heart of the Barcelona midfield. The now-retired Xavi is one of the most skilful players of the modern era.
He had an immaculate range of passing and possessed the ability to dribble past the opposition to find pockets of space in the opposition defence. Pep Guardiola’s employment of the 'tiki-taka' system in his years at Barcelona was successful, thanks to Barcelona's terrific midfield trio of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.
Xavi is arguably the best midfield metronomes in modern football. He functioned as the pivot in a Barcelona team that won the sextuple in 2009. In 157 Champions League games, the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner accumulated a tally of 12 goals and 33 assists.
He was the first player to make 150 appearances in the Champions League, a tally that has since been bettered by only two other players.
#4 Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Seedorf is one of the finest-ever playmakers in the Champions League era. He has the unique distinction of winning European club football's blue-riband competition with three different teams.
The Dutch playmaker represented some of Europe’s elite clubs, including Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan. He played a crucial role in four Champions League wins at these three clubs and won every major trophy he competed for.
Seedorf is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to have graced the Champions League. He averaged a Champions League winner's medal every 32.75 appearances. In 131 Champions League games, the Dutchman notched up 12 goals and 27 assists while predominantly playing in central midfield.
The now-45-year-old was one of the first names in each of the top clubs he represented. Seedorf started his career at Ajax’s reputed youth academy before working his way up the ranks to win the 1994-95 Champions League. He would go on to win another championship with Real Madrid three years later and two with AC Milan in the 2000s.
#3 Andres Iniesta
A product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, Andres Iniesta is one of the greatest and most elegant playmakers in Champions League history.
Along with Xavi, Iniesta played a pivotal part in Barcelona’s historic sextuple-winning team in 2009. The 2010 FIFA World Cup winner had the penchant of rising to the occasion. A prime example of that was his winning goal in the 2008-09 Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.
Iniesta scored a memorable last-minute winner to hand Barcelona a 1-1 aggregate win on away goals. The current Vissel Kobe midfielder would go on to win four Champions League titles with his boyhood club, registering 132 Champions League appearances.
Andres Iniesta’s most memorable Champions League campaign was arguably in 2010-11, where he notched up seven assists and scored a goal to win his second title in three years.
#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has dominated European football for the last two decades and is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the Champions League.
The Argentine wizard is the second-highest goalscorer in the competition, scoring 120 goals in just 149 appearances. La Pulga is the joint-record holder for the most hat-tricks (8) in the Champions League and has scored in a record 17 consecutive seasons in the competition for the Blaugrana.
Messi is fourth in the list of most Champions League appearances but hasn't won the competition in six years.
Lionel Messi has won four Champions League titles in his illustrious career and was one of the La Masia graduates who formed arguably, the best football team of the 21st century.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is unquestionably the greatest-ever player in the history of European football’s premier club competition.
The Portuguese holds almost every major record in the Champions League. He is the leading goalscorer and assist provider and has the joint-most hat-tricks in competition history. Ronaldo is the only player to score in three Champions League finals.
He is also the only player to score for two winning teams in the final, the only one to score in 11 successive games, the only one to score in all six group-stage games in a season, and one can go on and on…
Ronaldo thrives in big-match and pressure situations, and Champions League football provides him the grandest of stages to display his generational talent in front of a global audience. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has made 176 appearances in the Champions League proper (group stage to final), which is the most by any outfield player and second-most by any player in competition history.
The Juventus striker has amassed record tallies of 134 goals and 40 assists in the Champions League. His exploits form the most spectacular chapter in the history of the competition.
Honourable Mentions: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona, Inter Milan), Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid, Schalke).
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