The UEFA Champions League is the ultimate battle arena for the greatest gladiators in Europe. Every year, these modern-day greats put their all on the line to fire their teams to glory, to etch a place in history.
As another enthralling Champions League campaign unfolds, let’s take a look at some of the finest attacking performances the game has ever seen. Join us as we explore the top 10 players who have scored the most goals in a Round of 16 game.
#10 Sadio Mane (Liverpool): 3 Goals Against Porto
Kicking off the list is former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane, having scored a superb hat-trick at FC Porto in the Round of 16 first leg on 14th February 2018. The two teams played out a cagey goalless draw in the return leg at Anfield Stadium, securing Liverpool’s quarter-final berth.
Mane kicked off the party at the Estadio do Dragao in the 25th minute, applying a first-time finish from the left side of the box. Four minutes later, Mohamed Salah got on the scoresheet, exhibiting superb composure in front of the goalkeeper before slotting the ball home. Mane made it two in the 53rd minute before Roberto Firmino chipped in with a fine strike in the 69th minute. Mane sealed his hat-trick in the 85th minute, beating the goalkeeper with an outside-the-box piledriver.
#9 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund): 3 Goals Against Benfica
Portuguese side Benfica were on the receiving end of a mega drubbing in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash with Borussia Dortmund on 9th March 2017. Benfica had the upper hand after clinching a 1-0 win in the first leg, but Dortmund, led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made light work of the turnaround at Signal Iduna Park.
Aubameyang gave Dortmund a dream start in the fourth minute, heading in the second ball from a corner. Christian Pulisic made it 2-0 with a cheeky finish in the 59th minute before Aubameyang put the game to bed with a 61st-minute tap-in. The former Arsenal striker completed his hat-trick with another simple tap-in in the 85th minute.
#8 Robin van Persie (Manchester United): 3 Goals Against Olympiacos
Manchester United legend Robin van Persie played one of the best matches of his illustrious career on 20th March 2014. He scored a sensational hat-trick in front of the Old Trafford faithful, firing Man Utd to the last eight at Olympiacos’ expense.
After the Red Devils suffered a shock 2-0 defeat away at Olympiacos in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg, they were left with a mountain to climb in the second leg. Van Persie stepped up to the plate and pulled the first one back for United from the penalty spot in the 35th minute. Just before half-time, Van Persie made it 2-0, levelling the tie on aggregate. With the momentum firmly with Man Utd, they inevitably scored the third goal (3-2 aggregate), and Van Persie unsurprisingly applied the finishing touch.
#7 Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal): 3 Goals Against Porto
Nicklas Bendtner is not one of the Arsenal greats, but he holds the enviable record of being the first Premier League player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League Round of 16. Bendtner scored said treble in a second-leg 5-0 routing of FC Porto at the Emirates Stadium on 10th March 2010. The Gunners progressed to the last eight with a 6-2 aggregate scoreline.
Bendtner scored his first of the night in the 10th minute. Fifteen minutes later, he put Arsenal 2-0 up, giving them a 3-2 aggregate lead. Samir Nasri (63′) and Emmanuel Eboue (66′) reinforced Arsenal’s lead before Bendtner completed his hat-trick with a well-taken penalty (90+1′).
#6 Adriano (Inter Milan): 3 Goals Against Porto
Former Inter Milan striker Adriano is the sixth name on the list. Not only was his hat-trick against FC Porto in the Champions League Round-of-16 second leg brilliant, but it also proved decisive, as the Nerazzurri sealed a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Inter No. 10 Adriano hit the back of the net in the sixth minute, putting Inter Milan 2-1 up on aggregate on 15th March 2005. He doubled his money in the 63rd minute — six minutes before Jorge Costa pulled one back for Porto. Inter, however, did not lose their cool and regained control, with Adriano ultimately putting the game to bed in the 87th minute.
