All-time top scorers in Women’s Champions League

UEFA Champions League is most certainly the best league in Europe where teams from all over Europe can compete with each other in the most excruciating manner. UEFA women's Champions League has nothing less but an audience than its men’s competition.

The Women's Champions League is the showcase for the finest players in European football and beyond. The competition was first played in 2001–02 under the name UEFA Women's Cup and renamed the Champions League for the 2009–10 edition. The competition is open to the champions of all 55 UEFA associations.

The number of teams playing the qualifying round and teams entering in the round of 32 change from year to year.

Regarding

women's champions league top scorers 2021/22

, it is worth mentioning that

of

is at the top of the 2021/22 UEFA Women's Champions League scoring table after adding to her tally in the German side's quarter-final against Arsenal.

She notched her ninth goal of the campaign in a 1-1 first-leg draw in London, leaving her one ahead of her nearest challenger,

, who registered in both legs of Barcelona's quarter-final defeat of Real Madrid.

All-time top scorers in Women’s Champions League:

In the following article, we will be going through the all-time top scorers in this competition to know the names of players who have seen their most glorious memories in the most lucrative competition every year in Europe.

Hanna Ljungberg – 39 Goals

• Full name: Hanna Carolina Ljungberg

• Date of birth: 8 January 1979 (age 43)

• Place of birth: Umeå, Sweden

• Height: 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in)

• Position(s): Forward

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: Umeå IK

Hanna Ljungberg is among the

all-time top scorers in Women’s Champions League

. She was one of the several professional players in the Swedish women's league, Damallsvenskan.

As “Player of the Year in 2002”, it is no surprise to see one of the best players ever in

’s women's football be named in this list.

As a world-class forward, Ljungberg was instrumental in the Swedish side that was runners-up in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003 held in the United States, scoring three goals and assisting another.

She was also voted 3rd best World Player of the Year by FIFA in 2003. Ljungberg made altogether 227 league appearances for Umeå IK and scored 196 goals.

The 30-year-old striker accomplished more than any female soccer player from Sweden, winning seven Swedish titles, two European crowns while setting single-season and career scoring records for both her club and national team.

In the end, however, the one opponent Ljungberg could not defeat was time. A series of injuries, including major surgery to replace the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, combined to force Ljungberg from the sport she came to epitomize.

“I didn’t want to make this decision but I had to make it,” Ljungberg said. “When I had surgery, I knew I didn’t have so much left in my ACL and I didn’t want to tear the ACL again. I felt it was just not worth the risk.”

It was her style of play on the field and her manner off it that won over fans and the media. “Words are not enough to describe what Hanna Ljungberg has meant for Umeå IK's women's football,” said Umeå club director Britta Åkerlund.

“She is not only unique as a footballer but also a wonderful, clever and sociable person with a huge loyalty to the club. Now Hanna has an opportunity to do other things in life and I am absolutely convinced that what Hanna than undertake and so she will succeed very well.”

Kim Little– 40 Goals

• Full name: Kim Alison Little

• Date of birth: 29 June 1990 (age 31)

• Place of birth: Mintlaw, Scotland

• Height: 5 ft 4 in (1.62 m)

• Position(s): Attacking midfielder

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: Hibernian, Arsenal

Among the

all-time top scorers in Women’s Champions League

is

, who is originally from Aberdeen. She first started kicking a football around with her father and brother. She soon found herself playing for a local boy’s youth team — as did many young girls at the time.

From there, she would start playing for her local team and school. Playing for the capital side allowed Little the chance to travel and attend various competitions. At the age of just 16, she would debut for Edinburgh in 2006.

Fast forward two years and Little would sign for

, the club she would eventually be most associated with. She played for the Gunners while studying at university and would go on to dedicate the next six years to the club.

The midfielder made a massive impact in the FA Women’s Premier League, becoming one of the top goal scorers. In 2010 she was crowned Player of the Year. Playing for Arsenal allowed her to step up a level in competitive play, with a more structured setup and intense training.

Towards the end of the 2010 season, Coach Laura Harvey moved across the pond to coach in the NWSL. Shelley Kerr took over as her replacement at Arsenal, but this would not be the last time Harvey would coach Little.

Little has also had a tremendous international career with Scotland’s national team and Great Britain. Little enjoyed a stellar career that saw her lead her nation to their first World Cup appearance in 2019.

