Ranking the 5 greatest match-winners in UEFA Champions League history
The UEFA Champions League is the blue-riband event of European club football for almost three decades. Over the years, some of the best players and teams have graced the competition.
It is often the best players in the world who prove to be the difference makers in the competition. They have the ability to produce moments of magic on the grandest stage when their teams need it the most.
Players such as Zinedine Zidane, Steven Gerrard, Arjen Robben and Andreas Iniesta, to name a few, have all scored key goals in the Champions League. The ability to produce the goods in the Champions League is what separates great players from the good.
On that note, here's a look at the five greatest match-winners in UEFA Champions League history:
#5 Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o was widely considered to be one of the best strikers in the world during his time with Barcelona and Inter Milan. He scored several key goals for Barcelona during his five years with the club. Eto'o was often the difference maker in the Champions League.
Eto'o was a prolific scorer for Barcelona, netting 130 times across competitions. But two of his most notable goals for the Spanish giants came in the Champions League finals against Arsenal in 2006 and Manchester United in 2009.
🇨🇲 Samuel Eto'o hat-trick #OTD in 2005 ⚽️⚽️⚽️
👏 @setoo9
#UCL | @FCBarcelona https://t.co/WE2vfvHscp
Eto'o is only the fourth player in the Champions League history to win the competition with two different teams. But he is the only one to win consecutive European trebles with two different clubs. After helping Barcelona do so in 2008-09, he repeated the trick with Inter Milan in 2009-10.
#4 Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini spent his entire 25-year football career with AC Milan. He helped the club win five Champions League titles (one in the pre-Champions League era). Maldini also won seven Serie A titles and four European/UEFA Super Cups, among other honours.
The Italian captained AC Milan for over a decade, forming a formidable partnership in the centre of defence with Alessandro Nesta. Maldini holds the record for most appearances for AC Milan, making 902 appearances for the club and scoring 33 goals. One of those strikes came in the 2005 Champions League final, which Milan lost after squandering a three-goal half-time lead.
Paolo Maldini with the Champions League trophy after AC Milan beat Barcelona 4-0 in the Final in Athens
#OTD 1994 https://t.co/VSUIENDouq
Maldini captained AC Milan to two Champions League titles (2003, 2007). His ability to produce warrior-like performances for AC Milan on the biggest stage. That made him one of the greatest match-winners in Champions League history.