The UEFA Champions League is Europe’s elite club competition, bringing top European clubs together to compete for one of football’s most prestigious titles. Since its inception, multiple Ghanaian footballers have performed excellently in the competition, guiding their respective clubs to historic wins.
Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is a notable name among Ghanaians in the competition, but who else joins him in the top five top scorer list?
This article reveals the top five Ghanaians with the highest number of goals in history of the UEFA Champions League.
Michael Essien (11 goals)
Surprisingly, Michael Essien tops this chart with 11 goals, making him the highest scoring Ghanaian in UEFA Champions League history. The iconic midfielder made his debut in the competition for French side Olympique Lyon, where he scored five times in 18 appearances.
Essien then sealed a high-profile move to Chelsea, which was the most-expensive transfer for an African player by the time, where he went on to score an additional six goals in 49 appearances in the competition.
He reached a first final with the Blues in 2008, when they lost to Manchester United, but finally lifted the trophy for the first time in the 2011-12 season, when the London side defeated Bayern Munich in the final.
Abedi Pele (6 goals)
Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele led a generation of African footballers that paved way for the new generations in European football.
The three-time African footballer of the year winner scored six times in 22 appearances for Olympique Marseille in the UEFA Champions League during an illustrious career.
Abedi Pele was an influential figure as the French club reached the final of the 1991 edition, before finally winning the prestigious title in 1993, defeating AC Milan in the final.
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Andre Ayew (6 goals)
Andre Ayew’s six-goal haul places him joint-second on this list. The Ghana captain began his career in Europe at French side Olympique Marseille, where he represented the club 26 times in the UEFA Champions League, scoring six times and providing three assists.
The 34-year-old also featured for Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the qualifying rounds of the competition in the 2018-19 season, although they failed to make the group stage after losing to Benfica.
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Kevin-Prince Boateng (5 goals)
Kevin-Prince Boateng first played youth football for Germany, before switching allegiances to represent Ghana in 2010, going on to represent the Black Stars in two FIFA World Cup tournaments. His tally of five goals in 33 appearances ranks him fourth on this highly-stacked list.
Boateng scored four times from 21 matches for AC Milan in the UCL, before joining German club Schalke 04, where he managed just a goal in 12 European games for the club.
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Mohammed Kudus (4 goals)
Mohammed Kudus completes this list with four goals from 12 appearances in the UEFA Champions League.
The winger scored four times in nine games for Ajax Amsterdam in the competition, before leaving the Dutch club in 2023.
The Ghana forward sealed a dream move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, although he is yet to score in his first three UCL matches for the North London club.