#5 Sylvain Wiltord (Lyon): 3 Goals Against Werder Bremen
Former Lyon ace Sylvain Wiltord became the first player this century to score a hat-trick in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. Wiltord, who played 92 matches for France, attained the feat in the second leg against Werder Bremen on 9th March 2005. His heroics propelled the Ligue 1 side to a 7-2 victory (10-2 on aggregate).
Wiltord opened the scoring for Lyon in the eighth minute, with Michael Essien adding two more in the 17th and 30th minutes. Johan Micoud pulled one back for Bremen, but it did not inspire a turnaround. Wiltord made it 4-1 in the 55th minute before Florent Malouda pushed Lyon further ahead with his 60th-minute strike. Wiltord completed his hat-trick in the 64th minute — four minutes before coming off. Jeremy Berthod scored Lyon’s last goal in the 80th minute (penalty), while Valerien Ismael got on the scoresheet for Bremen (57′).
#4 Josip Ilicic (Atalanta): 4 Goals Against Valencia
Serie A powerhouse Atalanta sealed a thrilling 4-3 victory over La Liga side Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg on 11th March 2020. The win saw Atalanta progress to the quarters with an emphatic 8-4 scoreline. Atalanta had many guns in their arsenal that day, but Josip Ilicic did not need anyone else. He single-handedly decimated Atalanta, scoring four fine goals.
Ilicic opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the third minute, but Kevin Gameiro restored parity for the hosts in the 21st minute. Just before the break, Atalanta won another penalty, and once again, Ilicic got the job done. Gameiro (51′) and Ferran Torres (67′) fired Valencia into the lead, but Ilicic was not quite done yet. He made the most of his awareness and movement to add two more goals (71′, 82′) to his tally, sealing a 4-3 win for the visitors.
#3 Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich): 4 Goals Against Basel
Bundesliga juggernauts Bayern Munich suffered a shock 1-0 defeat away at Real Betis in the 2011-12 Champions League Round of 16 first leg. They had to put on a show in the second leg at the Allianz Arena, and Mario Gomez ensured home fans had a night to remember. The former Germany international scored four goals as Bayern Munich claimed a thumping 7-0 win over Basel on 14th March 2012, firing them into the quarter-finals.
Arjen Robben scored the opener for Bayern Munich in the 11th minute before Thomas Muller made it 2-0 in the 42nd minute. Just before halftime, Gomez joined the action and had four goals to his name before the last quarter of the game (44′, 50′, 61′, 67′). Robben completed the haul with a fine strike in the 81st minute.
#2 Erling Haaland (Manchester City): 5 Goals Against RB Leipzig
Norwegian goal-machine Erling Haaland hit five as Manchester City claimed an astounding 7-0 win over RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg on 15th March 2023. The victory came on the back of a 1-1 first-leg draw at the Red Bull Arena.
Haaland got off the mark with an expertly taken penalty in the 22nd minute. He doubled his money a couple of minutes later and had his hat-trick in the second minute of first-half added time. His last two goals came in the 53rd and 57th minutes. Ilkay Gundogan (49′) and Kevin De Bruyne (90+2′) also scored for the Cityzens.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 5 Goals Against Bayer Leverkusen
On 8th March 2012, Lionel Messi became the first-ever player to score five goals in a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 game. The Argentine genius attained the extraordinary feat in the second leg against Bayer Leverkusen, helping Barcelona cruise to a thumping 7-1 victory on the night and 10-2 on aggregate.
Messi completed his hat-trick In just 24 minutes, scoring his first goal in the 25th minute, second in the 42nd, and the hat-trick goal in the 49th. Substitute Cristian Tello added Barcelona’s fourth goal at Camp Nou in the 55th minute before Messi made it 5-0 in the 58th. Tello scored another goal in the 62nd minute before Messi capped off the routing with an 84th-minute strike. Karim Bellarabi scored Leverkusen’s consolation goal in the first minute of stoppage time.
