5 players who have scored the most goals in UEFA Champions League semi-finals and finals
For every footballer, playing and scoring in the UEFA Champions League is a dream they harbour from a very young age.
Very few are able to do both, and even fewer are able to score in crunch moments in big-game situations when their team needs a source of inspiration. The Champions League is the grandest stage European club football has to offer, and to make a difference when millions are watching is surely an incredible feeling.
Not many can claim to have scored multiple goals in the latter stages of the Champions League, with legends of the game dominating this list.
We look at the:
5 players who have scored the most goals in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and finals
#5 Jari Litmanen | 6 goals (Ajax)
Arguably Finland's greatest ever footballer, Jari Litmanen was a goal-scoring attacking midfielder who enjoyed his best playing spell with Ajax.
Litmanen joined Ajax from MyPa in 1992, and played a crucial role as Ajax won the Champions League in 1995. In the 1995/96 Champions League, the Finland international was the top goalscorer with nine goals, but couldn't stop Juventus from beating Ajax in the finals.
Litmanen made 228 appearances in all competitions for Ajax, scoring 129 goals. He left the club in 1999 for Barcelona and, after a short stint with Liverpool, he returned to Ajax in 2002. However, injuries hindered his playing time at the club and after making appearances for the likes of Lahti, Hansa Rostock and Malmo the 50-year old retired in 2011.
#4 Alessandro Del Piero | 6 goals (Juventus)
One of the greatest players of his generation, Alessandro Del Piero is regarded as a Juventus legend.
Del Piero joined Juventus from Padova in 1993, and thus began an association that would last for 19 seasons. The Italy international was a highly-creative forward with strong technical skills and technical ability, and was utilized in various attacking positions during his time with Juventus.
The forward made 705 appearances for Juventus and even spent a season in Serie B when Juventus were relegated. He scored 290 goals for the Old Lady, and won the Champions League in 1996, when Juventus beat Ajax. Del Piero played a crucial role as Juventus clinched the trophy, scoring six goals and finishing as the second highest scorer.
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