UEFA Champions League Records: Most final appearances

The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of club football and has provided a stage for some of sport's finest talents to showcase their immense ability.

Here we look at the players who have made the most final appearances in UEFA Champions League and European Cup history.

Edwin van der Sar (5)

Clubs: Ajax, Manchester United

An influential figure in Ajax's golden generation, Edwin van der Sar helped Louis van Gaal's side to glory in the 1995 UEFA Champions League final against Milan before suffering penalty heartbreak in the competition's showpiece a year later against Juventus.

Van der Sar would then help Manchester United to glory in 2008 with a crucial penalty save against Nicolas Anelka, though he was powerless to prevent two final defeats to Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.

Clarence Seedorf (5)

Clubs: Ajax, Real Madrid, Milan

Clarence Seedorf is a unique individual on this list as he is the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs - once with Ajax in 1995, once with Real Madrid in 1998, and twice with Milan in 2003 and 2007.

Sandwiched between his two successes with Milan was the anguish of the Liverpool's famous comeback in Istanbul, his sole UEFA Champions League final defeat.

Patrice Evra (5)

Clubs: Monaco, Manchester United, Juventus

Despite five UEFA Champions League final appearances, Patrice Evra's career finished with only one winners medal.

That came in 2008 when Manchester United conquered Chelsea in Moscow, which preceded final defeats to Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.

Evra was a member of the Monaco side beaten by Jose Mourinho's Porto in 2004, while defeat for Juventus against Barcelona in 2015 meant the left-back is the first and only player to lose four UEFA Champions League finals.

Karim Benzema (5)

Club: Real Madrid

Five final appearances, five triumphs for the UEFA Champions League's fourth-highest all-time top goalscorer.

Recording his first success in the competition in 2014, Karim Benzema was an integral figure in Real Madrid's famous three-peat from 2016 to 2018 and added a fifth UEFA Champions League crown to his acclaimed portfolio in 2022.

Luka Modric (6)

Club: Real Madrid

Joining Real Madrid in 2012, Luka Modric has won a total of 26 major trophies with Los Blancos, making him the most decorated player in the club's history.

The Croatian orchestrated Real Madrid's successes in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022 before coming off the bench in their most recent triumph against Dortmund in 2024.

Toni Kroos (6)

Clubs: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid

Toni Kroos played in Bayern Munich's UEFA Champions League final defeat to Chelsea in 2012 but was absent for the competition's showpiece a year later after sustaining a muscle injury in the latter stages of the 2012/13 season.

He would then forge a formidable midfield partnership alongside Modric which helped inspire Real Madrid to another period of European dominance, winning five UEFA Champions League titles before retiring this summer.

Dani Carvajal (6)

Club: Real Madrid

Dani Carvajal became the first player since Real Madrid legend Paco Gento in 1966 to start in six UEFA Champions League/European Cup final triumphs following Los Blancos' success in 2024.

An ever-present in the club's remarkable dominance in the last decade, the right-back fittingly scored the opening goal against Dortmund at Wembley.

Cristiano Ronaldo (6)

Clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid

Most UEFA Champions League appearances. Most UEFA Champions League goals. Most UEFA Champions League final goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo is synonymous with UCL success and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has tasted glory once with Manchester United in 2008 and Real Madrid on four occasions in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Alfredo Di Stefano (7)

Club: Real Madrid

A five-time European Cup winner, Alfredo Di Stefano produced one of the most revered individual performances in a final when he scored a hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1960 showpiece.

In fact, Di Stefano was remarkably prolific in finals, scoring in five consecutive European Cup showdowns from 1956 to 1960.

Conquered by Benfica in the final of 1962, Di Stefano's last season at the Santiago Bernabeu also ended in European Cup defeat as Real Madrid were beaten 3-1 by Inter Milan in 1964.

Paolo Maldini (8)

Club: Milan

Testament to his longevity, Paolo Maldini was the focal point of a formidable defence that helped Milan to back-to-back European Cup success in 1989 and 1990 before captaining the Rossoneri to UEFA Champions League glory in 2007.

The Italian retired with five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles to his name. He did taste defeat on three occasions, with the 2005 final against Liverpool the most notable.

Francisco Gento (8)

Club: Real Madrid

Still one of Real Madrid's most decorated individuals nearly 60 years on, the late Francisco Gento is a six-time winner of the European Cup.

He was victorious in the first five editions of the competition and despite enduring final heartbreak in 1962 and 1964, the winger finally claimed his sixth crown in 1966 as he captained Los Blancos to a win against Partizan Belgrade.