Champions League is finally back and all the eyes will be on stars such as PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. After both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo left European soccer to join MLS and Saudi Arabia, respectively, these two talents in particular take center stage.
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While Mbappe is still looking to win his first Champions League trophy, Haaland managed to win the tournament in his first season at Manchester City after beating Inter in the final, 1-0. However, they are both leading two of the most likely candidates to win the 2023-24 edition of the UEFA Champions League. But let's take a closer look at the two players, who can set new records in the upcoming games and more.
Mbappe scored 43 goals in 67 matches played in the Champions League with AS Monaco and PSG, while Haaland scored 40 goals in 35 games played with RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City. In his first-ever Champions League game with Salzburg, he scored three goals against Genk, becoming the first player in the history of the competition to score a hat trick in his debut -- a clear signal that he was ready to make history. During that first season with Salzburg, Haaland scored eight goals in six games played before joining BVB in the winter and then scored two in two games against PSG. In the following two seasons in Germany, he scored 13 goals in 11 games and then he moved the Manchester City in the summer of 2022. In his first season under Pep Guardiola, he scored 12 in 11 before winning the Champions League against Inter in Istanbul.
Ronaldo and Messi set a series of goalscoring milestones in European football, but while they remain the only players to have scored 100 UEFA Champions League goals, some of their other records in the world's elite club competition are now in danger, thanks to players like Haaland and Mbappe. In fact, Robert Lewandowski (92 goals after 116 games) could reach the 100 mark in fewer appearances than either Messi or Ronaldo. After scoring against RB Leipzig last season, Haaland reached 40 goals in the competition in fewer games and at a younger age than any other player, including the two stars mentioned above. Haaland was able to make it happen at 23 years and 130 days old, while Mbappe did it at 23 years and 317 days old.
UCL top scorers
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | GAMES PLAYED | GOALS SCORED | CLUBS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 187 | 141 | Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus |
2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 163 | 129 | FC Barcelona, PSG |
3 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | 115 | 92 | Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona |
4 | Karim Benzema | France | 152 | 90 | OM, Real Madrid |
5 | Raul Gonzalez Blanco | Spain | 144 | 71 | Real Madrid, Schalke 04 |
6 | Ruud Van Nistelrooy | Netherland | 81 | 60 | PSV, Manchester United, Real Madrid |
7 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | 116 | 59 | Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan, Chelsea |
8 | Thomas Muller | Germany | 148 | 53 | Bayern Munich |
9 | Thierry Henry | France | 115 | 51 | AS Monaco, Arsenal, FC Barcelona |
10 | Filippo Inzaghi | Italy | 85 | 50 | Juventus, AC Milan |
11 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Argentina | 58 | 49 | Real Madrid |
11 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden | 128 | 49 | Ajax, Juventus, Inter, FC Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG |
13 | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | 89 | 48 | Basel, AS Roma, Liverpool |
14 | Sergio Aguero | Argentina | 83 | 47 | Atletico de Madrid, Manchester City |
14 | Eusebio | Portugal | 63 | 47 | Benfica |
16 | Alessandro Del Piero | Italy | 92 | 44 | Juventus |
16 | Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | 94 | 44 | OM, Chelsea Galatasaray |
18 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 66 | 43 | AS Monaco, PSG |
18 | Neymar Jr. | Brazil | 81 | 43 | FC Barcelona, PSG |
20 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 35 | 41 | RB Salzburg, BVB, Manchester City |
The next step for the Norwegian striker will be to score 50 Champions League goals: the current record was set by Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored 50 goals after 62 games, but it looks likely that Haaland will break this record before as he already scored 40 in 35 games. Lionel Messi was the youngest player to score 50 goals when he was 24 years and 284 days old.
Mbappe scored 43 goals in 66 Champions League games and can match Messi's record of 60 in his first 80 matches, while FC Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski only record so far is that he scored his first 80 Champions League goals in 100 games (two fewer than it took Messi to reach the same mark). On 92 goals after 116 games, his next target is to become the fastest man to reach 100 (it took record-holder Messi 123 games).
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola spoke about Haaland before the game against Copenaghen and said, "Not even Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo had these numbers at his age. He has settled in very well, I have an incredible group of players who know how to welcome new players and Erling has also been able to see this." Both Haaland and Mbappe are already in the top 20 of the best goalscorers of all time in the Champions League, but still far away from Cristiano Ronaldo (141) and Lionel Messi (129). However, the feeling is that it's only a matter of time before they will break their records. For sure, they are in a good position to make it happen especially considering their young age.
How to watch
Every minute of Champions League action, including the UEFA Champions League Today pre-game and post-game shows, will stream live on Parmount+. CBS will also carry pre-game coverage and air one match a day during the round of 16, while CBS Sports Network will also show the post-game show.
CBS Sports Golazo Network will also be home to several hours of coverage, including CBS Sports Golazo Matchday, which will begin before the matches and run until the final whistle. Scoreline will handle post-match coverage with two separate shows that evening, while The Champions Club will provide additional updates. CBS Sports Golazo Network will cap off the first day of Champions League round of 16 coverage with the return of Kickin' It, which will feature two-time Women's World Cup winner Ali Krieger as a guest.
