Robert Lewandowski’s sensational season continued with another goal in this weekend’s Champions League quarter-finals, the forward heading home his 14th European goal of the campaign during Bayern Munich’s 8-2 humiliation of Barcelona in Lisbon.
That goal was, incredibly, Lewandowski’s 54th of the season in all competitions, whilst it also saw him continue a brilliant run of scoring in consecutive Champions League fixtures.
Following the forward’s landmark goal, we’ve decided to look back at the longest goalscoring streaks in Europe’s elite competition, here are the five longest goalscoring streaks in Champions League history:
Robert Lewandowski – 8 fixtures*
The man of the moment and a player who seemingly can’t miss at present, Lewandowski has enjoyed the best season of his prolific career for a Bayern Munich side in pursuit of a treble this season.
Lewandowski is the leading scorer in the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League for the current campaign, averaging a goal every 51 minutes for Bayern in Europe this season and quickly closing in on Cristiano Ronaldo’s single season record.
His rich run of form has seen Lewandowski score in every single one of Bayern’s eight fixtures in the competition so far this season, including a brilliant four-goal haul against Red Star Belgrade in the group stages.
The 31-year-old’s scoring sequence has only been bettered by two players in the history of the Champions League/European Cup, whilst he will hope to climb further up these rankings as Bayern seek to be crowned as champions of Europe for the first time in seven years this week.
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Cristiano Ronaldo – 8 fixtures
Cristiano Ronaldo sits as the greatest goalscorer in Champions League history, the Portuguese superstar having scored a phenomenal 130 goals throughout a trophy-laden career amongst Europe’s elite.
Ronaldo has finished as the tournament’s leading scorer in seven separate seasons and holds an extensive collection of Champions League records, including the most knockout stage goals with an incredible 67 scored in the latter stages.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored in eight consecutive fixtures during the 2013/14 campaign, his run including a hat-trick against Galatasaray and braces against the likes of Copenhagen, Juventus and Schalke (twice).
That season also saw Ronaldo lift the trophy for the first time as a Real Madrid player, helping the club to the fabled La Decima as the Spanish giants were crowned as European champions for the tenth time with final victory over city neighbours Atletico.
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Luis Aragonés – 8 fixtures
The all-time record goalscorer in the history of Atletico Madrid, Luis Aragonés was a key player for the Spanish side during a golden period throughout the sixties and seventies.
Aragonés was a gifted footballer and free-kick specialist who scored prolifically for an Atleti side who regularly challenged for major honours during his decade at the club, including reaching the final of the European Cup in 1974 before losing to Bayern Munich in a replay.
Aragonés scored in eight consecutive European Cup fixtures during a career with Atletico that saw him score 172 goals, later taking charge of the club in four separate spells as manager and winning eight trophies to become the most successful coach in the capital club’s history.
The often temperamental and controversial Aragaonés is also remembered as the architect of Spain’s ‘Golden Generation’, leading the nation to a long-awaited major trophy with European Championship success in 2008 and laying the foundations for an era of international dominance.
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Ruud van Nistelrooy – 9 fixtures
Before an era that has been dominated by the goalscoring exploits of the aforementioned Ronaldo and long-term rival Lionel Messi, was a period in which several strikers stated their case as Europe’s finest.
Towards the front of that queue was Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Dutchman enjoying a prolific spell on the Champions League stage during a goal-laden five-year spell at Old Trafford.
Van Nistelrooy finished as the tournament’s leading scorer three times in a four-year period during the 2000s, including a prolific 2002/03 season that saw the Netherlands international score 44 times in all competitions.
That campaign saw Van Nistelrooy set a new record for consecutive Champions League games scored in, netting 12 times over a nine-game spell – including goals against Juventus and Real Madrid – as United reached the quarter-finals.
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Cristiano Ronaldo – 11 fixtures
It will come as little surprise to see Cristiano Ronaldo feature once more on this list, the star having collected an incredible array of Champions League records including the longest consecutive goalscoring streak.
Ronaldo’s run lasted 11 fixtures and began with a goal in Real Madrid’s 2017 final victory over Juventus, his scoring sequence coming during a period that saw the Spanish giants enjoy an incredible three-peat under Zinedine Zidane.
Ronaldo scored in each of the club’s group stage fixtures during the following campaign, before netting in both legs of knockout stage victories over Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, including a 98th minute penalty against the latter which saw Los Blancos progress in dramatic circumstances.
The Portugal international’s scintillating form saw him help Real Madrid to a record-extending 13th European title at the end of the season, becoming the first player to win the trophy five times during the Champions League era.
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