The 13 most prolific ever seasons in a European competition - Cristiano Ronaldo's 2013/14 2nd

At the start of the 2013/14 season, Real Madrid hadn’t laid hands on the Champions League trophy for over a decade.

Los Blancos triumphed for the ninth time in 2001/02 thanks to Zinedine Zidane‘s iconic volley in the final at Hampden Park against Bayer Leverkusen.

But it took them another 12 years to finally achieve ‘La Decima’ and required an extraordinary individual campaign from Cristiano Ronaldo to bring ol’ Big Ears back to the Spanish capital.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored 17 goals in his 11 appearances during the 2013/14 Champions League season, including a penalty in the 4-1 final victory over Atletico Madrid.

No player throughout the course of footballing history has scored more goals in a single European Cup or Champions League campaign.

But what about the rest of the continent’s competitions such as the Europa League, has a player surpassed Ronaldo’s total in one of them?

Yes, yes they have. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) have named the 13 most prolific ever seasons in a European competition (including qualifying rounds), with Ronaldo’s 2013/14 heroics sitting in 2nd place.

Karim Benzema is the newest addition to the list after he guided Real Madrid to Champions League glory in 2021/22.

=8. Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) | Europa League, 2019/20 | 14 goals

=8. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) | Champions League, 2011/12 | 14 goals

=8. John Wark (Ipswich Town) | UEFA Cup, 1980/81 | 14 goals

=8. Ruud Geels (Ajax) | UEFA Cup, 1975/76 | 14 goals

=8. Lothar Emmerich (Borussia Dortmund) | Cup Winners’ Cup, 1965/66 | 14 goals

=8. Jose Altafini (AC Milan) | European Cup, 1962/63 | 14 goals

=4. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) | Champions League, 2021/22 | 15 goals

=4. Robert Lewandowski