Numbers have a way of telling stories. In the grand narrative of football, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t just writing chapters. He’s composing an entire saga, with his insatiable hunger for dominance. The latest chapter? Ascending to the throne of the 21st century, most appeared soccer players, a feat as monumental as his status. However, the story doesn’t merely revolve around his triumph. It’s the narrative of how Lionel Messi, the Argentine maestro, narrowly missed out on the podium.

As the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) unveiled the list of players with the most games in the 21st century, Ronaldo established dominance once again. Let’s delve into the enthralling details of this new record set by the Portuguese star, again pipping Messi.

Cristiano Ronaldo claims the throne for most appearances in the 21st century

In the official list released by the IFFHS, Al-Nassr ace Cristiano Ronaldo stands tall at the pinnacle, with 1204 official appearances. The 38-year-old superstar has left an indelible mark across clubs like Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al-Nassr, and the Portugal NT. Ronaldo’s journey has been of unwavering dedication and endurance. This latest feat shows the Portuguese superstar’s superhuman ability. At 38, he shows no signs of slowing down, averaging 52 matches a year for a staggering 22 consecutive years.

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Lionel Messi, long synonymous with Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for supremacy, finds himself down the pecking order. The Inter Miami star secured the fourth position in the list with 1,047 matches donning jerseys from Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami, and the Argentine National Team.

Fabio, a Brazilian goalkeeper who plays for Fluminense Club, secured the second position with 1,156 matches over the past 20 years. Ranked third is former Barcelona and Brazil right-back Dani Alves with 1,056 games. Notably, only four players have reached the 1000-game mark on the list. Whereas 21 players have played more than 900 games, 17 of them are active currently.

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The top 10 players who played the most matches in the 21st century are:

*Players highlighted in bold are currently active.

Ronaldo eyeing another world record

Although Cristiano Ronaldo leads the race in most appearances in the 21st century, he still has time to become the player with the most appearances in history. Rogerio Ceni holds the current record for most games played by a player in the history of soccer, with 1,225 matches. Ronaldo, who has 1204 appearances, is only 21 games behind Ceni’s record.

This season could witness Ronaldo etching his name in the annals of the beautiful game once again. The latest feat not only cements Ronaldo’s legacy as one of the greatest soccer stars but raises anticipation for the records yet to be broken. As the battle for supremacy continues in the 21st century, fans will be eagerly anticipating what the future holds for these iconic players.

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