As the elite competition in Europe, the Champions League is a fair measure of just how good a player you are compared with the very best of your contemporaries. Doing it across 38 matches is one thing, but try doing it on a wet Tuesday night in...er...Madrid.
Here's some of the finest displays we have ever seen on the Champions League stage.
We've taken into consideration the impact on the result, the standard of opposition, what it meant to their side's Champions League campaign, and the stage of the competition it happened at.
The 20 best individual Champions League performances ever
20. Alisson vs PSG, 2025
It became pretty clear in the knockout stages that it was going to take something special to stop PSG from romping to their first-ever Champions League trophy. And, in fact, nobody succeeded. But Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson gave it a damn good go more or less single-handed.
The soon-to-be Premier League champions had not faced a challenge like this all season, with the Parisiens firmly on top right from the outset in the first leg of their round of 16 clash at the Parc des Princes. PSG held 65% possession and had 28 attempts on goal to Liverpool's two.
Yet it was Liverpool who won the tie thanks to Harvey Elliott's late goal from the bench, the stage having been set by Alisson keeping out every single one of PSG's shots on target - a couple in spectacular fashion - and stopping several extremely dangerous looking balls across the face of his goal.
19. Kylian Mbappe vs Barcelona, 2021
A photo was captured during Paris Saint-Germain's Camp Nou demolition of Kylian Mbappe, sprinting away from Gerard Pique; the veteran defender has a handful of the young forward's shirt and looks like he's about to slip over.
It summed up an entire night in which Mbappe ran riot. He was unstoppable, scoring a sparkling hat-trick and cutting through the Barcelona defence every time he got the ball. Reportedly he asked manager Mauricio Pochettino before kick-off if he'd ever beaten Barca before, to which the reply was a no.
"Well tonight's your first," the Frenchman apparently said – and what a way to deliver the victory.
18. Paul Lambert vs Juventus, 1997
Paul Lambert was signed by Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer from Motherwell. He ended up thwarting Zinedine Zidane in the Champions League final, to help land Borussia Dortmund's first-ever trophy.
Yes, that really happened. Lambert's man-marking job on Zizou was one for the ages, as he stifled the fiery Frenchman from creating anything of note for Juventus.
The Scotsman even laid on an assist in that game: fittingly, however, Zidane would finally win the Champions League in Scotland against a German side, five years later.
17. Declan Rice vs Real Madrid, 2025
We all remember Declan Rice's two free kicks as Arsenal smashed Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of this quarter-final tie - but the England midfielder genuinely could have had four in a sensational performance.
Rice was denied a headed goal by an excellent Thibaut Courtois save in the first half, but there was no stopping his free kick as he gave the Gunners the lead after the break. His second free kick was even better - absolute postage stamp into the far top corner - and he had another effort cleared off the line in between.
Add in a typically dominant midfield showing to have put Arsenal on top and help them keep a clean sheet, and you have one of the finest midfield displays you're likely to see.
16. Serge Gnabry vs Tottenham Hotspur, 2019
Tottenham had reached the Champions League final the previous season to suggest they had got to grips with what it took to succeed in Europe. Spursy no more...right?
Wrong. Mauricio Pochettino's side made a shaky start to the group stage, blowing a two-goal lead away to Olympiacos, then hosted Bayern Munich in the next game. A Son Heung-Min opener made for a promising start, but Joshua Kimmich equaliser three minutes later and Robert Lewandowski gave the visitors the lead off Gnabry's assist almost on the stroke of half time.
That hat proved to be a massive psychological blow for Spurs. Gnabry got a rapid-fire double within ten minutes of the restart, then added another two late on either side of another Lewandowski effort. Just had to be a former Arsenal player, didn't it?
15. N'Golo Kante vs Manchester City, 2021
For as long as he's been in England, N'Golo Kante has been ruling any midfield he's stepped into. That peaked in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City.
The Frenchman has long been thought of as a destroyer but Kante's all-action, complete display both broke up attacks, carried the ball out and kept Chelsea ticking, as City desperately searched for an equaliser in Porto.
There were few standout stars in the Blues' ranks on the way to the showpiece, with stunning strikes and virtuoso performances shared – but Kante's in the final was particularly special.
