The Champions League has been the top of European membership soccer because the European Cup’s 1993 rebrand.
However not all the competitors’s most notable performers have been Europeans – removed from it, in actual fact.
Right here, we check out the best skills from the remainder of the world to make a profound impression on the Champions League through the years…
Ederson (Brazil)
A a number of Champions League finalist with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis, starring because the membership claimed their first European crown in 2023, Ederson stood out as one of many competitors’s greatest goalkeepers throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Arguably the world’s greatest ‘keeper on the ball, Ederson made his Champions League debut for Benfica, serving to them to the 2015/16 quarter-finals.
Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
Undoubtedly one of many best possible Uruguayan gamers of all time, Luis Suarez acquired his Champions League break with Ajax and later scored 25 targets in Europe’s premier membership match for Barcelona.
Firmly in his prime when he joined Barca in 2014, Suarez helped the Catalan giants to continental glory in his first season, commonly discovering the web because the central striker within the iconic ‘MSN’ entrance three which additionally featured Lionel Messi and Neymar – together with within the 2015 remaining in opposition to Juventus.
Angel Di Maria (Argentina)
An vital a part of Actual Madrid’s 2013/14 Champions League-winning aspect, Angel Di Maria additionally lit up the competitors within the colors of PSG.
With the French giants, the difficult and versatile winger completed the 2019/20 version of the competitors as joint main supplier, laying on six assists en path to the ultimate.
Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)
Voted Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season as he lifted the trophy for the third successive marketing campaign with Actual Madrid in 2017/18, Keylor Navas is maybe Costa Rica’s greatest-ever participant.
A drive to be reckoned with between the sticks at his greatest, Navas performed 11 video games as Madrid had been topped 2015/16 European champions – and saved clear sheets in 9 of them (not too shabby!).
He made a fourth Champions League remaining look in 2020, this time for PSG.
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
Some of the formidable centre-forwards of his period, Didier Drogba was Chelsea’s Champions League-winning hero in 2012, equalising late on within the remaining in opposition to Bayern Munich then dispatching the decisive penalty within the shootout.
The 2-time African Footballer of the Yr hit double figures within the Champions League for the Blues three seasons working between 2006/07 and 2008/09.
Vinicius Junior (Brazil)
A two-time Champions League winner by the age of 23, Vinicius Junior had nicely and really established himself as certainly one of Actual Madrid’s predominant males by the early 2020s.
The electrifying speedster scored greater than 10 targets within the competitors in every of the 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns, netting the winner within the 2022 remaining in opposition to Liverpool and Madrid’s second as they beat Borussia Dortmund two years later.
Javier Zanetti (Argentina)
Among the many most interesting and most adaptable full-backs on the planet in his prime, Javier Zanetti was the primary Argentine participant to rack up 100 Champions League appearances, ending on 105.
All of them had been for the membership the place he spent the overwhelming majority of his profession: Inter, who he captained to glory as a part of a treble underneath Jose Mourinho in 2009/10.
Dida (Brazil)
Dida was on the peak of his powers throughout the first decade of the 2000s, successful two Champions Leagues in 5 years between the sticks for Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan – saving three penalties as they defeated Juventus in a shootout within the 2003 remaining.
He made 72 appearances in Europe’s prime membership competitors in complete, that includes completely for the Rossoneri and holding a powerful 35 clear sheets.
Neymar (Brazil)
As one prong of the nice ‘MSN’ attacking trio at Barcelona, Neymar received the 2014/15 Champions League, scoring as Luis Enrique’s aspect defeated Juventus within the remaining.
Brazil’s all-time main marksman – a veteran of greater than 80 Champions League appearances – notched a career-best 10 targets within the competitors that season, ending as joint prime scorer with teammate Lionel Messi.
Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
4-time African Footballer of the Yr Samuel Eto’o is a part of a particular group to have received the Champions League with a number of golf equipment.
Cameroon’s best participant of all time performed integral roles in triumphs at Barcelona and Inter, opening the scoring within the remaining for the previous in opposition to Arsenal in 2006 and Manchester United in 2009, then serving to the latter to victory over Bayern Munich in 2010.
He scored 30 Champions League targets general, reaching double figures in two campaigns for each Barca and the Nerazzurri.
Casemiro (Brazil)
Casemiro loved the perfect years of his profession at Actual Madrid, cementing his standing among the many best possible defensive midfielders within the sport and accumulating an enviable 5 Champions League winner’s medals.
They included three in a row underneath Zinedine Zidane between 2016 and 2018, and he made the competitors’s Squad of the Season en route to every of the latter two of these triumphs.
Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
Merely one of many most interesting left-backs ever to do it, Roberto Carlos dazzled on the continental stage for Actual Madrid both aspect of the flip of the century.
A winner in 1998, 2000 and 2002, the person with a penchant for outrageous targets featured 120 occasions within the Champions League (107 for Madrid and 13 for Fenerbahce), enjoying the total 90 minutes in all three of these remaining victories.
Marcelo
One other nice attacking Brazilian left-back who made a profound impression on the Champions League with Actual Madrid, Marcelo tasted continental glory 5 occasions between 2014 and 2022, enjoying an important position in that memorable three-peat.
Included in 4 Champions League Squads of the Season, he lifted the trophy as captain in 2022, his remaining act as a Madrid participant.
Ronaldinho (Brazil)
Repeatedly offering moments of unparalleled leisure, Ronaldinho was an absolute magician of a footballer and unquestionably one of many world’s best possible throughout the mid-00s.
The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner led the Champions League for assists as he starred in Barcelona’s 2005/06 success, having scored one of many competitors’s most iconic targets the earlier season: an outrageous toe-poke from exterior the field in opposition to Chelsea.
Kaka (Brazil)
So terribly gifted was Kaka that he was named each UEFA Membership Midfielder and Membership Ahead of the Yr, scooping the accolades in 2005 and 2007 respectively.
The latter was the standout yr of his profession, as he dominated the Champions League with Milan, banging in 10 targets in 15 video games and getting his palms on membership soccer’s most prestigious trophy.
Oh, and he went and received that yr’s Ballon d’Or!
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Who else was it going to be – actually? Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is the best participant of all time, full cease – however we’re positive he received’t thoughts being known as the all-time Champions League participant from exterior Europe.
We’ll let the numbers do the speaking right here: 163 Champions League appearances; 129 targets; prime scorer on six events; eight hat-tricks; 4 occasions a winner – all with Barcelona, together with two underneath Pep Guardiola.
It seems fairly good, doesn’t it?
