140 UEFA goals: How Mbappé and Haaland are chasing Ronaldo’s record
By Luke Oluoch, September 9, 2026Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé reached new European scoring milestones as the UEFA Champions League returned for the 2026/27 season, with both superstars continuing their relentless climb up the competition’s all-time leaderboard.
In their respective openers, Mbappé helped Real Madrid edge past Inter Milan 2–1, while Haaland netted a decisive brace in Manchester City’s 2–0 victory over Porto on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
Mbappé’s strike moved him into joint-fifth on the all-time Champions League scoring list alongside Real Madrid legend Raúl, reaching 71 goals in 99 appearances across his spells with AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, and Los Blancos.
Meanwhile, Haaland surpassed Thomas Müller to become the seventh all-time top scorer with 59 goals in just 59 matches, maintaining an unprecedented average of a goal per game.
The Norwegian’s brace also brought him to 36 European goals for Manchester City, drawing him level with Sergio Agüero as the club’s joint-highest goalscorer in Champions League history.
All-time UEFA CL scorer
Their remarkable form naturally sparks the question of whether either forward can overtake Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 140 Champions League goals, followed by Lionel Messi with 129 and Robert Lewandowski with 109.
Having already become the fastest player in tournament history to reach 30, 40, and 50 goals, Haaland’s current trajectory puts the peak within striking distance.
At his current output of one goal per match, he would reach 141 goals in roughly 82 more appearances.
Laying siege to Ronaldo’s record?
Assuming he plays between ten and twelve Champions League matches per season, Haaland remains on pace to eclipse Ronaldo’s mark between the ages of 32 and 34.
For Mbappé, maintaining his career average of 0.72 goals per match would see him reach the record in approximately 96 additional games, putting him on track to break it around age 35.
Remarkably, neither Ronaldo nor Messi had reached these goal tallies at the same age, underscoring just how rapidly Mbappé and Haaland are rewriting European football history.
It is also noteworthy that Ronaldo did not have the numbers these two stars boast when he arrived at Manchester United as a 17-year-old, determined to stake his claim and earn his place in the team.
Current All-Time UEFA Champions League Goal Leaders
| Rank | Player | Goals | Matches Played | Goal Ratio |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo 🇵🇹 | 140 | 183 | 0.77 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 | 129 | 163 | 0.79 |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski 🇵🇱 | 109 | 144 | 0.76 |
| 4 | Karim Benzema 🇫🇷 | 90 | 152 | 0.59 |
| T-5 | Kylian Mbappé 🇫🇷 | 71 | 99 | 0.72 |
| T-5 | Raúl 🇪🇸 | 71 | 142 | 0.50 |
| 7 | Erling Haaland 🇳🇴 | 59 | 59 | 1.00 |