Champions League Goals of the Season So Far (2024/25)

Already this season, the Champions League has produced some truly exceptional goals. Michael Olise’s second goal for Bayern Munich against Shakhtar Donetsk certainly fits into that category. The Frenchman dribbled right through Shakhtar’s entire defence, before leaving the goalkeeper on his backside, then casually stroking home.

Olise’s goal was memorable one. Although the most memorable goals in the competition really do live long in the memory. They include Zinedine Zidane’s volley for Real Madrid in the 2001 Final, which is widely considered one of the best ever goals in any Champions League final. Throughout the competition’s history, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the Champions League all-time leading scorers. Yet even those two legends of the game would be proud to have scored some of the goals in this year’s tournament.

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Jhon Duran and Vinicius Junior have all wowed fans around the world with spectacular goals this season in Europe’s biggest club competition. Although there will be a lot of debate around the Champions League goals of the season so far, here is GIVEMESPORT’s top nine rankings.

Ranking Factors

• Individuality – how a player used their skill to impose themselves on the game through their goal.
• Skill – the difficulty level of the goal and how the finish required a high degree of skill to score.
• Vision – how a player was able to see a picture of what they wanted to achieve before they set out to score.

Related

9 Fastest Players to Reach 50 Champions League Goals

Kylian Mbappe is the latest to join the Champions League 50 club, taking his place among the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

9

Karim Adeyemi

Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic

Celtic had a torrid evening earlier in the season against Borrussia Dortmund, losing 7-1. Karim Adeyemi was in fine form, scoring a Dortmund hat-trick that evening. One of his shots went flying into the Celtic net from what seemed like an impossible angle.

Having been first to the ball on the right side of the Celtic penalty area, Adeyemi did not hesitate. Before Kasper Schmeichel could set himself, Adeyemi sent a torpedo of a left-footed strike flying past the Celtic goalkeeper. It was a stunning goal and one that Adeyemi celebrated in a very understated nature, simply walking off to the jubilant masses of Dortmund fans.

8

Erling Haaland

Manchester City vs Sparta Prague

Erling Haaland has previous form scoring spectacular volleys. He had already scored a gravity-defying back-heeled volley against his former team Borussia Dortmund, showing what a world-class player he is. This season he repeated the feat in the Champions League win against Sparta Prague. Somehow, the big Norwegian performed gymnastics to score.

From Savinho’s right wing cross into the penalty area, Haaland got his left leg incredibly high. With his back to goal, he found a way to use the back of his heel to generate the power to guide the ball downwards and into the net via a single bounce of the ball. Everyone in the Etihad seemed amazed by the finish except Haaland himself.

7

Kenan Yildiz

Juventus vs PSV Eindhoven

Wearing Juve’s famous number 10 jersey, young Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz has drawn some comparisons with club legend Alesandro Del Piero. Yildiz’s wonderful finish against PSV Eindhoven strengthened those comparisons. It also makes it understandable why Lionel Messi earmarked Yildiz as a future world star. After cutting inside, the teenager sent a delicious right-footed curling effort in off the post to send fans wild.

The teenager has quickly became a fan favourite in Turin. Blessed with composure and vision, Yildiz certainly looks at home in the black and white stripes of Juventus. He has scored this season in the Champions League and Serie A and looks a very exciting attacking prospect for the Turkish national team too.

6

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool vs Bologna

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah registered his fiftieth career Champions League goal when he scored from the penalty spot against La Liga’s Girona. This makes Salah one of the all-time top Champions League scorers. Although now in his thirties, the Egyptian shows no signs of slowing down, with his appetite for goals as insatiable as ever. His goal this season at Anfield against Bologna demonstrated his quality.

Receiving the ball on the right wing, he looked to move inside. As if channeling his inner Arjen Robben, Salah cut inside past two despairing Bologna opponents, before unleashing a sweetly struck left footer that swung high past the goalkeeper’s right. Liverpool fans at the Kop end got to their feet in ecstasy as Salah once again took in the adulation for another fine goal.

