The figures below follow UEFA’s convention and count matches from the group stage, now the league phase, to the final. Qualifying-round appearances are excluded.
Benni McCarthy – 28 appearances
McCarthy made 28 Champions League appearances for Ajax and Porto, scoring eight goals.
The striker played five matches for Ajax before adding another 23 with Porto. His finest campaign came in 2003-04, when he scored four goals as Jose Mourinho’s side lifted the trophy.
McCarthy scored both goals in Porto’s 2-1 first-leg victory over Manchester United in the round of 16. He remains the only South African to have won the Champions League.
Quinton Fortune – 27 appearances
Fortune made all 27 of his Champions League appearances for Manchester United, scoring twice.
Both goals came during the 2003-04 campaign. He found the net in a 5-0 group-stage victory over Panathinaikos before opening the scoring against Porto in the round of 16.
McCarthy responded with two goals to give Porto a 2-1 win, making it the only Champions League match in which South Africans have scored for opposing teams.
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Steven Pienaar – 27 appearances
Pienaar shares second place with Fortune after representing Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur in the competition.
The midfielder made 25 appearances for Ajax and another two for Tottenham. He scored both of his Champions League goals during Ajax’s run to the quarter-finals in 2002-03, when the Dutch club were eliminated by eventual champions AC Milan.
Jacob Lekgetho – 20 appearances
Lekgetho played 20 matches for Lokomotiv Moscow across three Champions League campaigns.
The left-back made six appearances in 2001-02, nine in 2002-03 and five in 2003-04. He was part of the Lokomotiv side that recorded a memorable 2-0 group-stage victory over Real Madrid in October 2001.
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Nasief Morris – 14 appearances
Morris made 14 Champions League appearances for Greek giants Panathinaikos.
The defender made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Rangers in October 2003. He later faced clubs including Arsenal and Barcelona before scoring his only Champions League goal in a 5-1 defeat by Werder Bremen in December 2005.
Thulani Serero sits sixth on the South African list with 11 appearances for Ajax.
Photo: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images
