Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese football superstar, has been honored by UEFA with a special award to recognize his remarkable legacy in this prestigious competition.

This recognition is due to his exceptional goal-scoring record in Europe’s premier club competition.

The announcement was made during the restructured 2024/25 UEFA Champions League draw on August 29.Notably, Ronaldo is all-time leading goal-scorer in UEFA Champions League history.

‘I have nice memories,’ says Ronaldo

“Thank you for this amazing award. As you know, Champions League is the highest in football. The records speak for themselves but the league (is at that level) because of the players that play in the competition,” said Ronaldo after receiving the award.

He added, “I have nice memories coming to this gala and football is managed by memories. So, thank you for this.”

Ronaldo has scored a staggering 140 goals in the Champions League from 183 matches, having represented Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus.

Lionel Messi follows him on the second spot with 129 goals.Ronaldo has ended as the top scorer on seven occasions in a single UCL campaign (group stage to final).

The Portuguese star has won the Golden Boot in this tournament seven times out of his 18 participations.

Ronaldo is the only player to have scored in three separate UEFA Champions League finals (2008, 2014, 2017).

He also holds the record for the longest scoring streak in the Champions League, having scored in 11 consecutive matches from June 2017 to April 2018.

Additionally, he has scored an impressive eight hat-tricks in this prestigious competition.

Gianluigi Buffon receives UEFA President’s Award

In the same event, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was honored with the UEFA President’s Award.

This special award was presented in recognition of Buffon’s contributions to football.

In a social media post, UEFA praised Buffon stating, “Beyond his commanding presence between the posts, his longevity and determination make him an inspiration to football fans worldwide.”

--Agencies