14. Neymar vs PSG, 2016
How Paris Saint-Germain lost 6-1 at the hands of a side they'd thumped 4-0 previously... they're probably still working out. The fact that Messi was pretty much anonymous, too? That only adds to the drama.
Neymar took centre-stage for this one, grabbing Barca by the scruff of the neck to score two and dictate play all match.
This was the game that he came of age, assuming responsibility and it's probably the defining reason PSG shelled out close to £200m on his services. It's become an iconic moment in football.
13. Frank Lampard vs Liverpool, 2008
Frank Lampard fell to his knees after smashing home a penalty and you could see the anguish. The midfielder's mother passed away just days before; it must have taken so much strength even to play in the Champions League semi-final.
That Lampard turned in an all-time great Chelsea performance and banished the demons of Liverpool knocking the Blues out in 2005, is even more astounding.
Lampard was already Stamford Bridge legend by this point, but this game properly cemented him as one of the best footballers in Europe of the 21st century.
12. Thierry Henry vs Inter Milan, 2003
There's unstoppable... and there's Thierry Henry in 2003/04.
Away in the San Siro against Inter, the Frenchman destroyed the Nerazzurri, toying with defenders as Arsenal ran riot. It was payback, at least, for a 3-0 defeat at Highbury weeks prior.
“Funny that, isn’t it?” Thierry Henry remarked to FFT in 2006, when asked about his extraordinary record against Italian sides. “I hear so often that it’s easier to play against English defences…”
11. Cristiano Ronaldo vs Atletico Madrid, 2017
For the fourth year in a row, the Madrid derby played out in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Real had won all three of the others, beating Diego Simeone's side in the final in 2014 and 2016, and knocking them out in the quarter-finals in 2015.
The two sides had scored just five goals between them in as many sets of regulation 90 minutes across those encounters; three of Real's goals in the 2014 final game in extra time. So everyone expected another tight, cagey couple of games when the two once again met in the semi-finals in 2017.
Cristiano Ronaldo had other ideas: he headed home the opener just ten minutes into the first leg at the Bernabeu, then put home two more in the final 15 minutes to complete his hat-trick and leave Atletico with practically no chance. So it was: Real went on to beat Juventus 4-1 in the final, with Ronaldo getting a brace.
10. Gareth Bale vs Inter Milan, 2010
No one would have blamed Gareth Bale for keeping his head down in that second half at the San Siro. Tottenham were 4-0 down, after all.
What happened next is one of the most extraordinary performances in modern memory – even more incredible because of the fact that Bale was so individually brilliant, despite Tottenham's collapse in the first half.
The Welshman tore Inter Milan to shreds with an unbelievable hat-trick – it wasn't quite enough but when Inter came to north London weeks later, the Welshman led them to victory.
9. Cristiano Ronaldo vs Atletico Madrid, 2019
2–0 lead is the most dangerous scoreline...at least, according to the old cliche. It certainly is when you're Atletico Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo is on the opposing team.
Different shirt, same outcome for the Portuguese forward who picked Juve up in the second leg and scored yet another stunning European hat-trick to silence Simeone's side.
There was no doubting him as the biggest big-game player on earth – potentially of all time – after this one.
8. Dusan Tadic vs Real Madrid, 2019
So little was expected of Ajax after a 2-1 first-leg defeat to Real Madrid, that Sergio Ramos picked up a booking to keep him fresh for the next round. Somehow though, in the cauldron of the Bernabeu, Dusan Tadic put on the performance of a lifetime, as Real were knocked out of the Champions League for the first time in four years.
The ex-Southampton star was note-perfect throughout, running rings around the likes of Modric and Kroos; he set up the first and the second – the latter with a Zidane-like pirouette before he slid in David Neres – and thumped the third into the top corner. For 90 minutes, he was the most brilliant footballer in the world.
7. Ronaldo vs Manchester United, 2003
It takes something special to get the opposition fans to give you a standing ovation in a game of such importance and magnitude. Ronaldo was not just special. He was phenomenal.
