There isn’t a player who doesn’t dream of one day having the opportunity to play in the Champions League. Considered to be the most prestigious club competition, but also one of the most difficult in world football, it has been the scene of some of the greatest matches in history, as well as the showcase for some of the best football players of all time.
Among them were a number of English football stars, remembered for their achievements in front of goal. Today, GIVEMESPORT has decided to tell you all about them by listing the 20 most prolific players to have experienced the exhilaration of the great star-studded evenings.
Top English Goal Scorers in Champions League History
Rank
Player
Goals
Appearances
20.
Alan Shearer
7
6
19.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
9
51
18.
Teddy Sheringham
9
30
17.
John Terry
10
109
16.
Anthony Gordon
10
16
15 Michael Owen
Goals in the Champions League: 11
Michael owen
• UCL Appearances: 29
• Clubs: Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester United
Michael Owen achieved plenty in his career, and he remains the most recent Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or, doing so in 2001. With that in mind, it’s perhaps a little surprising to learn that he only ever netted 11 times in the Champions League and never won the thing.
He played in the competition for multi-European champions Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, but never got his hands on the trophy himself. He actually left Anfield just 12 months before the Reds won the competition in 2005. He would later admit that he had ‘mixed emotions’ as he watched his former teammates succeed.
14 Bukayo Saka
Goals in the Champions League: 12
• UCL Appearances: 24
• Clubs: Arsenal
Still only 24 years old, Bukayo Saka will expect to boost up these rankings over the coming seasons. Last season, he made the semi finals with Arsenal, and will hope to go even further in the near future as the Gunners aim to win the competition for the first time in their history.
Saka is scoring at a rate of one goal every other game in Europe’s premier cup competition, and has already bagged more than some brilliant English footballers – as evidenced by this list. With that said, it’s quite remarkable that many still don’t consider him to be world class.
13 Peter Crouch
Goals in the Champions League: 13
• Peter Crouch
• UCL Appearances: 34
• Clubs: Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur
All in all, Peter Crouch is actually a rather underrated goalscorer. Don’t forget, he’s one of just 35 players to have ever scored 100 Premier League goals. He’s also 18th on the all-time list of England goalscorers, with 22 strikes for the Three Lions.
He had some great moments in Europe for both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played off the bench in the 2007 final, having scored three times for the Reds in that year’s tournament. The Anfield outfit would lose 2-1 to AC Milan, but maybe things would have been different had Crouch been trusted to start. In the end, he was given just 12 minutes to make a difference.
12 Theo Walcott
Goals in the Champions League: 15
• Reading v Arsenal – Capital One Cup Fourth Round – The Madejski Stadium – 30/10/12 Theo Walcott celebrates scoring the sixth goal for Arsenal to complete his hat trick Mandatory Credit: Action Images / John Sibley
• UCL Appearances: 59
• Club: Arsenal
Theo Walcott has certainly left his mark on an entire generation. Transferred to Arsenal from Southampton in 2006, he stood out for his inordinate speed, capable of catching the best full-backs in the UK off guard.
But to reduce him to just that would be to pay scant tribute to a player whose career speaks for itself, and who remains one of the best wingers to have played for the North London club. Under Arsene Wenger, Walcott has also proved himself to be a top-class goalscorer. His 108 goals for the Gunners, 15 of them in the Champions League, bear witness to this.
9 Greatest Wingers in Arsenal History (Ranked)
Including Robert Pires and Bukayo Saka, Arsenal have had a plethora of legendary wingers over the years.
11 Jude Bellingham
Goals in the Champions League: 15
• UCL Appearances: 54
• Clubs: Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid
Despite being the youngstest man on this list, Jude Bellingham has already left his mark on the competition. Indeed, he picked up an assist in the 2024 final, setting up teammate Vinicius Junior as the Brazilian made it 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund.
There’s no way Bellingham will be satisfied with just the one trophy, though, and he will expect to regularly compete for the big prizes while he remains at Real Madrid. It’s that sort of mentality which saw him burst onto the scene, making his debut in the competition as a teenager with former side Dortmund.
10 David Beckham
Goals in the Champions League: 16
• Manchester United’s David Beckham celebrates after scoring the fifth goal against Tottenham Hotspur during their English premier league game at White Hart Lane Stadium, central London, September 29, 2001. Manchester United won the game 5-3. REUTERS/Ferran Paredes
• UCL Appearances: 107
• Clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid
Of all the qualities that have enabled David Beckham to embark on a career that would be the stuff of dreams (Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain), his free-kick ability is undoubtedly one of the most recognised.
It’s a weapon that the ‘Spice Boy’ has been able to use in the league, in domestic cups and also in international competitions. In fact, seven of the 16 goals he has scored in his career have been scored in this way. A real trademark for a player who has gone down in history as one of the greatest English players of all time.
9 Marcus Rashford
Goals in the Champions League: 17
• UCL Appearances: 45
• Clubs: Manchester United, Aston Villa, Barcelona
Now at Barcelona, Marcus Rashford has managed to reignite his career somewhat, after it had stalled at Manchester United. That he’s only played 45 times in the competition, despite now being 28, shows how often the Red Devils failed to qualify for the competition.
He’s scored at a decent rate when given the chance in Europe, with 17 goals under his belt and more likely to come. He scored six goals in six games for the Red Decils in 2020/21, but could beat that tally this term, with five goals in eight for Barca.
8 Andy Cole
Goals in the Champions League: 18
• UCL Appearances: 48
• Club: Manchester United
Regarded as one of the greatest No9s ever to play for Manchester United, Andrew ‘Andy’ Cole is equally renowned for his achievements in the Premier League, where he is both the fourth-highest scorer (187 goals) and the sixteenth-highest passer (73 assists) in history, and in the Champions League.
