5 English players with the most goals in Champions League history

Wayne Rooney (left) and Paul Scholes excelled in Europe for Manchester United.

English clubs have enjoyed a resurgence in recent Champions League editions. After Liverpool's win over Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 final, Chelsea edged past Manchester City in another all-English affair in 2021.

It marks a shift in power after Spanish clubs won six of ten finals between 2010 and 2020. Before that, in the 2000s, Premier League teams were extremely competitive in Europe.

Liverpool and Manchester United won the Champions League within a few years of each other. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Arsenal made appearances in the final and semi-finals of the prestigious tournament.

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How have English players fared in the Champions League?

Despite putting up strong showings in recent UCL editions, English teams have relied on their overseas stars to deliver the goods. The likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea do not usually field too many English talents up front these days.

Nonetheless, quite a few members of England's 'golden generation' of the 2000s grabbed the tournament by the scruff of its neck and delivered on the biggest stage. On that note, here's a look at the top five English goalscorers in Champions League history:

#5 Steven Gerrard (21 goals in 73 appearances)

Steven Gerrard during a game against Real Madrid

Liverpool's legendary captain Steven Gerrard led the Reds to a famous Champions League triumph in 2005.

It came as a relief to the English giants, who regularly did well in Europe under the midfielder's leadership, but seemed to unravel at the business end of the tournament.

🔴 Steven Gerrard. Inspirational.

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A one-club man, Gerrard played 710 games for the Reds, scoring 186 goals and providing 150 assists. His long-range passing and driving runs from midfield helped him score 21 times and assist 14 goals in Europe's club premier competition.

Gerrard played in nine different editions of the Champions League, with his best return of seven goals from eight games coming in 2008-09. He also made 114 appearances for England, captaining the national team regularly.

#4 Frank Lampard (23 goals in 105 appearances)

Frank Lampard smashed Chelsea's scoring record.

Arguably the greatest goalscoring midfielder of all time, Frank Lampard is Chelsea's record scorer with 211 goals and 150 assists in 648 games. The Englishman was a vital cog in the Blues' midfield for over a decade, playing in 11 different editions of the Champions League.

🔵 Frank Lampard assist for Ramires at Camp Nou ⚽️

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He was part of the squad that lost the 2008 final to Manchester United before finally winning the elusive trophy in 2012 against Bayern Munich.

Lampard racked up goals with quiet consistency, and never scored more than four goals in a single edition of the tournament. He also provided 29 assists to go with his 21 UCL goals, though.

Lampard was prolific for his country as well, scoring 29 goals in 106 appearances for England.