Top 6 Highest Scoring Defenders as Sergio Ramos Makes Champions League History

At the age of 37, Sergio Ramos has established himself as the most prolific defender in the history of the Champions League.

In the conclusive match of the tournament's group stage against Lens, the seasoned defender successfully converted a penalty, securing his 17th goal in this esteemed club competition.

This achievement now places Ramos at the forefront, breaking the record for the most goals in the Champions League by a defender. He surpasses the previous record holders, Gerard Piqué of Barcelona and his former Real Madrid teammate Roberto Carlos, both with 16 goals each.

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Football

Throughout its history, football has witnessed a number of highly prolific goal-scoring defenders.

Among them, Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos has notably taken the spotlight, consistently finding the back of the net and playing a crucial role in securing victories for his club.

Sports Brief delves into the list of the top six most prolific goal-scoring defenders of all time.

6. Graham Alexander - 130 goals

Alexander is commonly acknowledged as one of football's most exceptional penalty specialists. The Scottish defender's professional journey spanned various clubs, such as Scunthorpe United, Luton Town, Preston North End, and Burnley. Throughout his illustrious career, he exhibited remarkable accuracy by successfully converting 77 out of 85 penalties he took, boasting a striking success rate exceeding 90%, as reported by the Manchester Evening News. Notably, despite his remarkable spot-kick prowess, it's intriguing to observe that Alexander failed to find the net from the penalty spot in any of his 40 appearances representing his national team.

5. Sergio Ramos - 136 goals

Despite Ramos being a part of a list who have received the most red cards in history, he impressively recorded 101 goals for Real Madrid and added 23 goals for his national team. While his two-season stint at Paris Saint-Germain yielded a relatively modest tally of six goals compared to his usual standards, his focus now shifts to rekindling his goal-scoring prowess at Sevilla. Given his current age of 37, it's improbable that he will climb higher on this list unless he continues playing into his 40s.

4. Laurent Blanc - 153 goals

Blanc holds the record as Montpellier's top goal scorer with an impressive total of 80 goals. He achieved over 10 league goals in four different seasons, with his most notable performance in the 1986–87 campaign when he scored 18 times in 34 matches.

Blanc went on to have a distinguished career, playing for renowned clubs such as Napoli, Barcelona, Marseille, and Inter Milan.

He retired in 2003 after a brief stint with Manchester United. The Frenchman also contributed 16 goals in 94 appearances for his national team, playing a pivotal role in their 1998 World Cup victory on home soil.

3. Fernando Hierro - 163 goals

Hierro possessed a remarkable talent for finding the net from set pieces, free-kicks, and penalty kicks. His precision and accuracy were second to none, making him a perpetual menace to opposing teams.

Remarkably, he notched a total of 127 goals for Real Madrid, securing his place among the club's all-time leading scorers. In a notable three-season period from 1991 to 1994, Hierro impressively netted 53 goals for the team.

2. Daniel Passarella - 175 goals

Standing at a humble five feet eight inches, Pasarella astonishingly secured his position as one of the greatest centre-backs in football history. Beyond being a defensive stalwart, he showcased remarkable goal-scoring prowess, notching an impressive 101 goals for River Plate. Pasarella, instrumental in leading Argentina to World Cup victory in 1978 and contributing to their triumph in 1986, also demonstrated his scoring abilities in Italian football with Fiorentina and Inter Milan.

1. Ronald Koeman - 253 goals

Netting 253 goals in any realm of football is undeniably extraordinary, and for a player predominantly known for his defensive skills, it's truly sensational.

This Dutch maestro carved his name into football history while playing in the Netherlands for clubs like Groningen, Ajax, and PSV. His outstanding goal-scoring prowess caught the attention of Barcelona, where he exceeded expectations by scoring an astounding 88 goals in just six seasons. Among those goals, one stands out as the pinnacle of his career: his iconic strike in the 1992 European Cup final.