 TheStadio Olimpico inRome hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 15 July – 27 August 2008 Competition proper: 16 September 2008 – 27 May 2009 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 32 Total: 76 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Barcelona (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Manchester United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 125 |
| Goals scored | 329 (2.63 per match) |
| Attendance | 5,004,467 (40,036 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 9 goals |
2009–10 → | |
The2008–09 UEFA Champions League was the 54th edition ofEurope's premier clubfootball tournament and the 17th edition under the currentUEFA Champions League format. Thefinal was played at theStadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on 27 May 2009.[1] It was the eighth time the European Cup final has been held in Italy and the fourth time it has been held at theStadio Olimpico. The final was contested by thedefending champions,Manchester United, andBarcelona, who had last won the tournament in2006. Barcelona won the match 2–0, with goals fromSamuel Eto'o andLionel Messi, securingThe Treble in the process. In addition, bothUEFA Cup finalists,Werder Bremen andShakhtar Donetsk featured in the Champions League group stage.
Anorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus andBATE Borisov of Belarus were the first teams from their respective countries to qualify for the group stage. Romanian sideCFR Cluj and Russian championsZenit Saint Petersburg also made their Champions League debuts.
A total of 76 teams from 52 UEFA associations (Liechtenstein organises no domestic league competition) participated in the 2008–09 Champions League. Countries are allocated places according to the 2007UEFA league co-efficient ranking.[2]
Below is the qualification scheme for the 2008–09 Champions League:
For the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2007UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2002–03 to 2006–07.[2]
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Since the title holders (Manchester United) qualified for the Champions League group stage through their domestic league, the group stage spot reserved for the title holders is vacated, and the following changes to the default access list are made:[3]
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | |
|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round (28 teams) |
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| Second qualifying round (28 teams) |
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| Third qualifying round (32 teams) |
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| Group stage (32 teams) |
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| Knockout phase (16 teams) |
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League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: Title holders).[4]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 1 July 2008 | 15–16 July 2008 | 22–23 July 2008 |
| Second qualifying round | 29–30 July 2008 | 5–6 August 2008 | ||
| Third qualifying round | 1 August 2008 | 12–13 August 2008 | 26–27 August 2008 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 28 August 2008 | 16–17 September 2008 | |
| Matchday 2 | 30 September–1 October 2008 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 21–22 October 2008 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 4–5 November 2008 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 25–26 November 2008 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 9–10 December 2008 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 16 | 19 December 2008 | 24–25 February 2009 | 10–11 March 2009 |
| Quarter-finals | 20 March 2009 | 7–8 April 2009 | 14–15 April 2009 | |
| Semi-finals | 28–29 April 2009 | 5–6 May 2009 | ||
| Final | 27 May 2009 atStadio Olimpico,Rome | |||
The draw for the first qualifying round took place on 1 July 2008 inNyon, Switzerland.The first legs were held on 15 and 16 July, while the second legs were played on 22 and 23 July 2008.
Two of the 14 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient:Inter Baku (Azerbaijan, country rank 42) beatRabotnicki (Macedonia, 36); andBATE Borisov (Belarus, 40) beatValur (Iceland, 37). Of the 28 teams in the first qualifying round, two survived as far as the group stage:Anorthosis Famagusta and BATE Borisov.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Linfield  | 1–3 |  Dinamo Zagreb | 0–2 | 1–1 |
Valletta  | 0–3 |  Artmedia Petržalka | 0–2 | 0–1 |
Dinamo Tbilisi  | 3–1 |  NSÍ | 3–0 | 0–1 |
FC Santa Coloma  | 2–7 |  Kaunas | 1–4 | 1–3 |
Murata  | 0–9 |  IFK Göteborg | 0–5 | 0–4 |
Llanelli  | 1–4 |  Ventspils | 1–0 | 0–4 |
Anorthosis Famagusta  | 3–0 |  Pyunik | 1–0 | 2–0 |
Inter Baku  | 1–1 (a) |  Rabotnicki | 0–0 | 1–1 |
Tampere United  | 3–2 |  Budućnost Podgorica | 2–1 | 1–1 |
F91 Dudelange  | 0–3 |  Domžale | 0–1 | 0–2 |
Dinamo Tirana  | 1–4 |  Modriča Maxima | 0–2 | 1–2 |
Aktobe  | 1–4 |  Sheriff Tiraspol | 1–0 | 0–4 |
Drogheda United  | 3–1 |  Levadia Tallinn | 2–1 | 1–0 |
BATE Borisov  | 3–0 |  Valur | 2–0 | 1–0 |
The draw for the second qualifying round took place on 1 July 2008 inNyon, Switzerland, immediately after the draw for the first qualifying round.The first legs were played on 29 and 30 July, while the second legs were played on 5 and 6 August 2008.
