The European Cup or Champions League is considered the pinnacle of club football. However, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League are still competitions that many clubs and players strive to reach.
Some players have a long history with European competitions. However, which players have made the most appearances in the continent’s biggest competitions?
Cristiano Ronaldo (197 European appearances for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus)
The Portuguese international superstar will go down as one of the best players to ever grace a football pitch. During his career, he played for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, all of which he represented in European competitions.
His total number of European appearances was 197 with his four clubs, scoring an impressive 140 goals.
Unsurprisingly, considering the longevity of his career in European club football, Ronaldo won a glut of European trophies.
In fact, Ronaldo won the Champions League five times, on four occasions with Real Madrid and once with Manchester United.
While CR7 has not broken the 200 barrier in European club competitions he has made over 200 appearances now for Portugal on the international stage. He has made 219 appearances scoring 136 goals at the time of writing.
Pepe Reina (192 European appearances for Barcelona, Villarreal, Liverpool, Napoli, AC Milan and Lazio)
The Spanish goalkeeper is now a veteran of European competition. The Madrid-born star actually came through the famous La Masia academy at Real Madrid’s rivals, Barcelona.
He started his playing career in the first team for the Catalan giants, which included playing 11 times in European competition. He also featured in European competitions with Villarreal, Liverpool, Napoli, Milan and Lazio.
Reina finished as a runner-up in the Champions League with Liverpool in the 2006/07 season, while also winning the Intertoto Cup in 2003 and 2004.
Iker Casillas (188 European appearances for Real Madrid and Porto)
Casillas became a legend at Real Madrid after coming through the club’s youth system. He represented Los Blancos for 16 years, making 725 appearances in all competitions, including 152 in Europe for the club from the Spanish capital.
During his time with the Merengues, he won the Champions League on three occasions in 2000, 2002 and 2014. He finished his playing career with a five-year stint at Portuguese giants Porto, where he also played in the Champions League and the Europa League.
Paolo Maldini (174 European appearances for Milan)
The stylish Italian defender played for his home city club Milan from 1984 until 2009 when he hung up his boots. Maldini was the ultimate one-club player and is considered to be one of the best defenders in European football history.
Cristiano Ronaldo has now equalled Paolo Maldini with 174 UEFA club competition appearances, and is now second only to Iker Casillas on 188. pic.twitter.com/IWmnV3pGiX
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) November 6, 2019
During his trophy-laden career, Maldini made 902 appearances in all competitions, with 174 of those coming in Europe.
Maldini won the European Cup in its two different guises on five occasions with Milan from 1989 until 2007. He also picked up four runners-up medals in European football’s elite competition.
Xavi Hernandez (173 European appearances for Barcelona)
Like Maldini, Xavi is considered to be a symbol of the club he represented. For Maldini, it was Milan, but for Xavi, it was Barcelona. Having come through La Masia, Xavi went on to establish himself in the Catalan giants’ first team.
The midfielder made his Barcelona debut in the 1998/99 season and stayed until 2015, making 767 appearances for the Blaugrana, 173 of which were in European competitions.
During his playing career, the former Spain international won the Champions League on four occasions in 2006,2009, 2011 and 2014.
Luka Modric (172 European appearances for Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham, Real Madrid)
The former Ballon d’Or winner has 172 European appearances and counting, as at the time of writing, the midfielder is still plying his trade at Spanish giants Real Madrid at the age of 39 years young.
Modric took his first professional football steps in his homeland with Dinamo Zagreb. He played for Dinamo from 2003 until 2008. It was with the club that he played in European competition for the first time.
His next stop was Tottenham, before making a career-defining move to Real Madrid in 2012. After a woeful start to his career in the Spanish capital, Modric became a key player for Los Blancos.
The Croatian international has won six Champions League titles in his Real Madrid career. His appearances in those campaigns helped Modric rack up a very healthy tally of 172 appearances in European competition.
Lionel Messi (167 European appearances for Barcelona and PSG)
No list of European football competitions is complete without the Argentinian football legend, who is considered by many to be the best footballer the beautiful game has ever seen.
Although he was born in Argentina, Messi moved to Catalan giants Barcelona at the age of 13. He developed his game in the club’s famed academy, La Masia, before making his competitive debut at the age of just 17 in October 2004.
Messi went on to establish himself as a Barcelona and a football legend with his performances. The diminutive forward made 778 appearances for the Blaugrana in all competitions, scoring 678 goals, with 167 of his appearances coming in European competitions.
During his time in Catalonia, Messi won the Champions League on four occasions in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 214. He played a crucial role in Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona team, which is widely regarded as one of the best the club game has seen.
Messi moved to French giants PSG in 2021, where he enjoyed two years and played in the Champions League once again. The forward joined MLS outfit Inter Miami in 2023.