After 15 years, 140 matches, and 59 goals for the Tartan Army, Little announced her retirement from international play in September 2021. Little has also represented Great Britain twice at the Olympics, in London 2012 and Tokyo 2020.

She and Jill Scott share the distinction of being the most capped players for the side, with nine appearances each. In 2021, Kim Little was named one of three captains for the side at the postponed Tokyo Games, along with Sophie Ingle of Wales and Steph Houghton of England.

Nina Burger – 40 Goals

• Full name: Nina Burger

• Date of birth: 27 December 1987 (age 34)

• Place of birth: Tulln an der Donau, Austria

• Height: 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)

• Position(s): Striker

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: SV Neulengbach

One of the most decorative figures in Astria football is Nina Burger. She has won her county’s league in 10 consecutive years, from 2005-06 until 2013-14 with her childhood club, SV Neulengbach.

She was the league’s top scorer for six seasons in a row between 2007 and 2012 She, then was transferred to Houston Dash for six months, a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas.

During her short time in the NWSL, she managed to score 4 times in 17 games before coming back to her team, SV Neulengbach and winning the league one more time in the 2014-15 season.

Her next chapter in football took place in Germany, at SC Sand. If you are not familiar with the team’s name in German football, worry none because the club is most known for its women's football section which plays in the Bundesliga.

She spent the last years of her career there and scored 28 goals in 72 games for SC Sand. On 1 April 2019, she announced retirement from the Austrian national team, after playing 108 matches with 53 goals.

Lotta Schelin – 42 Goals

• Full name: Charlotta Eva Schelin

• Date of birth: 27 February 1984 (age 38)

• Place of birth: Trångsund, Sweden

• Height: 179 cm (5 ft 10 in)

• Position(s): Striker

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: Olympique Lyon, FC Rosengård

Schelin began her senior club career with Göteborg FC (then known as Landvetter FC) in 2001. She developed into a prolific goal scorer in the Damallsvenskan then made a lucrative transfer to Olympique Lyon in 2008, rejecting a competing offer from the American Women's Professional Soccer league.

During her eight-season stay at

she won eight consecutive Division 1 Féminine titles, five Coupes de France Féminine, three

UEFA Women's Champions Leagues

and was the top goal scorer in 2012–13. On 8 June 2016, Schelin was presented as a player for Swedish champions FC Rosengård, of Malmö.

In March 2004 Schelin scored twice on her debut for the Swedish under-21 team, in their 6–0 win over the full Republic of Ireland national team in Dublin. At the World Cup in China, Schelin scored two goals in three matches (one start) but Sweden unexpectedly failed to progress out of their group.

Schelin helped Sweden to a bronze medal position at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany and was named in the All-Star Team. With 165 caps and 84 goals, Schelin was the most experienced member of Sweden's 18-player squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Schelin is capable of playing as a winger. As a tall, skillful, and prolific Swedish forward, Schelin has frequently drawn comparisons with the contemporary male footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović. Schelin has a fast pace and excellent technique, and few defenders could keep up with her.

Although tall and slender, she is also physically strong; England captain Steph Houghton rated Schelin as the "toughest opponent" of her career. On 30 August 2018, she announced her retirement due to chronic head and neck pain resulting from an injury suffered while playing for FC Rosengård in 2017.

Camille Abily – 43 Goals

• Full name: Camille Anne Françoise Abily

• Date of birth: 5 December 1984 (age 37)

• Place of birth: Rennes, France

• Height: 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)

• Position(s): Midfielder

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: Montpellier, Olympique Lyon

Camille Abily is another team member of that Lyon legendary team that won 5 UWCLs in 8 years. Abily played primarily as an attacking midfielder. She was a two-time winner of the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Female Player of the Year and, following her second consecutive honor in 2007, became the first woman to win the award in back-to-back seasons.

Following a move to the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league in the United States, she earned Player of the Month and All-Star honors.

Abily signed with Montpellier and won two league titles while at the club, as well as the Challenge de France, the women's domestic cup. After three seasons with Montpellier, Abily joined Lyon.

Similar to her stint at Montpellier, she won several titles, which included three straight league titles from 2006–to 2009. In 2010, Abily announced that she would be returning to Lyon for the 2010–11 season and, subsequently, was a part of the team that won the 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League.

After spending 8 successful seasons at Lyon during her second stint as a player there, Abily ended her playing career in 2018.

