The new-look Champions League for 2024/25 has reached its semi-final stage.
In the last four of the continental competition, Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona take on Inter for a place in the final in Munich.
Over the years, it has often been the teams with the most clinical forwards that have advanced to the final.
Here, a look at the players with the most goals in European Cup and Champions League semi-finals…
Zinédine Zidane (4 goals – Juventus, Real Madrid)
Zinédine Zidane helped Juventus to the Champions League final in 1997 and again in 1998, but finished as a runner-up both times.
The former France forward scored in 4-1 wins over Ajax and Monaco, respectively, en route to those finals. With Real Madrid, he netted in a 2-0 victory at Camp Nou against Barcelona in the teams’ semi-final first leg in May 2002 and went on to score the winner against Bayer Leverkusen in the final. The following season, he was on target late on in a 3-1 defeat to former club Juventus in Turin, but could not prevent a 4-3 aggregate loss.
Andriy Schevchenko (4 goals – Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan)
A two-time Champions League finalist with AC Milan, Andriy Schevchenko scored the only goal of the tie as the Rossoneri beat city rivals Inter on away goals en route to the title in the semi-finals in 2002/03 and was on target in a 2-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in 2005.
Shevchenko had previously scored twice for Dynamo Kyiv in a 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals in 1998/99. The Ukrainian side lost the second leg 1-0 in Germany to go down 4-3 on aggregate.
Riyad Mahrez (4 goals – Manchester City)
Riyad Mahrez scored three times across two legs as Manchester City beat Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals in 2020/21, with Pep Guardiola’s side going on to lose the final to Chelsea.
The following season, the Algerian attacker put City 5-3 ahead on aggregate with a goal against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in the last four, ony for two late Rodrygo strikes and a Karim Benzema effort in extra time to win it for Los Blancos. An unused substitute in the 2023 Champions League final as City beat Inter to complete the treble, Mahrez came off the bench as the Sky Blues beat Real Madrid 4-0 at the Etihad in the last four.
Thomas Müller (4 goals – Bayern Munich)
Thomas Müller scored three times across the two legs as Bayern Munich battered Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals in April and May 2013.
A winner that year and again in 2020, Müller was also a finalist in 2012. His other Champions League semi-final goal came in a 3-2 win over Barcelona in May 2015, with Bayern beaten 5-3 on aggregate.
Arjen Robben (4 goals – Bayern Munich)
A Champions League and treble winner with Bayern Munich in 2012/13, Arjen Robben scored for the Bavarians’ in their 4-0 first-leg win over Barcelona in the semi-finals and netted the opener in a 3-0 victory in the second match at Camp Nou.
Robben also scored Bayern’s goal from the penalty spot in a 2-1 loss against Real Madrid in the semi-finals the previous season as the Bundesliga giants went on to win in a shootout. In total, the Dutch winger scored four times in Champions League semi-finals for Bayern.
Sadio Mané (4 goals – Liverpool)
Sadio Mané scored in each leg as Liverpool beat Roma 7-6 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals in 2018 and was also on target in both games as the Reds sealed a 5-2 victory over Villarreal in the last four in 2022.
Jürgen Klopp’s side went on to lose the final to Real Madrid both times, but Mané was part of the Liverpool side which defeated Tottenham 2-0 to win the trophy in 2019.
Vinícius Júnior (4 goals – Real Madrid)
Vinícius Júnior scored the only goal of the game as Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the 2022 Champions League final at the Stade de France and the Brazilian was also on target in the semi-final against Manchester City, netting in a 4-3 first-leg defeat at the Etihad.
Against City the following season, Vinícius opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, but Madrid lost the second leg 4-0 in Manchester. En route to another title in 2024, the Brazilian netted both in a 2-2 first-leg draw away to Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
Jari Litmanen (5 goals – Ajax)
Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals three times in a row in the mid-1990s and Jari Litmanen scored five times in those matches.
The former Finland forward scored twice in a 5-2 win over Bayern Munich en route to the trophy in April 1995, netted two more in a 3-0 victory away to Panathinaikos as the Amsterdam club made the final the following season and added another in a 2-1 loss to Juventus the following year.
Eusébio (5 goals – Benfica)
Eusébio scored 46 goals in 75 European Cup appearances for Benfica and helped the Lisbon giants to the title in 1962.
A finalist again in 1963, 1965 and 1968, the legendary Portugal forward was on target five times in semi-final matches in a hugely successful 14-year career with the Eagles.
Alessandro Del Piero (5 goals – Juventus)
Alessandro Del Piero played in four Champions League finals, winning the competition in 1996 before finishing as a runner-up in 1997, 1998 and 2003.
Del Piero netted 42 goals for Juventus in 89 Champions League appearances overall, including five in semi-final matches for the Bianconeri.
Lionel Messi (6 goals – Barcelona)
Lionel Messi is the Champions League’s second-highest scorer of all time, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, and a four-time winner of the competition with Barcelona.
The Argentine forward netted 129 goals in the Champions League overall, with six of those strikes coming in semi-final matches – including both in a 2-0 win away to Real Madrid in April 2011.
Robert Lewandowski (7 goals – Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich)
Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski is the only other player to have scored over 100 goals in the Champions League.
Lewandowski scored all four for Borussia Dortmund in a 4-1 win over Real Madrid in the teams’ semi-final first leg in April 2013 and went on to add three more in last-four matches during his time at Bayern Munich. The Pole was a winner with the Bavarians in 2020.
Ferenc Puskás (7 goals – Real Madrid)
Ferenc Puskás scored 36 goals in the European Cup and the legendary Hungarian forward is the only player to hit hat-tricks in two finals.
A three-time winner with Real Madrid, Puskás netted seven goals for Los Blancos in European Cup semi-finals in a hugely successful eight-season spell in Spain in the 1950s and 1960s.
Karim Benzema (8 goals – Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema won the Champions League five times as a Real Madrid player and is the competition’s fourth-highest scorer with 90 goals.
The French forward netted 78 times for Los Blancos in the Champions League, including eight in the semi-finals. Before moving to Madrid, he scored 12 goals in the competition for Lyon.
Alfredo Di Stéfano (11 goals – Real Madrid)
Alfredo Di Stéfano signed for Real Madrid in 1953 and the Argentina-born forward led Los Blancos to five consecutive European Cups from 1956 and 1960.
Di Stéfano scored 49 goals in the European Cup in just 58 appearances. In the semi-finals, he netted 11 times for Los Blancos.
Cristiano Ronaldo (13 goals – Manchester United, Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo is the Champions League’s all-time top scorer with 140 goals and the Portuguese also leads the way for semi-final strikes.
A five-time Champions League winner, Ronaldo scored 13 semi-final goals in total, with 10 of those coming with Real Madrid and three at Manchester United.
