5 players with the most goals in the Champions League Round of 16
In 2003-04, the second group stage of the UEFA Champions League was replaced by three two-legged knockout rounds - the Round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, before a one-legged final.
Since Porto won the revamped Champions League in 2003-04, 8 other clubs have won the competition in its present format. The latest were Liverpool, who won their 6th title in the competition last season after beating fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
Record 13-time champions Real Madrid are the only club to contest the Round of 16 of the Champions League on each occasion since it was first introduced in 2003-04. Madrid will make their record 17th Round of 16 appearance when the 2019-20 Champions League resumes early next year.
Madrid's Liga counterparts Barcelona hold the record for most Round of 16 aggregate triumphs, doing so on 13 occasions. At the other end of the spectrum, Arsenal's 9 Round of 16 exits in the Champions League is a rather unwanted competition record for the London team.
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Cristiano Ronaldo (30) and Lionel Messi (28) lead a group of 12 players to have played over 20 Champions League Round of 16 games. On that note, let us look at the top 5 Round of 16 scorers in the competition.
#T4 Karim Benzema (9 goals)
The first player after Lionel Messi to score in 15 consecutive seasons in the Champions League, Karim Benzema's haul of 64 goals in the competition is the most by an active player in the competition - behind the leading duo of Cristiano Ronaldo (128) and Lionel Messi (114).
Benzema's 4 titles in the Champions League era are the most behind Ronaldo's tally of 5.
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Benzema has scored Round of 16 goals for two clubs - Olympique Lyonnais and Real Madrid. Only 4 other players have scored more goals in the Round of 16 of the Champions League than Benzema's tally of 9.
The Frenchman scored his most recent goal at this stage of the competition in the first leg of last season's Round of 16 as Real Madrid won 2-1 at Ajax. However, defeat in the second leg at home eliminated the three-time defending champions.
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers