These records of Messi will probably take a long time to be broken.
Messi and Ronaldo are the two best football stars in the world in the past two decades, fiercely competing for everything from titles to records.
According to the Guinness World Records organization last year, Messi currently owns 41 world records. Below are 5 records of Messi that not many people know and are very difficult to break, even for Ronaldo.
Messi is the record holder of world football
Most goals contributed to at the World Cup – 21
There was a time when Messi was criticized for his World Cup performances. However, the Argentine superstar finally put all doubts to rest with his top performance at the 2022 World Cup. Here, Messi scored in all rounds, group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Up to now, Messi has directly contributed to 21 goals at the World Cup (13 goals, 8 assists). There are 4 players right behind Messi with 20 goals, namely Pele, Ronaldo de Lima, Miroslav Klose, Gerd Muller. However, all 4 of these names are no longer playing. Meanwhile, Messi still has the opportunity to improve his record if he competes at the 2026 World Cup.
Ronaldo has competed in 5 World Cups, played 22 matches and had 8 goals, 2 assists. Notably, CR7 has not scored any goals in the World Cup knockout round.
Most titles won at one club – 37 titles
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During his 17 years playing for Barca’s first team, Messi has won 37 different major and minor titles. Up to this point, there are only 2 players who have won more than 37 collective titles. Besides Messi, the remaining name is Dani Alves (retired). Therefore, it is very difficult for a name to break Messi’s record.
While Messi has spent most of his career at Barca, Ronaldo has chosen to challenge himself in many different leagues, from England to Spain and Italy. However, in total, Ronaldo has only won 35 titles, including both club and national team.
Messi won 37 titles with Barca
Most goals scored in the Champions League group stage – 80 goals
Ronaldo is the player with the most goals in history with 140 goals. However, Messi currently holds the record for goals scored in the Champions League group stage with 80 goals. Messi took 86 matches to achieve this achievement. Meanwhile, CR7 played 96 matches in the Champions League group stage and scored 73 goals.
Ronaldo is the closest to Messi in this achievement. However, the 39-year-old superstar has moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Nassr and is almost certain to retire there. Therefore, Ronaldo no longer has the opportunity to improve his achievement.
Most goals scored in a season in La Liga – 50 goals
During their peak, Messi and Ronaldo competed fiercely in La Liga and created a series of scoring records in the highest level tournament of Spanish clubs. Among them, the title of Top Scorer received the most attention.
In this index, Messi is the “winner” with 50 goals in the tournament in the 2011/2012 season. Also in 2012, Messi set an unbelievable record of 91 goals. As for Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar almost broke this record when he scored 48 goals in the 2014/2015 season.
Player with most European Golden Shoes – 6 titles
The Golden Boot is an award given to the player who scores the most goals in a season in a European league. Ronaldo once led Messi 4-3 in this award. However, Messi later surpassed him with 3 consecutive Golden Boots and currently holds the record of 6 Golden Boots. Ronaldo no longer plays in Europe and is still stuck at 4.
Young stars like Haaland (1 golden shoe) or Kylian Mbappe (0 golden shoes) will have to try very hard if they want to reach Messi’s achievements.
Messi owns 6 European Golden Shoes
Spain star Lamine Yamal broke another Euro record in the final against England.
Portugal’s Renato Sanches holds the record for being the youngest player to ever start a Euro final when he started in a 1-0 win over France in 2016 at the age of 18 years and 328 days. Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, is just 17 years and one day old and will break Sanches’ Euro record when he starts when Spain face England in the Euro 2024 final at 2am on 15 July. And Yamal’s start in the Euro 2024 final is all but certain.
Lamine Yamal is the name that made the strongest impression at Euro 2024 with an extremely impressive performance that helped him set many different records in the journey to the Euro 2024 final of the Spanish team. Currently, Yamal has 1 goal and 3 assists at Euro 2024 and there is a high possibility that he will be voted by the technical committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) as the best young player of Euro 2024.
With the equalizer for Spain in the 2-1 comeback win over France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals, Yamal became the youngest player in history to score at a Euro finals at the age of 16 years and 362 days. Yamal is also the youngest player in history to play at a Euro (16 years and 338 days, Spain beat Croatia 3-0). Yamal is the youngest player in history to score in a Euro or World Cup semi-final (16 years and 362 days, Spain beat France 2-1). He is also the youngest player in history to score in a Euro qualifier (16 years and 57 days, Spain beat Georgia 7-1 in the Euro 2024 qualifiers in September 2023).
Yamal breaks Euro record again. PHOTO: GETTY
At club level, Yamal is the second youngest player ever to feature in a UEFA Champions League match when he made his debut for Barcelona in Europe’s premier club competition at the age of just 16 years and 68 days.
Records aside, the most remarkable thing about Lamine Yamal is the way he gets the ball. Yamal’s decision making on the ball is impeccable and frankly, unbelievable. All the former professional players who have watched Yamal are amazed at how often Yamal gets the right decision on the pitch. What stands out about Yamal is his calm, intelligent demeanor. Yamal is expected to be a player who leads a generation, similar to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yamal has appeared in all six of La Roja’s Euro 2024 matches, starting five, with the exception of the final group game against Albania. The Euro 2024 final will take place just one day after Yamal’s 17th birthday.
Other historical statistics
Youngest player to score in a Euro final
Pietro Anastasi was just 20 years and 64 days old when he volleyed a right-footed strike from outside the box to double Italy’s lead over Yugoslavia in the 1968 Euro final replay in Rome.
Youngest player to appear in a World Cup final
Brazil’s football king Pele was just 17 years and 249 days old when he played in the 5-2 win over Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final. Pele scored two goals in that final.
Euro 2024: Ronaldo and the unwanted record of… not scoring When Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored at Euro 2024 and has gone 8 consecutive matches in 2 major tournaments without scoring, many people have started to recall Messi’s sad record: He left the 2010 World Cup early without scoring a single goal… Ronaldo ended the round of 16 match against Slovenia with 20 shots…