A key figure in the Red Devils’ conquest of the competition in 1999, he stood out in the second leg of the semi-final, scoring the goal that enabled them to overturn a Juventus side in a favourable position and book their place in the final. It was the high point of a European career marked by 48 appearances in the Champions League and 18 goals.
7 Phil Foden
Goals in the Champions League: 20
• UCL Appearances: 68
• Club: Manchester City
At just 25, Phil Foden has one of the most impressive records of his generation. And of all the trophies he has already lifted, the Champions League is perhaps the most prestigious. In this competition, the 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Season has already scored 20 goals in 68 appearances for Manchester City.
Having bagged in key games against the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and RB Leizpig, Foden has often provided moments of quality for Pep Guardiola in this competition. He is another who will aim to win the Champions League more than just once in his career.
6 Steven Gerrard
Goals in the Champions League: 21
• Steven Gerrard with the Champions League trophy
• UCL Appearances: 73
• Club: Liverpool
Ask Steven Gerrard to name his favourite Champions League goal, and he’ll almost certainly refer you to the homeric final in Istanbul. It was a header that resembled a rallying cry, to which his team-mates responded with a single voice as they carried Liverpool to an improbable comeback against the great AC Milan.
It was an eternal moment that two decades have not allowed us to forget, nor will the next two – or any of the following ones, for that matter – erase it from the memories of Reds fans. It is not for nothing that the former England midfielder, the third most capped player in the history of the Mersey club (710 appearances), is nicknamed ‘Captain Fantastic’.
5 Frank Lampard
Goals in the Champions League: 23
• UCL Appearances: 105
• Club: Chelsea
When people talk about Gerrard, they often associate his name with that of Frank Lampard. And while the two midfielders have never played for the same club, they have both left their mark on the history of English football. A legacy that their respective performances in the Champions League have undoubtedly served to legitimise.
Despite the fact that their careers in the most prestigious of competitions have not exactly been the same, there are a few similarities, including the fact that they both scored in a final and lifted the cup with the big ears. Not a bad record, isn’t it?
4 Paul Scholes
Goals in the Champions League: 24
Paul Scholes named best Champions League players he faced
• UCL Appearances: 124
• Club: Manchester United
The beating heart of Manchester United’s midfield, Paul Scholes has certainly left his mark on the Champions League.
Firstly, because of his record of achievements, having made a major contribution to United’s success in 1999 and 2008; secondly, because of his role in the Red Devils’ midfield, combining power, discipline and a clear vision of the game; and thirdly, because of the vital goals he has scored (24 in all), starting with the one that enabled United to eliminate Barcelona in the semi-finals of the 2008 edition. A player whose reliability and consistency are now recognised as one of the best English players of all time.
3 Raheem Sterling
Goals in the Champions League: 27
• UCL Appearances: 88
• Clubs: Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal
Raheem Sterling is a player who is just as talented as he is frustrating. And that’s why he’s in third place in the table, yet arguably only in third place. With a little more precision in the final touch, perhaps he would occupy the throne. Having said that, we have to admit that his record of 27 goals in 88 games is nonetheless quite respectable.
And at just 31 years of age, the England international has struggled to impress in recent seasons and failed to add to his Champions League tally while at Arsenal in 2024/25. It’s hard to imagine the future will bring many more opportunities for Sterling to shine at this level.
2 Wayne Rooney
Goals in the Champions League: 30
• UCL Appearances: 85
• Club: Manchester United
Of all the scenarios Wayne Rooney could have dreamt of when celebrating his Champions League debut, scoring a hat-trick was certainly one of the finest. It was a feat the young striker achieved at the expense of a Fenerbahçe side swept aside by the fury of an 18 year-old boy. But the Turks can rest assured: they would be far from being his only victims.
15 other teams would suffer the wrath of one whose destiny would lead him to become one of the Red Devils’ greatest legends. One of those who win titles and recognition. One of those who make history.
🔴 Wayne Rooney: the sublime attacking talent who realised his potential… ⚽️ Enjoy @WayneRooney’s 30 Champions League goals!@ManUtd | #MondayMotivation | #UCL pic.twitter.com/vCIN1QYyug — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 22, 2021
1 Harry Kane
Goals in the Champions League: 48
• UCL Appearances: 65
• Clubs: Tottenham, Bayern Munich
Unlike Rooney, Harry Kane had to eat his heart out before he too could experience the exhilaration of Europe’s big nights. Until his 23rd birthday, to be precise. All the more impressive, then, to find him at the top of the table. Impressive, yes, but not surprising. For Kane is made of the kind of fire that burns when records are broken.
And he is no stranger to records – he is also the Three Lions’ all-time top scorer. That said, trophies have been a lot harder to come by across his career. Now at Bayern Munich, though, he will feel he has every chance of one day winning the thing, having reached the final with former club Tottenham.
Top English Goal Scorers in Champions League History
Rank
Player
Goals
Appearances
1.
Harry Kane
48
65
2.
Wayne Rooney
30
85
3.
Raheem Sterling
27
88
4.
Paul Scholes
24
124
5.
Frank Lampard
23
105
6.
Steven Gerrard
21
73
7.
Phil Foden
20
68
8.
Andy Cole
18
48
9.
Marcus Rashford
17
45
10.
David Beckham
16
107
11.
Jude Bellingham
15
54
12.
Theo Walcott
15
59
13.
Peter Crouch
13
34
14.
Bukayo Saka
12
24
15.
Michael Owen
11
29
All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 02-24-2026.