Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar: Who has the most Champions League MOTM awards?

Cristiano Ronaldo is Mr. Champions League.

The Portuguese superstar has made club football’s biggest competition his own personal playground over the past 15 years or so.

No player has more goals (143) or more assists (42) in the Champions League than Ronaldo, while only Paco Gento (6) has more European Cup wins to his name than the 37-year-old (5).

It’s fair to say that Ronaldo’s legacy in European competition is far better than that of his eternal rival, Lionel Messi.

However, there is one department in which the Paris Saint-Germain forward is dominant.

What is it? Champions League Man of the Match awards. According to the folks over at PopFoot, Messi has a significant number more to his name than any other footballer since 2009.

Let’s take a look at the top 20 in full…

20. Kylian Mbappe (7 in 53 games)

19. Dries Mertens (7 in 34 games)

18. Thomas Muller (8 in 133 games)

17. Nicolas Gaitan (8 in 46 games)

16. Toni Kroos (9 in 124 games)

15. Antoine Griezmann (9 in 79 games)

14. Thiago Alcantara (9 in 73 games)

13. Hulk (9 in 40 games)

12. Raheem Sterling (10 in 72 games)

11. Arjen Robben (10 in 70 games)

10. Gareth Bale (10 in 66 games)

9. Riyad Mahrez (10 in 45 games)

8. Angel Di Maria (11 in 93 games)

7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (12 in 64 games)

6. Willian (12 in 63 games)

5. Karim Benzema (13 in 121 games)

4. Robert Lewandowski (19 in 106 games)

3. Neymar (23 in 75 games)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (40 in 131 games)

Despite playing eight fewer games, Messi has 24 more MOTM awards, which we’re sure you’ll agree is quite outrageous.

Neymar is the only other player to surpass the 20 mark since 2009, with Benzema and Lewandowski – the third and fourth-highest scorers in Champions League history – lagging behind in the teens.

Willia