Three of the 14 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient:Kaunas (unranked, coefficient 2.640) beatRangers (ranked 24, coefficient 66.013);BATE Borisov (unranked, 1.760) beatAnderlecht (56, 41.810); andAnorthosis Famagusta (ranked 193) beatRapid Wien (ranked 166). Of the 28 teams in the second qualifying round,Panathinaikos were the only one to qualify for the knockout phase of the competition.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rangers  | 1–2 | Kaunas | 0–0 | 1–2 |
Brann  | 2–2 (a) | Ventspils | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Inter Baku | 1–3 |  Partizan | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Tampere United | 3–7 | Artmedia Petržalka | 1–3 | 2–4 |
| Anorthosis Famagusta | 4–3 |  Rapid Wien | 3–0 | 1–3 |
| Domžale | 2–6 | Dinamo Zagreb | 0–3 | 2–3 |
Panathinaikos  | 3–0 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 3–0 | 0–0 |
| IFK Göteborg | 3–5 |  Basel | 1–1 | 2–4 |
| Sheriff Tiraspol | 0–3 |  Sparta Prague | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Drogheda United | 3–4 |  Dynamo Kyiv | 1–2 | 2–2 |
Anderlecht  | 3–4 | BATE Borisov | 1–2 | 2–2 |
Beitar Jerusalem  | 2–6 |  Wisła Kraków | 2–1 | 0–5 |
Fenerbahçe  | 7–0 |  MTK Budapest | 2–0 | 5–0 |
AaB  | 7–1 | Modriča Maxima | 5–0 | 2–1 |
The draw for the third qualifying round took place on 1 August 2008 inNyon,Switzerland.[10]The first legs were played on 12 and 13 August, while the second legs were played on 26 and 27 August. The winners of each tie advanced to thegroup stage, while the losers were seeded into the2008–09 UEFA Cup first round.
Four of the 16 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient:Anorthosis Famagusta (ranked 193) beatOlympiacos (ranked 44); BATE Borisov (unranked, coefficient 1.760) beatLevski Sofia (ranked 80, coefficient 32.644);Atlético Madrid (ranked 67) beatSchalke 04 (ranked 22) andDynamo Kyiv (ranked 74) beatSpartak Moscow (ranked 61).