She has scored 228 goals in her fruitful career of 452 games, playing in 9 different teams in 18 years of her career as a football player. She has also scored 37 goals for her national team of France in 183 games she was given the chance to represent her country.

After retirement, she began to work as a coach and currently, she is the assistant manager of Olympique Lyonnais.

Marta – 46 Goals

• Full name: Marta Vieira da Silva

• Date of birth: 19 February 1986 (age 36)

• Place of birth: Dois Riachos, Alagoas, Brazil

• Height: 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)

• Position(s): Striker

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: Umeå IK, Tyresö FF, FC Rosengård

was discovered by Brazilian female coach Helena Pacheco when she was 14 years old. After playing for the CSA youth team, Marta started her professional career at Vasco da Gama in 2000.

After two years, she was transferred to Santa Cruz, a small club in the state of Minas Gerais, where she would play for two more seasons, before joining Umeå IK of Sweden. Her second season (2005) ended with Marta scoring 21 goals and with Umeå winning the league, having gone undefeated.

Marta scored 25 goals in the league finishing one goal behind the top scorer Lotta Schelin. In the UEFA Women's Cup, they reached the final for the fourth time but suffered a disappointment, losing 1–0 on aggregate to Arsenal. Enabling her to repeat her championship in 2004.

On the day she was named FIFA World Player of the Year in January 2009, Marta announced that she would be joining the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) team Los Angeles Sol.

After a few years commuting between clubs in Brazil and Sweden she came back to America in 2016, where she is currently playing for

.

A small, quick, yet sturdy and tenacious player, who is regarded by many in the sport as the greatest female footballer of all time, Marta is renowned for her flair, quick feet, and exceptional skill on the ball, which has earned her comparisons with Ronaldinho, Romário, and also Pelé, who himself dubbed her as Pelé with skirts.

Marta is capable of playing in several offensive positions and she is also known for her pace when dribbling at speed. She has scored 115 goals for her national team of Brazil in 171 matches. She is a legend of the game and has inspired many girls all over the world to choose this sport as a career.

Eugénie Le Sommer – 47 Goals

• Full name: Eugénie Anne Claudine Le Sommer

• Date of birth: 18 May 1989 (age 32)

• Place of birth: Grasse, France

• Height: 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)

• Position(s): Striker

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: Olympique Lyon

Eugénie Le Sommer joined D1 Féminine club Stade Briochin. In her debut season with Saint-Brieuc, Le Sommer appeared in all 22 league matches scoring four goals. The 2008–09 season saw her score 10 goals in 22 matches. For her efforts, she was nominated for the UNFP Female Player of the Year.

Le Sommer got off to a fast start for the 2009–10 season scoring ten goals in her first seven league matches, which included a hat trick against Toulouse in a 4–5 defeat. She finished the season as the league's top scorer and was awarded the UNFP Female Player of the Year the following season.

On 30 June 2010, Le Sommer announced she would be joining the four-time defending champions Olympique Lyonnais. On 30 August 2020, Le Sommer scored the opening goal in Lyon's 3–1 defeat of Wolfsburg in the final of the 2019–20 UEFA Women's Champions League.

It was both Le Sommer and Lyon's seventh overall win in the competition and fifth in a row. She is one of the record holders for the most champions league champions with 7 titles.

She won them all as a Lyon player, she won 2 consecutive titles in 2011 and 2012, and the continued to create a dynasty of a team that won 5 straight Champions League from 2016 until 2020.

Individually, Le Sommer has been named to the FIFPro World Eleven of the Year in 2015 and 2016, as well as the ten greatest UEFA players since 2015 and the typical Champions League team since 2016.

Le Sommer will turn 32 this summer, but her performance levels have not dropped over the years, and her years of experience have made her even more potent in the box. She is also a creative presence for her team, pitching in with assists along with her goalscoring feats, and this has been fundamental for Lyon.

She averaged over 30 goals per season between 2014 and 2019, showing her brilliance in front of goal, but over the last couple of campaigns, her playmaking skills have come to the fore and this may be a reason for the dip in goalscoring numbers, as she takes up more of a creative burden for Lyon.

Conny Pohlers – 48 Goals

• Full name: Conny Pohlers

• Date of birth: 16 November 1978 (age 43)

• Place of birth:   Halle, East Germany

• Height: 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)

• Position(s): Striker

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, 1. FFC Frankfurt, Wolfsburg

Born, Halle, Pohlers comes from a football-playing family. Her father played and her mother was once the top goal scorer in a regional league. She first played at the age of seven with FSV '67 Halle. In 1994, she moved to 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam.

