Champions League Top Scorer Contenders

The race to be the top scorer in the Champions League is on. Nine players have scored seven goals or more heading into the second legs of the round of 16. 

Much will depend on how far each team goes. Scott Thornton has evaluated the top six candidates for the award by examining their data.

Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Lewandowski Favourite as Guirassy Leads the Way 

Serhou Guirassy – 10 Goals

Serhou Guirassy currently leads the way, netting 10 goals in 11 Champions League matches ahead of Dortmund’s trip to Lille. The striker earned a move to BVB after enjoying a prolific Bundesliga campaign at Stuttgart. His goals helped Sebastian Hoeneß’s side finish second last season. He has continued that fine form at his new club, particularly in Europe. 

Over the past 12 months, Guirassy has been one of the most lethal forwards in Europe. His average of 0.66 non-penalty goals scored per 90 ranks him in the 91st percentile compared with all other forwards across Europe’s top five leagues. The biggest hindrance to Serhou’s chances of finishing as the competition’s top scorer is Dortmund being one of the outsiders to lift the trophy. The striker needs his team to shock a few and reach the final of the competition once again in order to play enough games to stay above his rivals. 

Raphinha – 9 Goals

Hansi Flick has moulded Barcelona’s front line into arguably the most deadly attacking force. Raphinha has been an integral part of their success. The Brazilian found life at the Camp Nou tough when Xavi was at the helm but he has emerged as one of the world’s best players since the change of manager. 

Raphinha has scored 13 goals and registered seven assists in 26 La Liga appearances, helping Barcelona stay ahead of their rivals. His return in the Champions League is even better. The attacker has nine goals in nine appearances, meaning he is hot on the heels of Serhou Guirassy. The wide man’s standout performance in the Champions League was undoubtedly the hat-trick against Bayern Munich as Barca ran out 4-1 victory. His ability to perform against the heavyweights of European football bodes well.

Heading into the next round of fixtures, Barcelona are the favourites to win the competition, meaning the winger should play plenty of matches to increase his goal tally. 

Harry Kane – 9 Goals

Harry Kane made the move to Bayern Munich to secure silverware. He looks set to achieve that aim in the Bundesliga this season but the club bought Kane in order to get them over the line in the Champions League. The Bavarians made it to the semi-finals last season, where they were beaten by Real Madrid. They have one foot in the quarter-finals after their 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Vincent Kompany needs to Kane to be firing if they are to go all the way.

Since joining Bayern, Kane has scored 75 goals in 79 appearances. He scored two goals in the first leg against Bayer Leverkusen, moving him to within a goal of Guirassy. Harry adds a lot to Kompany’s attack. His ability to drop deep and play defence-splitting passes means Bayern’s wide players flourish. However, Kane is still the main man in front of goal and always seems to arrive in the box at the right moment. If Bayern are to reach the final, the England captain should rack up a fair few goals.

Robert Lewandowski – 9 Goals

Many were questioning whether or not Robert Lewandowski was done at the top level at one stage of last season. Since then, he has been reunited with his former Bayern boss, Hansi Flick, and looked like one of the most menacing forwards in world football once again. The Polish legend has scored 21 league goals and leads Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid’s latest Galactico, in the race for the Pichichi and that form has carried into Europe. 

Lewandowski was unable to get on the scoresheet in the first leg against Benfica with Barcelona reduced to 10 men but he has already scored two against the Portuguese side in this year’s Champions League so the return leg at the Camp Nou could be a chance for him to bag a couple of goals. Robert ranks in the top 2% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty xG in the past year. He is also the favourite to finish top scorer in this competition. 

Vinicius Jr. – 7 Goals

Vinicius was key to Real Madrid’s Champions League success last season and he is playing a pivotal role once again. The Brazillian felt hard done by when he was snubbed for the Ballon d’Or but he has responded with more superb performances. Vini’s electrifying pace and willingness to run at the opposition make him impossible to defend. It seems that no full-back in Europe has found the answer.

Vini has scored seven goals in the Champions League so far this season, already overtaking his tally of six from the previous campaign. His ability to come up trumps in the big moments makes him a contender but Real Madrid’s goals are shared amongst their star-studded attack.

Kylian Mbappe – 7 Goals

Kylian Mbappe’s long-awaited move from PSG to Real Madrid finally took place in the summer. The Frenchman has already won the World Cup but he is looking to add the Champions League to his collection. Mbappe took some time to adjust to life in the Spanish capital but he has found his stride in recent months.

Mbappe top scored the Champions League last season with eight goals. He will need to exceed that tally to get his hands on the prize this time around. Kylian has an xG of 8.8 in Europe’s elite club competition, only Erling Haaland, who is now eliminated, has more. Los Blancos are the undisputed kings of the Champions League and are expected to go all the way once again. Kylian had 14 goals in 17 matches in 2025, the sort of form that could see him usurp his rivals in Europe. 

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