Ranking the 5 favorites to be named 2021-22 UEFA Champions League top scorer
The Champions League 2021-22 season has headed into its knockout stages. It will be interesting to see who will be crowned champions of European football at the end of the season. More speculation around who will be the highest goal scorer has continued to increase as well.
With the competition now in its knockout phase, only the best and most prolific players remain in the competition. They will now vie for the title of the highest goal scorer in the competition this season.
The forwards left in the competition have consistently shown a knack for finding the back of the net this season. The competition has now reached a point where every goal can help lead a striker's team to European glory. It will be up to the pace setters to lead their clubs from the front.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at five players who could be the highest scorers in the Champions League this season.
Honorable mentions for potential top scorers in the Champions League this season
Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, both at Paris Saint-Germain, have each scored five goals in the Champions League. With the French giants expected to go far in the competition, they could potentially score more.
Bayern Munich's Leroy Sane has five goals from seven UCL appearances. He is bested by Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, who has five goals, but from six games. Both players are also capable of scoring more in the upcoming clashes, and they cannot be easily ruled out.
#5 Riyad Mahrez | Manchester City
Not exactly popular for banging in goals on such a regular basis, the Algerian star has shone in the Champions League this season. In his most recent seven games for City in all competitions, Mahrez has scored six goals and assisted two. In the UCL so far, the athletic dribbler has scored a brilliant six goals in seven appearances.
Riyad Mahrez scores in a UEFA Champions League semi-final away to PSG just outside where he grew up with a glorious free-kick.
Can he win the #UCL? 🔥🇩🇿 https://t.co/1sLZuJKFhJ
Much of this has been thanks to Manchester City's attractive, high-scoring style of play. The Cityzens have scored 23 goals in the Champions League this season.
In City's last game against Sporting, where they trounced the Portuguese side 5-0, Mahrez scored a goal and made an assist as well. The Algerian could add to his tally if City progress further in the competition.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United
Like Mahrez on the blue side of Manchester, the Portuguese maestro has scored six goals in seven games. However, unlike Mahrez, Cristiano Ronaldo is highly popular for his goalscoring and is expected to add more goals to his tally.
The star has struggled in the Premier League in recent months, even getting his worst goal drought (six matches) in over a decade. But Ronaldo has flourished in the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores for Manchester United in the Champions League again 🔥 https://t.co/5vSpPTEQB6
Out of Manchester United's 12 goals in the competition, Ronaldo has scored half, which highlights his importance to the club.
The United faithful will be a little worried after their last outing, however, when they drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid in the R16 first leg. Ronaldo failed to determine the proceedings and went largely unnoticed for most of the match.
The star is still capable of showing up unexpectedly at the best possible moment, especially in injury time. The Red Devils will remain hopeful that Ronaldo's form rejuvenates before their next UCL outing, so he can add to his goal tally.