The 26-year-old has silenced the naysayers and finds himself in elite company, having found the net 11 times in Europe's top competition. Hate him or love him, he's the benchmark

TOP SINGLE-SEASON CL SCORERS

Name

Jose Altafini

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Gerd Muller

Ferenc Puskas

Mario Gomez

Year

1962/63

2011/12

2010/11

2002/03

1972/73

1959/60

2011/12

Goals

14

12

12

12

12

12

11



TOP CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOAL SCORERS



2011-12 Since 2010-11 Name

Goals

Games

Mins/goal

Goals

Games

Mins/goal Lionel Messi

12

8

60.0

24

19

73.6

Mario Gomez

11

8

59.8 19

16 66.6 Karim Benzema 7 9

81.6 13 17 72.5 Cristiano Ronaldo 6 7 105.0 12 19 137.6



Follow Clark Whitney on

By Clark Whitney | German Football EditorLionel Messi is the greatest footballer of his generation, and when all is said and done, might be remembered as the best of all time. His individual achievements have been praised to the heavens, and for good reason: these days, he shatters a record nearly every week.In the era of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is easy not to look past the Liga stars. But in recent years, Mario Gomez has also achieved historic goal-scoring feats. This season, the Bayern Munich man has scored 37 goals in 41 matches in all competitions: more than Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, and any of Europe’s top No. 9s to have competed in the Champions League.And Gomez’s strikes have not just come against lesser opponents: to the contrary, the Germany international has been eager to show himself on the big stage. This season he has netted 11 goals in the Champions League, plus another in a qualifier. Among all the great No. 9s of the last decade - Ronaldo, Henry, Shevchenko, Eto’o, Villa, Drogba, Raul, Ibrahimovic - the single-season tally Gomez has achieved has only been exceeded by Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had 12. Gomez, who might play as many as four more games in this season’s Champions League campaign, is already in very good company indeed.In the past, Gomez has been doubted: his technique is merely average, he sometimes misses the simplest of goal-scoring opportunities, and his utter failure at Euro 2008 was suggestive of a player who could not cope with pressure.He is a curious type of striker: one who has an abnormal dependence on rhythm, and who is not the kind to win over legions of fans. When Gomez fails to score for three or more games, he looks second-rate: a player hardly worthy of football at a 1. Bundesliga club, let alone the Champions League. And if he is relegated to the bench, it can take months for him to regain his confidence. But when in form, his prolificacy can be described at least as world class, if not legendary.There was a time when Gomez was considered a ticking time-bomb, and that sooner or later, he would experience a slump and lose his form for two or three months. But by now, he has surely out-lived that reputation. The statistics alone are staggering: the ex-Stuttgart man was runner-up last season in the Champions League scoring charts with eight goals in as many appearances, and this season has followed up that sparkling record with an even better return. Over the last five years, only Ronaldo and Messi - who cannot be described as pure No.9s - have scored more goals in all competitions: Gomez, who has found the net 153 times in this period, is head and shoulders above every natural centre-forward. Forget Van Persie, forget Villa - Gomez has set the benchmark for consistency.On Tuesday, Bayern play host to a Marseille side who, facing a 2-0 aggregate deficit, will have no choice but to attack. There will be space for the Germans to exploit, and without a doubt, Gomez will have his chances. A hat-trick would see him tie a record for goals in a Champions League campaign; with four, he’d set a new one.To exceed a treble in one knock-out game is a tall order, one that has only been done by five players. But Gomez is one of them. And on Tuesday, he just might make history.