In the 2003 season, she played in the American professional league, WUSA, with the Atlanta Beat. But, her time on American soil did not last longer than a few months and she was back at 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam in no time. A club she scored 171 goals in 151 matches between 1997 and 2007.

She transferred to 1. FFC Frankfurt, late in 2007 and became the Bundesliga champion again in 2008 with her new team. After 4 seasons, she went to VfL Wolfsburg where she became a Bundesliga champion, again with another team, and on 19 May she scored a goal in Wolfsburg's 3–2 Cup Final win against her old team, Turbine Potsdam. She also represented her country 67 times and has been able to score on 28 occasions.

Her honors include; 4 times UEFA Women's Champions League winner, 5-time Bundesliga champions, UEFA Women's Championship, and a FIFA Women's World Cup winner. She is also a UEFA Women's Champions League top scorer. She retired from the world of football in 2014 after 20 years of decorative glories.

Anja Mittag– 51 Goals

• Full name: Anja Mittag

• Date of birth: 16 May 1985 (age 36)

• Place of birth: Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany

• Height: 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)

• Position(s): Striker

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, FC Rosengård, Paris Saint-Germain, Wolfsburg, FC Rosengård

In December 2011, Anja Mittag negotiated a release from 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, after nine and a half years, in order to sign a two-year deal with Swedish Damallsvenskan club FC Rosengård. In May 2015, she signed a two-year deal with the French club Paris Saint-Germain.

On 30 August 2016, Mittag joined German club Wolfsburg on a two-year deal. On 31 March 2017 Mittag signed a contract with Rosengård once again.

Mittag played in the UEFA Women’s Champions League for four different clubs over 15 seasons, winning the competition on two occasions with Turbine Potsdam in 2005 and 2010.

In October 2017, she became the first woman to score 50 goals in the competition, adding one more the following year. Her record stood until last autumn when it was broken by Olympique Lyonnais striker Ada Hegerberg.

Only five soccer players in history have won the World Cup, the Olympics, the Champions League, and their continental championship. All of them are women. Alex Morgan became the first American to achieve the feat in 2017 but the other four are German and none has won more titles than Anja Mittag.

One World Cup, three European Championships, two Champions League titles, and an Olympic Gold make her arguably the most decorated player of all time but earlier last year after an unparalleled career, she announced her retirement from the game.

Ada Hegerberg – 56 Goals

• Full name: Ada Martine Stolsmo Hegerberg

• Date of birth: 10 July 1995 (age 26)

• Place of birth: Molde, Norway

• Height: 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)

• Position(s): Striker

• Club(s) she scored with in the Champions League: Stabæk, 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, Olympique Lyon

Finally, the most important player among the

all-time top scorers in Women’s Champions League

is

. She made her debut for Kolbotn in 2010 while she was only 16 years old. After two years and 15 goals in 31 matches, she was transferred to Stabæk as one of the most interesting talents in Europe.

She continued her form and in her first season in her new club as an 18-year-old, she recorded a jaw-dropping number of 25 goals in only 18 games.

In 2013, she and her sister signed contracts with the German side 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam until 30 June 2014, Hegerberg scored in her Bundesliga debut when SC Freiburg was beaten 3–1.

In their first season in Germany, the Hegerbergs and Turbine finished second in both the 2012–13 Bundesliga and the 2012–13 DFB-Pokal, but it was only the beginning for young Ada.

In the summer of 2014, she transferred to Olympique Lyonnais, one of the most powerful women's football teams in the world, Hegerberg had a very successful first season in France.

She scored 26 goals in 22 league games, leading Lyon to a ninth consecutive Division 1 Féminine title. In the Coupe de France Féminine Final, She has been one the most crucial players in the team ever since and the winner of 5 Champions Leagues.

2019 had been a stellar year for Hegerberg, on and off the pitch, scoring an unprecedented first-half hat-trick in the UEFA Women's Champions League final in Budapest in May, overtaking Anja Mittag to become the competition's all-time leading goal scorer in October and becoming an ambassador for Hublot, Mastercard, and Danone as well as getting married to Lech Poznań defender Thomas Rogne.

Last month, she made another first for herself: her first goal in 101 weeks, since she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in January 2020.

READ MORE:

Follow 

 for the