Top 5 active players with the most Champions League appearances

The Champions League scoring charts are the most prized records in world football. While the tournament is known for top players scoring numerous CL goals in their careers, certain young footballers have also lit it ablaze at tender young ages.

A player's career trajectory is never predictable, as it takes variable amounts of time for different players to develop at the professional level and make an impact. The number of appearances in Europe's elite club competition is also a strong indicator of the quality of the player based on his longevity.

While Cristiano Ronaldo still sits atop the all-time goalscoring record in the competition, he is not at the top of this list.

Let us take a look at the active players with the most Champions League appearances:

#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 120 appearances

Former Swedish, Ajax, AC Milan, Barcelona, Iner Milan and PSG striker and talisman, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is fifth on the active list of highest appearance makers in the Champions League with 120 games at the top level.

The former Swedish captain has never won the trophy with any of the clubs he has entered the tournament with. However, he has a shot at winning it this season at Manchester United. Having recently returned from injury, Zlatan is nursing himself back into peak fitness and will be a striking option for Jose Mourinho as the season progresses.

A strong and well-built attacking force, Ibrahimovic has won the league title in four of the five European countries he's played in. However, the Champions League and title in England still remain to be collected for the big man. The 36-year-old is still loving his football and could stay at English giants Manchester United till completes his European trophy collection!

#4 Lionel Messi - 121 appearances

Leo Messi, a footballing genius

By the age of 23, Lionel Messi accomplished what most footballers never achieve in their careers:

He made his Barcelona debut in the summer of 2005 at the tender age of 17, and in six years, by the age of 23, he had already scored 25 champions league goals.

The Argentine also had 3 Champions League trophies, 5 La Ligas titles, and 2 Club World Cups. He also holds the record for scoring the most number of goals in Europe's elite club competition by the age of 23.

The genius also bagged 3 Ballon d'Or's, an Olympic gold medal with Argentina and won the U-20 WC with Argentina before turning 23.

Only the World Cup and the Copa America elude the 30-year-old genius today, as he sits second on the all-time Champions League goalscoring chart behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi is also fourth on the active list of most appearance makers in the Champions League with 121 appearances. He stands ninth on the all-time list.

#3 Andres Iniesta - 126 appearances

Iniesta has won almost everything there is to win in professional football

Spanish and Barcelona midfielder, Andres Iniesta, has won every tournament there is to win for the club as well as the country. A skillful, tricky, and creative midfielder with great vision, technique and dribbling ability, Iniesta is an all-time great baller.

A veteran servant of the Catalan giants, the Spaniard joined the club in 1996 and made his professional debut for them in 2002. Iniesta has gone on to make 126 Champions League appearances during the course of his career and is third on the active list of highest appearance makers.

The Spaniard has great composure on the ball and is a mighty team player who has been at Barcelona for 16 years now. He currently serves as the captain of the club. Taking over from Xavi as the leader of the team, the 33-year-old will be keen to make another WC appearance for Spain in Russia next year.

He is also sixth on the all-time list of highest appearance makers in the Champions League behind Ryan Giggs, who stands at 141 appearances.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo - 146 appearances

You cannot talk about the Champions League without talking about Ronaldo!

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner and Real Madrid talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, has been in sublime form for the past decade. The Portuguese sensation is second on the active list and third on the all-time list of highest appearance makers in the Champions League, with 146 appearances.

Cristiano Ronaldo is also the competition's leading goal scorer. From 2010-11 to 2015-16, the attacking player scored over 50 goals in six consecutive season across all competitions, making him the first man to achieve this feat.

The former Manchester United player is also the only footballer to finish as Champions League top-scorer in five consecutive seasons. On course for a third consecutive Champions League victory, Ronaldo and Madrid will be wary of the Round of 16 draws, given Tottenham Hotspur have finished above them in their group.

However, with Ronaldo spearheading their path, a hat-trick of Champions League victories is still a large-looming possibility for the Spanish club.

#1 Iker Casillas - 166 appearances

Iker Casillas is still at the top of many charts!

Former Real Madrid and Spanish captain, Iker Casillas, currently plies his trade for Porto Fc, which plays in Portugal. One of only four Spanish players to play in four WC's, Casillas was also only the third captain in the history of the game to in the World Cup, European Championship, and the Champions League, after Franz Beckenbauer and Didier Deschamps.

With 166 Champions League appearances to his name, Casillas tops this list by a considerable margin. The Spaniard spent 16 years in the Real Madrid first team before moving to Porto in 2015. The 26-year-old has won every competition there is to win with club and country and is widely regarded among the best European keepers of all-time.

Casillas began his club career at Real Madrid in 1999 and has gone on to make over 160 appearances for Spain during his illustrious career. Still a part of the setup, Casillas has not yet called time on his international career and must be eager to make it to the 2018 WC squad for Spain.