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.
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.
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.
#3 Mohamed Salah | Liverpool
In all the top five leagues in Europe, there arguably isn't a player more in form than Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian maestro is currently ruling the club football with 27 goals and 10 assists in 32 appearances in all competitions so far.
He has been instrumental in Liverpool's run in the Premier League title race. If the Reds lift the Champions League trophy, he will likely play a key role as well.
So far this campaign, seven appearances in the Champions League have seen Salah glean a brilliant eight goals. With the star taking an average of just three shots per game, it's clear that Salah's clinical ability is on full display.
Liverpool are looking forward to reaching the final of the Champions League. If they do, Salah's goals along the way will likely propel him to the top of the rankings.
#2 Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski has scored nine goals and made two assists in seven appearances for Bayern Munich in the competition so far.
Lewandowski's goalscoring reputation hardly needs an introduction, with the star set to score over 50 overall goals in total this season. He is currently on 39 goals in 34 games in all competitions.
Similar to Manchester City, Bayern Munich enjoy a high-intensity, high-scoring game, and Lewandowski has flourished in that environment. The Bavarians have scored 23 goals in the competition, putting Lewandowski's input at an important 39%.
There's no telling how many more goals the poacher could yet score. But if his recent games are any indication, the star could easily finish with the most goals. Lewandowski has managed 12 goals in the last 10 games, and we can only wait to see what more he does before the season's curtains fall.
#1 Sebastien Haller | Ajax
Perhaps the most unexpected name on this list, Sebastien Haller has found blistering form with the Dutch giants this season.
The former West Ham United man has shown his quality in the Eredivisie, scoring 16 goals and assisting six in just 21 games. However, his Champions League outings have shown even better numbers in front of goal. He has scored 11 goals and made two assists in just seven appearances so far.
There's a very good chance that players like Lewandowski will eventually overtake Haller. This is because Ajax are not expected to go far in the Champions League this season.
However, if the Ivorian is able to add a few more goals to his current tally, he could finish head and shoulders above the next best striker. This will certainly be an unprecedented feat, considering that his name was not even in the discussion at the start of the season.