The Brazilian had gone through horrendous and well-documented injury problems throughout his spell at Inter, but worked his way back to his best after joining Real Madrid in 2002. This quarter-final second leg towards the end of his first season at the club confirmed he was well and truly ready to take the world by storm again.
Real held a 3-1 lead from the first-leg at a Bernabeu, and Sir Alex Ferguson's men did brilliantly to score four. But Ronaldo got three brilliant goals all on his own inside an hour before being subbed off. The whole of Old Trafford rose to its feet to clap him off the pitch in recognition of having seen a masterclass from perhaps the finest centre-forward of all time.
6. Lionel Messi vs Bayern Munich, 2015
It's perhaps poetic that Pep Guardiola was foiled three times by three different Spanish sides in three semi-finals of the Champions League while managing Bayern Munich. He just couldn't defeat the country that he'd redefined the football of forever – and the most iconic performance of those six games came from his former protege.
This was peak Lionel Messi – and that's saying something. The little genius scored twice, gave Neymar a sumptuous assist and simply waltzed through the Bayern back four like they weren't even there.
The image of Jerome Boateng slipping onto his backside as he's wrong-footed has become the profile picture of this performance – but that was just the tip of the iceberg.
5. Lucas Moura vs Ajax, 2019
Some may say that Lucas Moura's whirlwind against Ajax will forever go down as perhaps the most world-class performance from someone who wasn't that world-class. He had absolutely no right to do what he did that night.
Tottenham were dead and buried. Yet in 45 minutes, Moura resurrected Spurs with the most inspired one-man comeback that the Champions League had ever seen, scoring three away goals to put the hosts to the sword.
It was breathtaking beyond belief - and it was one of the best games in the tournament's history.
4. Lionel Messi vs Arsenal, 2010
📅 OTD in 2013...Dortmund thumped Real Madrid 4-1 in their Champions League semi-final first leg 😳Robert Lewandowski scored ALL FOUR OF THEM 🔥pic.twitter.com/6ABJjJk7MwApril 24, 2020
Lionel Messi scored five goals against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012 – but considering it was a second leg and that the first was already won, we're not putting it on this list. And anyway, this four-goal spectacular was Messi's defining performance.
Every time he got the ball, Arsenal players looked terrified. He could beat them with pace, a pass or raw power and they knew it. He was just quicker, physically and mentally, and the ease with which he racked up four goals was just frightening.
He's had plenty of standout moments in Europe over the years – but few 90-minute displays as perfect as this.
3. Roy Keane vs Juventus, 1999
The ultimate captain's contribution. Roy Keane never got to play in the 1999 Champions League final, due to suspension – but he sure did play his part to make sure Manchester United got there.
The Irishman managed to keep a lid on Edgar Davids, Antonio Conte and Didier Deschamps for 90 minutes, stopping almost every Juve attack by himself.
Not only that, he was responsible for everything great about United building forward. He was a tornado on and off the ball that night.
2. Robert Lewandowski vs Real Madrid, 2013
📅 OTD in 2013...Dortmund thumped Real Madrid 4-1 in their Champions League semi-final first leg 😳Robert Lewandowski scored ALL FOUR OF THEM 🔥pic.twitter.com/6ABJjJk7MwApril 24, 2020
We were all set for an El Clasico final, weren't we? And then Robert Lewandowski happened.
The archetypal striker's display, Lewy tormented Madrid with a performance of poise, precision and absolutely no mercy whatsoever.
Dortmund were more intense, quicker, stronger and more important, deadlier and the Polish forward summed up everything to love about them that night.
1. Steven Gerrard vs AC Milan, 2005
What a game. What a comeback. And what a captain.
Mere words do not do justice to the performance that Steven Gerrard conjured to drag Liverpool back from the brink in Istanbul that night. It wasn't just that they were facing a collection of the greatest players in the world, or that confidence had been zapped – it was the never-say-die spirit of their captain, the tenacity and brilliance on and off the ball that turned defeat into heaven for the Reds.
Gerrard turned the tide almost all by himself that night to deliver a Champions League trophy to Merseyside for the fifth time. It was utterly spellbinding – and it might never be topped in the pantheon of all-time great European displays.
