Cristiano Ronaldo's Top 5 Champions League Records

#5 Top goalscorer in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals

Real Madrid v Atletico de Madrid - UEFA Champions League Final

It is during the knockout stages of the Champions League that Ronaldo truly comes alive, with the all-time great thriving on the opportunity to vanquish the greatest goalkeepers and defences in the world.

His ungodly talent mixed with his unparalleled determination have resulted in CR7 being the top scorer in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals of the Champions League.

This record is perhaps his most impressive as it shows that even when he is drawn against the toughest teams in the world he is still able to score goal after goa, appearing almost unfazed by the prospect of playing against such high caliber opponents.

Furthermore, it also demonstrates that when his team need him the most he rises to the challenge time and again to guide them through tough phases.

His rival Lionel Messi meanwhile has faced criticism for becoming less prolific in the knockout rounds of the Champions League over the last 4 seasons.

This criticism is justified considering that the Argentine has scored 0 goals in his last 10 Quarter Final matches in the Champions League and when considering Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in his last 10 Quarter Final matches it undoubtedly puts the Portuguese in a better light.

To illustrate this point more clearly, Ronaldo has double the number of goals as any other player in each of these stages of the competition, demonstrating that his performances in the knockout stages aren't just slightly better than past and present players, but are instead incomparably better.

Quarter Finals goals: Ronaldo 23 goals, Messi 10 goals

Semi Finals goals: Ronaldo 13 goals, Messi 4 goals

Finals goals: Ronaldo 4 goals, Messi 2 goals