Real Madrid taking on Borussia Dortmund became a regular fixture in the Champions League in the past decade. There have been 15 face-offs in total. The games have produced thrilling dramas and eye-catching results with no goalless draw in store. Hence, the regularity of the meeting did not dampen the excitement as both were up for it to beat each other. The 45 goals scored in this encounter make it one of the most high-scoring affairs in the competition. Real Madrid scored the most goals with 26 while Dortmund found the net 19 times. Naturally, with so many goals going in from world-class forwards gracing both clubs, goal-getters have been in plenty. While the scoring list is filled with Dortmund players, the marksman in Real Madrid history leads it.
We look at all the top scorers in this fixture:
Marco Reus (3 goals)
Marco Reus is a name that appears in mind whenever Borussia Dortmund is mentioned. The German became the poster boy for the team for more than 12 years making over 294 appearances. Also the top scorer for Dortmund in Champions League competition with 24 goals, the now LA Galaxy player made significant contributions in the games against Real Madrid in the Champions League by scoring some clutch goals. His first strike against Los Blancos, with an emphatic volley past Iker Casillas, came in the 2-2 draw in the group game in the season Dortmund reached their second Champions League final. Reus’s best moment in this fixture came just a season later in 2013/14. The forward scored a memorable double in the second leg of the quarterfinal at home to almost pull off a famous comeback trailing 3-0 from the first leg.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (5 goals)
The best moments in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s career came with Dortmund as he scored more goals for them than with any other club. The striker was prudent in this fixture and scored in four straight Champions League matches against Real Madrid since netting his first in 2016 in a 2-2 draw at Signal Iduna Park. However, he did not taste victory in any of them as the opposition made a comeback on each occasion. Aubameyang found the net five times against the record competition with his best match coming at Santiago Bernabeu in 2017 in the group stage. With his team trailing 2-0 from quick-fire early strikes from Borja Mayoral and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Gabon international lit up the stage by reducing the deficit just before the break and then equalizing early in the second half even though the host found the winner later.
Robert Lewandowski (5 goals)
The Polish goal machine is the third-highest goalscorer in Champions League history and one of his finest moments in the competition was a four-goal haul in this fixture in 2013. The Spanish giants were managed by Jose Mourinho while the Bundesliga winners were managed by Jurgen Klopp as they faced each other in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The first leg was hosted in Germany where Robert Lewandowski created the history of becoming the first player to have four strikes to his name in the competition knockout. The Pol scored the opener and then completed his hattrick stunningly which ultimately put them into the final despite Madrid’s comeback stance in the return leg. He also scored in the 2-1 group stage win in his first meeting with the opponent in 2012 and later with Bayern Munich.
Cristiano Ronaldo (7 goals)
Undoubtedly, the ‘Mr Champions League’ competition’s record goal-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo is also the top scorer in this fixture with seven goals in 10 meetings. Apart from failing to score in three fixtures, the Portuguese football star has been a nightmare for Black and Yellows as he often bailed his side out of tough situations. Ronaldo found the net in the first meeting resulting in a 2-1 defeat in 2012 and the 4-1 loss on the next visit to Signal Iduna Park. However, he was on the winning side when he scored his first home goal against Dortmund in the biggest margin of victory 3-0 in 2014 and also broke his curse away with a sublime brace in the 3-1 win in 2017 that sealed the top spot in their group. The Bundesliga outfit is the joint third-most favourite opponent for Ronaldo in the competition to score against, alongside city rivals Atletico.
