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The UEFA Champions League has seen many great goalscorers, and with Karim Benzema powering in a header and improving his mins/goal ratio considerably, we take a fresh look at the top 10 strikers ranking them on the basis of the minutes they have taken to score each goal. As you would assume, the man with the least minutes taken is no. 1
The minimum criteria is that the player should have scored at least 20 goals in the Champions League proper – not as easy a task as the number suggests. If you really think 20 is too low, that’s because Messrs. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have spoilt you and skewed your perception of what is normal.
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All stats via the good folk at Opta
10. Robin Van Persie – 145 mins/goal
Goals Scored – 25
Robin van Persie would surely have had more goals if he had remained fully fit for the vast majority of his early career. The majority of RVP’ s 25 Champions League goals came whilst clad in the red and white of Arsenal, but one of his best strikes did come while he wore the red of Manchester United
9. David Trezeguet – 143 mins/goal:
Goals scored – 29
The Frenchman was a key component of the majestic Juventus sides of the late 90’s and early 00’s. Combining with the little genius Alessandro Del Piero, he was the lethal cutting edge of one of Europe’s best sides at the time. His 29 goals came at a rapid rate of one every 143 minutes
8. Robert Lewandowski – 129 mins/goal
Goals Scored - 38
The Polish superstar was a slow starter, but he stands as a testament to the fact that you can be as good as you think you can if you work hard enough. Having started with just two European goals in his first two seasons at Borussia Dortmund, he is now arguably in the two top strikers in the Champions League (i.e. in the world) and has already scored 38 goals. He doesn’t look he is going to stop anytime soon either, sorry Arsenal
7. Simone Inzaghi – 123 mins
Goals Scored – 20
The lesser known of one of the world’s greatest goal-getting families (two brothers, just to clarify), Simone was a darn good goal poacher who had a commendable record with one of the 2000s most intriguing sides, SS Lazio. He netted 20 goals for the blue half of Rome, especially starring in this 5-1 evisceration of Olympique Marseille.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo – 122 mins/goal
Goals – 95; no in history has more in the UEFA Champions League
The Champions League’s most storied goalscorer has a higher minutes/goal ratio than you would expect, but that’s primarily down to his early to his early days at Manchester United, and Sporting Lisbon, where he started off life as a flying right winger.
If you take into consideration only his Los Blancos career – he’s netted 80 in 82... and if you assume he played 90 mins in all 82 games that's a goal every 92.25 minutes
5. Karim Benzema – 120 mins/goal
Goals Scored – 51
The underrated Frenchman reached goal no. 51 with a thumping header against Monaco and the process overtook Cristiano Ronaldo on this list. He has the third highest goals in the Champions League (of the players currently playing) and it will take a brave man to bet against him netting even more.
4. Filippo Inzaghi – 119 mins/goal
Goals Scored – 46
Sir Alex Ferguson once said of Inzaghi that “the lad was born offside”, but forgive the Scot his exaggeration and there were few goal poachers on ‘Super Pippo’s’ level with an off the ball movement that should be taught at football schools everywhere.
His 46 goals came across Juventus and AC Milan, although the majority were with the Rossoneri
3. Ruud van Nistelrooy – 109 mins/goal
Goals Scored - 56
The deadly Dutchman had that incredible ability to be in the right place at the right time – and come up with the right finish almost every single time. The man had underrated pace and a ruthless streak that made him fan/manager favourite wherever he went.
2. Mario Gomez – 102 mins
Goals Scored – 26
The German may have the lowest goals tally in the top 6, but an absolutely incredible ratio of a goal every 102 minutes (just under a goal a game) sees him bag the 2nd position on the list. The majority of his goals came playing for mighty Bayern Munich and he had no better season than the 11-12 one where he bagged 13 goals in just the 14 games.
1. Lionel Messi – 99 mins/goal: 93 goals
93 goals and one every 99 minutes – and then you realise that that he had only two goals in his first 12 games (first three seasons) – this man isn’t just a scorer of great goals, he’s arguably the greatest goalscorer of them all.
How Barcelona could use 4 more of them come March and Paris-Saint Germain’s visit to the Camp Nou.
