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Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Who Has More Guinness World Records in the Bag?

Published 06/21/2023, 8:15 AM EDT

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The Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era coming to an end is hard for the soccer fraternity to grasp. They are unrivaled in their domination of the game and leave an impact wherever they show up. Hence, fans cannot have enough of them as Ronaldo now plays with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. Messi, on the other hand, moved to the MLS with Inter Miami. The careers of Messi and Ronaldo are ending soon as fans want to make the best out of it. In their careers spanning over two decades, the collection of Guinness World Records to their name is remarkable.

Since its inception in 1955, to hold a Guinness World Record is prestigious for any person. To put things into perspective, Ronaldo and Messi have countless world records on their stage. In fact, Ronaldo created a record for the most caps in men’s international football with 200. They have a total of 21 records to their name and here are some of the major records to their name. 

11 Guinness World Records of Cristiano Ronaldo

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The latest record to the list is the 200 caps he managed with Portugal yesterday against Iceland. To top that, he scored a last-minute winner to give the team a sensational victory. Some of the leading Guinness World Records to his name are:

  • Top international goal-scorer of all time: CR7 scored 123 goals in 200 appearances, while the second place goes to Iran’s Ali Daei with 109.
  • Most Champions League goals: Ronaldo is the undisputed king of the tournament, winning the title five times. More than that, he scored 140 goals in 183 appearances in the prestigious tournament. Hence, it is one record that probably is hard to compare. 
  • Most Goals in a UEFA European Club competition season: Ronaldo scored 17 goals in Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign in 2013/14. Radamel Falcao equaled the record during the 2010/11 Porto Europa League campaign.

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  • Consecutive Champions League goal-scoring record: In between the 2016/17 and 2017/18 Champions League campaigns, he scored 11 goals, in a row, in the competition. It is not straightforward to compete with this World Record because of how challenging it is to achieve.
  • Top scorer across ALL UEFA club competitions: Ronaldo also shares a unique record to his name, which includes the Champions League, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, Europa League, UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. It is another record that will be hard to match.
  • The oldest player to score a World Cup hat trick: The 2018 World Cup game between Portugal and Spain saw Ronaldo producing one of the best hat tricks in the World Cup. He scored a sensational last-minute free-kick to level the scores to 3-3. In turn, he became the oldest player to score a hat trick at age 33 years and 130 days.

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  • Most FIFA World Cup tournament goals scored by a player: The 2022 World Cup saw Ronaldo score another goal to become the first player to score in five different World Cups. Earlier, Germany’s Miroslav Klose held the record with four. Ronaldo scored in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. Yet another accomplishment, which will be hard to match, although Kylian Mbappe might come close!
  • Most goals scored in the UEFA European Championships: The record for the most goals in a European Championship is also in the name of Cristiano Ronaldo. He currently has 14 goals in the competition, surpassing French legend Michel Platini.
  • Most successful penalty-taker in La Liga: Taking penalties is not as easy as it seems. For Ronaldo, stepping to the spot to put the ball away is ridiculously easy. He took 72 penalties and scored 61 to become the player with the most penalty goals in La Liga. Second, on the list is Hugo Sanchez scoring 56.
  • Most followed athlete on Instagram: After their official Instagram handle page, Cristiano Ronaldo has the most followers on Instagram with 591 million followers and counting.
  • Most viewed Wikipedia page for an athlete: Wikipedia is the source of information for most of us as the page with the most views for an athlete is CR7, with 112,000,000.

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10 Guinness World Records of Lionel Messi

The 2022 World Cup ended Messi’s wait for the trophy. After appearing in the finals in 2014, the crown looked destined to be in the hands of the legend. He produced sensational performances in the World Cup and set five Guinness World Records in the tournament. They are: 

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  • Most Man of the Match awards won at the FIFA World Cup: By producing remarkable performances in the World Cups, Messi won 11 Man of the Match awards. He displayed pure artistry in the games against Croatia and Mexico and even in the World Cup final against France. 
  • Most FIFA World Cup tournament assists by a player Identically to Ronaldo’s five World Cup goal-scoring record, Messi assisted in five different World Cups. It is a unique record in his name, which will probably never be broken. 

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  • Most FIFA World Cup matches played in by a player: By reaching the final of the World Cup, Messi appeared in 26 games in the World Cup, the most for a player. It showcases the physical attributes of Messi, which is often underrated!
  • Most FIFA World Cup appearances as captain: The most World Cup appearances as a captain goes to Messi with 19 caps to his name. Leadership qualities are some intangibles of the game. It proves Messi’s ability to lead the team for years. 
  • Most appearances in FIFA World Cup tournaments by a player: Messi holds the most appearances by a player in World Cup with five, sharing the record with Ronaldo. 

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  • Most goals in a calendar year: Out of all the records set by Lionel Messi, the number of goals he scored in the calendar year, won’t be broken. Although all records are meant to be broken, this is hard. He scored a staggering 91 goals in 2012. Earlier, Germany’s Gerd Muller scored 85 goals in 1972. 
  • Most Ballon d’Or and European Golden Shoe victories: One of the most prestigious awards in soccer is the Ballon d’Or. He won seven awards in his career, the most by awards won by a player. Likewise, after winning the recent World Cup, fans expect him to claim his eighth. In addition, the Argentinian won six European Golden Shoe awards to his name.
  • Most appearances for a foreigner and most goals scored in La Liga: After playing for Barcelona from 2004 to 2021, Messi appeared in 520 La Liga matches. More appearances mean most goals. The player has 474 goals in those appearances, with a strike rate of 0.91 goals per game. 

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  • Most goals in a single UEFA Champions League match: Despite Ronaldo holding the record for the most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League tournament, Lionel Messi holds the record for the most goals in a game with five against Bayer Leverkusen. He shares the record with Luiz Adriano and the apparent heir to Ronaldo’s throne, Erling Haaland. 
  • Most Liked Instagram Post: Another major record he holds is the most Liked Instagram Post with a picture of him holding the World Cup. He received 75,635,943 likes and counting for his picture. It beat Chris Godfrey’s photo of an egg which has 60,069,865 likes.

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In the end, these two are superstars of the game. Ronaldo has a slight edge over Messi in the Guinness World Records.

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Written by:

Jacob Gijy

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Jacob Gijy is a senior sports writer at EssentiallySports, with a passion for writing about soccer, NBA, and other American sports. He has published over 1500 articles to date, showcasing his creativity and engaging writing style that captivates his audience. As an ardent admirer of Arsenal, Jacob's soccer roots can be traced back to the legendary Thierry Henry.
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Edited by:

Amal Joyce