Related

Top 20 Champions League Goalscorers of All Time (Ranked)

Some of the greatest players in football history have played in the Champions League. Here are the highest scorers the competition has ever seen.

5

Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

At one stage, it appeared Real Madrid were having serious problems at the Bernabeu against Borussia Dortmund. They went in at half-time 2-0 down. They came out in the second-half a team reborn and revitalised. Vinicius Junior was at the forefront of everything Madrid did well, with the Brazilian scoring a second-half hat-trick that blew the Germans away.

The final score was 5-2 in Real Madrid’s favour. One of Vinicius Junior’s goals saw him take the ball from deep within his own half. From there, on the left-hand side, he side stepped two Dortmund players, leaving then standing in his wake, before calmly slotting in a strike from outside the penalty area. Pace and composure in one goal further demonstrated that the Brazilian is one of the world’s most valuable footballers.

4

Dusan Vlahovic

Juventus vs RB Leipzig

Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic led the Juventus comeback away to RB Leipzig, scoring a fantastic goal in the process. Last season, Vlahovic scored 16 Juventus goals in 33 Serie A games. He continues to carry a significant goal threat for the Italian giants and seems able to carry that responsibility as so many great players have for the club before him.

The striker is more than happy attacking space in the penalty area for a tap-in. He is also more than capable of the spectacular. Against Leipzig, he evaded several challenges before guiding a left-footed curling effort looping over the despairing dive of the goalkeeper. It inspired a passionate response from Juventus head coach Thiago Motta and huge celebrations from the traveling Juventus fans in the stands.

3

Zeno Debast

Sporting Lisbon vs Lille

Sporting Lisbon have caught the eye of European football fans this season, with a fine 4-1 win over the 2023 Champions League winners Manchester City. They have scored some cracking goals along the way. One that sticks out is Zeno Debast’s absolute pile-driver against Lille earlier this season.

Having been fed the ball from a square pass, the Belgium centre-back had no other thought in his mind than to drill the ball towards goal. That is exactly what he did from fully 30 yards, leaving the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. Unlike his colleagues in these rankings, Debast is not a regular goalscorer. In fact, this was the 21-year-old’s first goal in senior professional football. It was certainly not a bad way to get off the mark. If he scores a better one in his career, then all football fans would very much like to see it.

2

Jhon Duran

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich

Aston Villa’s home game with Bayern Munich was hotly anticipated. The Germans were their opponents in 1982 when Villa won the European Cup via a Peter Withe goal in Rotterdam.

The Bayern game this season was all set up to be one of the great nights under the lights at Villa Park. Jhon Duran’s goal certainly lived up to the hype surrounding the game. The 20-year-old Colombian scored one of the great goals in European competition and in Villa’s history.

Letting a forward pass from Torres run ahead of him, Duran rolled the Bayern defender before lobbing Manuel Neuer from forty yards with his first touch. When the ball hit the net, Villa fans went ballistic. It was a truly memorable goal and a fitting way for Aston Villa to return to Europe’s leading competition.

1

Michael Olise

Bayern Munich vs Shakhtar Donetsk

French international Michael Olise has further grown in stature since his move from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich. This season he has looked every inch a top European player. At times, he looked simply unplayable in Bayern’s game with Shakhtar, in which they trounced the Ukrainians 5-1.

Bayern were 4-1 up going into injury time when Olise scored his great goal. He’d already got on the score sheet from the penalty spot, but this goal was a far less straightforward affair.

After collecting the ball forty yards out, Olise drove forward. First he evaded the challenge of two Shakhtar midfielders. That done, there was still the Ukraine’s side entire back four to contend with. Undeterred by the challenge ahead of him, Olise cut inside to the right through Shakhtar’s defence.

Then, when faced with only the goalkeeper to beat, he gave a slight dummy, which put the keeper to the floor. Olise then tapped home without breaking stride, or seemingly any sweat. It was a terrific goal and a reminder to all that Bayern are still very much a contender for this season’s Champions League.