Raphinha matches Ronaldo’s 21 goal involvements in a UCL season

In Europe’s premier competition, a few extraordinary campaigns stand out for sheer attacking production. Since the Champions League’s 1992 rebrand, only a handful of players have surpassed 19 combined goals and assists in a single season (from group stage through final).

Barcelona’s Raphinha recently joined that elite club with 21 goal involvements in 2024–25. From Cristiano Ronaldo‘s record-setting heroics to Lionel Messi‘s magic, here are the five greatest single-season performances.

Cristiano Ronaldo – 21 goal involvements (2013–14, Real Madrid)

During Real Madrid’s triumphant 2013–14 run, Cristiano Ronaldo set the gold standard with 17 goals and 4 assists (21 total). He found the net in all but one match that year, capping the campaign with a late penalty in the final to help clinch Los Blancos’ long-awaited 10th European crown (La Décima). That breathtaking season remains the benchmark for individual output in the Champions League.

Raphinha – 21 goal involvements (2024–25, Barcelona)

The Brazilian winger Raphinha became the first player in over a decade to reach Ronaldo’s mark, tallying 13 goals and 8 assists to also hit 21 combined goal involvements in 2024–25. His contributions – none from the penalty spot – powered Barça’s attack on a run that ended with a semifinal exit against Inter Milan. Fittingly, Raphinha’s goal in that pulsating 4–3 second-leg defeat to Inter brought him level with Ronaldo’s record , an exclamation point on a breakout European season.

Cristiano Ronaldo – 20 goal involvements (2015–16, Real Madrid)

Ronaldo appears again among the elite with a 2015–16 performance of 16 goals and 4 assists (20 total). That season, he notched a record three hat-tricks, including one in the quarter-finals that single-handedly overturned Real Madrid’s first-leg deficit against Wolfsburg. His heroics paved the way for another Champions League crown as Madrid triumphed again after a tense final win over Atlético.

Robert Lewandowski – 20 goal involvements (2019–20, Bayern Munich)

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski delivered an almost as prolific campaign in 2019–20 with 15 goals and 5 assists (20 total). The Polish striker was unstoppable as Bayern won every game on their way to the title in a pandemic-shortened format, meaning he amassed his tally despite fewer knockout rounds. Lewandowski averaged a goal involvement roughly every 45 minutes that year, one of the most efficient rates in Champions League history.

Lionel Messi – 19 goal involvements (2011–12, Barcelona)

Lionel Messi’s most productive Champions League season came in 2011–12, when he amassed 14 goals and 5 assists (19 total). That run included one of the competition’s most iconic performances: Messi became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match, demolishing Bayer Leverkusen 7–1 at Camp Nou. Barcelona ultimately fell in a dramatic semi-final against Chelsea. Still, Messi’s tally was a high-water mark that stood unmatched at the club for over a decade – until Raphinha’s recent heroics.

Top five Champions League campaigns by goal involvements (since 1992)