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anorthosis Famagusta | 3–1 | Olympiacos | 3–0 | 0–1 |
Vitória de Guimarães  | 1–2 | Basel | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 5–1 | Dinamo Zagreb | 2–0 | 3–1 |
Schalke 04  | 1–4 | Atlético Madrid | 1–0 | 0–4 |
| AaB | 4–0 | Kaunas | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Barcelona | 4–1 | Wisła Kraków | 4–0 | 0–1 |
Levski Sofia  | 1–2 | BATE Borisov | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Standard Liège | 0–1 | Liverpool | 0–0 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Partizan | 3–4 | Fenerbahçe | 2–2 | 1–2 |
Twente  | 0–6 | Arsenal | 0–2 | 0–4 |
Spartak Moscow  | 2–8 | Dynamo Kyiv | 1–4 | 1–4 |
Juventus  | 5–1 | Artmedia Petržalka | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Brann | 1–3 |  Marseille | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Fiorentina | 2–0 | Slavia Prague | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Galatasaray | 2–3 |  Steaua București | 2–2 | 0–1 |
| Sparta Prague | 1–3[a] | Panathinaikos | 1–2 | 0–1 |
Brown: Group A;
Red: Group B;
Orange: Group C;
Yellow: Group D;
Green: Group E;
Blue: Group F;
Purple: Group G;
Pink: Group H.The draw for the group stage took place on 28 August 2008 at theGrimaldi Forum,Monaco, prior to the2008 UEFA Super Cup the following day.[11]
The top two teams in each group advanced to the knockout phase, and the third-placed teams entered the round of 32 of the UEFA Cup. Based on paragraph 6.05 in the regulations for the current season, if two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:[12]
Anorthosis Famagusta,BATE Borisov,CFR Cluj andZenit Saint Petersburg made their debuts in the group stage.[13]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ROM | CHE | BOR | CLJ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roma | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 12 | Advance toknockout phase | — | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | |
| 2 | Chelsea | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 11 | 1–0 | — | 4–0 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Bordeaux | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 7 | Transfer toUEFA Cup | 1–3 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | |
| 4 | CFR Cluj | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 4 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PAN | INT | BRM | ANO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panathinaikos | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 10 | Advance toknockout phase | — | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Internazionale | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 8 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Werder Bremen | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 7 | Transfer toUEFA Cup | 0–3 | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | |
| 4 | Anorthosis Famagusta | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 3–1 | 3–3 | 2–2 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BAR | SPO | SHK | BSL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 8 | +10 | 13 | Advance toknockout phase | — | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | |
| 2 | Sporting CP | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 2–5 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 9 | Transfer toUEFA Cup | 1–2 | 0–1 | — | 5–0 | |
| 4 | Basel | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 16 | −14 | 1 | 0–5 | 0–1 | 1–2 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LIV | ATM | MAR | PSV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 14 | Advance toknockout phase | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Atlético Madrid | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 12 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Marseille | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4 | Transfer toUEFA Cup | 1–2 | 0–0 | — | 3–0 | |
| 4 | PSV Eindhoven | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 3 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 2–0 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MUN | VIL | AAB | CEL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 10 | Advance toknockout phase | — | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Villarreal | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 9 | 0–0 | — | 6–3 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | AaB | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 6 | Transfer toUEFA Cup | 0–3 | 2–2 | — | 2–1 | |
| 4 | Celtic | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 5 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BAY | LYO | FIO | STE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 14 | Advance toknockout phase | — | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Lyon | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 11 | 2–3 | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Fiorentina | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 6 | Transfer toUEFA Cup | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | |
| 4 | Steaua București | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 | −9 | 1 | 0–1 | 3–5 | 0–1 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | POR | ARS | DKV | FEN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porto | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 12 | Advance toknockout phase | — | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Arsenal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 11 | 4–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | ||
| 3 | Dynamo Kyiv | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | Transfer toUEFA Cup | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | |
| 4 | Fenerbahçe | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 2 | 1–2 | 2–5 | 0–0 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JUV | RMA | ZEN | BATE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juventus | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 12 | Advance toknockout phase | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 12 | 0–2 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 5 | Transfer toUEFA Cup | 0–0 | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | |
