
Last week I did a European Football top 10 earlier in the week and I'm doing exactly the same this week, and like last week it will be another Champions League top 10 because of there being Champions League games this week.
This week's European football top 10 is Champions League goals.
There have been many great goals scored in the Champions League since its inception in 1992 at every stage of the competition from the qualifying rounds right through to the final.
There have been so many great goals that some didn't quite make the list including Lionel Messi's free kick against Liverpool and Olivier Giroud's bicycle kick for Chelsea against Atletico Madrid. The only reason they're not in the list is because I didn't think of them when I came up with it.
A lot of great goals in this competition have been scored by Messi and Ronaldo, who are the two leading goal scorers in the competitions history. One or two of their goals each are in the list along with many other great goals.
Now let's reveal the list:
Zinedine Zidane - Bayer Leverkusen v Real Madrid - 2002
Cristiano Ronaldo - Porto v Man United - 2009
Steven Gerrard - Liverpool v Olympiacos - 2004
Gareth Bale - Real Madrid v Liverpool - 2018
Lionel Messi - Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen - 2012
Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus v Real Madrid - 2018
Arjen Robben - Man United v Bayern Munich - 2010
Lionel Messi- Real Madrid v Barcelona - 2011
Dani Alves - Monaco v Juventus - 2017
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - Liverpool v Man City - 2018
Dani Alves - Monaco v Juventus
Dani Alves wasn't known for his goal scoring ability as he was a full back, but his strike against Monaco was probably the best of the very few goals he scored in his career.
He was waiting just outside the box for the ball to come to him after the Monaco keeper punched away a Juventus corner, and he hit it first time on the volley with the outside of his foot.
He had just one season at Juventus before moving on to PSG the following summer and he put in a number of good performances during the season. This goal was the one that sealed their place in the final.
Arjen Robben - Man United v Bayern Munich
Arjen Robben had a wand of a left foot on his day and one of the many things he did with it was score this incredible volley.
He waited on the edge of the penalty when Franck Ribery's corner came in, and the corner went straight to him and he hit a lovely strike first time into the bottom corner.
His goal in the game sent Man United out and Bayern through on away goals.
Lionel Messi - Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen
Messi scored five goals in this game in a 7-1 win for Barca and out of the five he scored, the third one was the best.
He scored his third goal with a chip over the keeper a few yards inside the penalty area after running onto and brilliantly controlling Cesc Fabregas's lofted pass.
His first goal was also a chipped finish, but this one was better in that it went more over the keepers head and the ball bounced after it went over the line.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - Liverpool v Man City
Oxlade-Chamberlain's time at Liverpool was plagued by injuries but when he was fit, he showed how good a player he can be on his day.
He showed what he is capable of when he scored his goal against Man City as collected the ball centrally, gave himself some time and space, and hit a brilliant strike from outside the box.
He was beginning to become a key player at Liverpool in his first season and especially after Coutinho left as he began to step into Coutinho's shoes. But injuries prevented him from fulfilling his and being a regular in the team.
Steven Gerrard - Liverpool v Olympiacos
Steven Gerrard was a brilliant striker of the ball on his day and his goal against Olympiacos was one of the best goals of his career. Definitely his best in European competitions.
He received the ball from Neil Mellor's knockdown and he hit a brilliant strike on the half-volley from about 15 yards out.
He put a lot of power behind the shot as he always does whenever he takes shots from distance, and the power he put behind this goal was what made it a great one.
Lionel Messi - Real Madrid v Barcelona
Real Madrid couldn't stand the sight of Messi for many years when he was at Barca as he tormented pretty much every time he faced them.
He tore them apart once again when the two sides met in the Champions League semi finals in 2011 where he scored two goals, including an incredible solo effort.
He ran 30 yards and beat five Real Madrid players before slotting home his second of the game after receiving the ball from Sergio Busquets. He ran with pace and incredible agility during his run and the goal itself was Messi at his brilliant best.
Gareth Bale - Real Madrid v Liverpool
Bale hadn't been on the pitch for long before he scored his incredible overhead kick against Liverpool in the 2018 final with his goal coming just a few minutes after coming off the bench.
The ball came into the box from Marcelo's cross and from out of nowhere, Bale got his leg up high and pulled of the spectacular. No one inside the stadium expected him to score this goal when the ball came into the box.
He would get another one later in game which was fumbled into the net by Loris Karius in the Liverpool goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus v Real Madrid
Ronaldo's bicycle kick comes in just ahead of Bale's because I felt it was more spectacular as he moved into position to score the goal.
He came from an offside position in the lead up to the goal and his run back into an onside position ended with him scoring the incredible goal.
He got his leg up very high whilst on the move and for him to get up that high pull the bicycle kick off was just incredible.
This goal was unlucky not to win the PUSCAS award because it arguably deserved to be the winner.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Porto v Man United
This Ronaldo goal comes ahead of his bicycle kick against Juventus as it was scored from a longer distance.
This goal was scored from about 30 yards out and he hit the ball with a lot of power that it flew right into the top corner.
Ronaldo scored many great goals right throughout his career and this one might be the best of the lot, especially in the Champions League.
He would later score another great goal later in the competition that season in his 40 yard free kick against Arsenal in the semi finals.
Zinedine Zidane - Bayer Leverkusen v Real Madrid
Zidane's goal in the 2002 final is one of the most iconic goals in Champions League history and it had to be my winner because of the technique and the quality of the strike.
Zidane could do almost anything with the ball at his feet and this goal was one of the many things he was capable of doing.
He was just inside the penalty area when the ball came to him from Roberto Carlos' cross, and he hit it first time on the volley into the top corner.
He executed the technique perfectly, and the strike itself was well struck and difficult for any keeper to keep out.
MY TOP 10:
Zinedine Zidane - Bayer Leverkusen v Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo - Porto v Man United
Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus v Real Madrid
Gareth Bale - Real Madrid v Liverpool
Lionel Messi - Real Madrid v Barcelona
Steven Gerrard - Liverpool v Olympiacos
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - Liverpool v Man City
Lionel Messi - Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen
Arjen Robben - Man United v Bayern Munich
Dani Alves - Monaco v Juventus
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