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5 Players With Most Appearances In History

5 Players With Most Appearances In History

Every player worth his salt dreams of walking out onto the pitch under the floodlights and soaking in the immortal feeling the UEFA Champions League anthem carries. This sensation is priceless, as only a handful manage to keep themselves relevant enough to experience it over and over again. Only the very best go on to become a Champions League veteran.

Today, we will meet a chosen few who have cemented their names in the storied history of the European Cup/Champions League. Here are the five players who have played the most games in the history of the tournament of champions:

#5 Karim Benzema: 152 Matches

Karim Benzema Has Won 5 UCL Trophies In His Career

Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema played 152 matches in the UEFA Champions League before jetting off to Saudi Arabia in July 2023. The French superstar represented Los Blancos in 133 UCL fixtures, scoring 78 times and claiming 27 assists. His other 19 Champions League games came for his boyhood club Olympique Lyon. He scored 12 times and provided three assists for the French outfit between 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons.

Benzema won a joint-record five UCL trophies with Real Madrid (2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2021-22). The 2021-22 season was by far the most memorable of his career, with him pitching in with a campaign-best 15 goals in 12 games to fire Los Merengues to their 14th UCL trophy. Benzema’s heroics in the 2021-22 season won him the Ballon d’Or in November 2022.

#4 Xavi Hernandez: 157 Matches

Barcelona Legend Xavi Claimed 31 UCL Assists In His Career

Barcelona coach Xavi was a force to be reckoned with during his playing career, going down as one of the best midfielders the UEFA Champions League has ever seen. He played a whopping 157 games in the competition — all for his boyhood club Barcelona. The former Spain superstar scored 11 times and provided 31 assists during his illustrious UCL run.

Xavi won the competition four times. His first one came in 2005-06, the next two in…


Source link : https://sportslens.com/news/players-with-most-champions-league-appearances-cristiano-ronaldo/

Author : Sushan Chakraborty

Publish date : 2024-03-12 08:42:03

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