| 4 | BATE Borisov | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — |
In theknockout stage, teams played against each other overtwo legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final.The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lyon | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Barcelona | 1 | 5 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Barcelona | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Bayern Munich | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sporting CP | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Bayern Munich | 5 | 7 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Barcelona(a) | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chelsea | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Real Madrid | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Liverpool | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Liverpool | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chelsea | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chelsea | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 May –Rome | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Juventus | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Barcelona | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manchester United | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Internazionale | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Manchester United | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Manchester United | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Porto | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlético Madrid | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Porto(a) | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Manchester United | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Arsenal | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Villarreal | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Panathinaikos | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Villarreal | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Arsenal | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Arsenal(p) | 1 | 0 | 1 (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Roma | 0 | 1 | 1 (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 19 December 2008, and conducted by UEFA General SecretaryDavid Taylor andBruno Conti, the ambassador for the2009 UEFA Champions League Final.[14]The first legs of the round of 16 were played on 24 and 25 February 2009, while the second legs were played on 10 and 11 March.[15]
Bayern Munich defeatedSporting CP by 12–1 on aggregate in the first knockout round; the biggest two-leg win in Champions League era.Manchester United's 2–0 victory againstInternazionale in the first knockout round was their 21st consecutive undefeated match, a record surpassingAjax's 20 undefeated matches, set between1985–86 and1995–96. The record was extended to 25 matches, ending with a 2–0 defeat toBarcelona in the final.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 3–2 | Juventus | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Villarreal | 3–2 | Panathinaikos | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Sporting CP | 1–12 | Bayern Munich | 0–5 | 1–7 |
| Atlético Madrid | 2–2 (a) | Porto | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Lyon | 3–6 | Barcelona | 1–1 | 2–5 |
| Real Madrid | 0–5 | Liverpool | 0–1 | 0–4 |
| Arsenal | 1–1 (7–6p) | Roma | 1–0 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Internazionale | 0–2 | Manchester United | 0–0 | 0–2 |
The draw for the quarter-finals took place inNyon, Switzerland, on 20 March 2009.[16]The first legs were played on 7 and 8 April while the second legs were played on 14 and 15 April. Due to the 20th anniversary ofHillsborough Disaster,Liverpool were granted their request that their return leg not be played on 15 April; the match was played on 14 April.[17][18]
Porto's 1–0 loss toManchester United in the second leg of the quarter-finals was the club's first ever home defeat to English opposition.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villarreal | 1–4 | Arsenal | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Manchester United | 3–2 | Porto | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| Liverpool | 5–7 | Chelsea | 1–3 | 4–4 |
| Barcelona | 5–1 | Bayern Munich | 4–0 | 1–1 |
The draw for the semi-finals took place on 20 March 2009, immediately after the draw for the quarter-finals. The first legs were played on 28 and 29 April and the second legs on 5 and 6 May.
As in 2007–08, the semi-final teams consisted of three Premier League sides and Barcelona. This was the third consecutive season in which three of the four semi-final teams were English.Manchester United were the first defending champions to reach the semi-finals since the introduction of the first knockout round in the2003–04 season. Chelsea were knocked out by Barcelona after a highly controversial performance by refereeTom Henning Øvrebø,[19] whileArsenal's 3–1 loss toManchester United in the second leg of the semi-finals was the club's first defeat at theEmirates Stadium in a European competition.[20]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 4–1 | Arsenal | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Barcelona | 1–1 (a) | Chelsea | 0–0 | 1–1 |
The final was played on 27 May 2009 at theStadio Olimpico inRome, Italy. Barcelona won the match 2–0, with goals fromSamuel Eto'o andLionel Messi. Barcelona's victory also meant that they became the first Spanish team to win theTreble. Manchester United were the first defending champions to reach the final of the competition sinceJuventus in1997, but they failed to become the first club to defend the European Cup sinceMilan in1990.
Statistics exclude qualifying rounds.
| Rank[22] | Player | Team | Goals | Minutes played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 9 | 982 |
| 2 | Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | 7 | 580 |
| Miroslav Klose | Bayern Munich | 680 | ||
| 4 | Lisandro López | Porto | 6 | 943 |
| 5 |  Emmanuel Adebayor | Arsenal | 5 | 627 |
| Alessandro Del Piero | Juventus | 688 | ||
 Didier Drogba | Chelsea | 702 | ||
| Robin van Persie | Arsenal | 716 | ||
| Thierry Henry | Barcelona | 717 | ||
| Karim Benzema | Lyon | 731 |
