Rivalries between footballers are often talked about and make the game even more interesting. Taking the present decade into consideration, the names that first hits our mind are Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi. Their path-breaking performances, breaking records, setting new milestones and battling neck to neck for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award is what the fans love to see and debate about.
FootTheBall takes a look at the ever-growing list of world records and European records that Messi and Ronaldo have broken so far.
MESSI WORLD RECORDS
- Only player in history to score 40+ club goals in 8 consecutive seasons
- Most FIFA Ballon d’Or awards: 5 (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Most appearances in the FIFPro World XI: 11 times (2007-2017) (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Only player to score in 6 different club competitions in a season twice: 2011/12 and 2015/16
- Only player to score in 6 different club competitions in a calendar year twice: 2011 and 2015
- Only player to score and assist in 6 different club competitions in a calendar year: 2011
- Most goals scored in Club World Cup Finals: 4 goals (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Most appearances in the top 3 candidates for the Ballon d’Or: 11 times(2007-2017)
- Guinness World Records title for the most official goals in a calendar year: 91 goals (2012)
- Most goals in a calendar year (including club friendlies): 96 goals (2012)
- Only player to have scored at three Club World Cups: 2009, 2011, 2015(shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Most consecutive league matches scored in: 21 matches (33 goals)
- First footballer ever to score consecutively against all teams in a professional league
- Youngest player to win 2 Ballon d’Or awards: 23 years, 6 months and 18 days.
- Youngest player to win 3 Ballon d’Or awards: 24 years, 6 months and 17 days.
- Youngest player to win 4 Ballon d’Or awards: 25 years, 6 months and 15 days.
- Youngest player to win 5 Ballon d’Or awards
- Most FIFA Club World Cup Golden Balls: 2 (2009, 2011)
- Only footballer to score 60+ goals in all competitions in 2 consecutive seasons (2011/12 and 2012/13)
RONALDO WORLD RECORDS
- Most goals scored at the Club World Cup: 7 goals
- Most goals scored in Club World Cup Finals: 4 goals (shared with Lionel Messi)
- Most Club World Cup trophies: 4 (2008, 2014, 2016, 2017) (shared with Toni Kroos)
- Only player to have scored at three Club World Cups: 2008, 2016, 2017(shared with Lionel Messi)
- Only player to have won 2 Club World Cup Golden Boots
- Most FIFA Ballon d’Or awards: 5 (shared with Lionel Messi)
- Most appearances in the FIFPro World XI: 11 times (2007-2017) (shared with Lionel Messi)
- Largest time gap between first and last Ballon d’Or awards: 9 years (2008, 2017)
- Most points in Ballon d’Or voting: 946 points (2017)
- Biggest winning margin in Ballon d’Or voting: 429 points (2016)
- Most international goals in a year (club and national team): 32 goals (2017)
- Only player to score a hat-trick in a Club World Cup final (2016)
- First player to reach 40 goals in a professional league in two consecutive seasons
- First player to score in every minute of a game
- Only player to have won the following trophies at 2 different clubs: League Title, UEFA CL, League Supercup, League Cup, League MVP, Golden Boot, Ballon d’Or, and FIFA CWC (Completed on December 20th, 2014)
- Only player in history to have scored 60 or more goals in a calendar year four times (consecutively from 2011 to 2014)
- First player to score more than 50 goals in four consecutive seasons
- Only player to score more than 50 goals in five consecutive seasons
- Only player to score more than 50 goals in six different seasons (did it consecutively)
MESSI EUROPEAN RECORDS
- Most official goals for a single club in Europe’s top 5 leagues 529
- Most European Golden Shoe awards: 4 (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Most goals scored against a single opponent in the Champions League 9 goals against Arsenal (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo (against Bayern Munich))
- Fastest player ever to reach 300 goals in Europe’s top 5 leagues (334 games)
- Youngest player to reach 100 appearances in the Champions League
- Youngest player ever to score 400+ goals for a single European club (27 years and 300 days)
- Most league goals scored in a season: 50 goals
- Most goals scored in a season (club): 73 goals
- Most goals scored in a year (club): 79 goals
- Most hat-tricks in UEFA Champions League: 7 hat-tricks (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Most hat-tricks in the group stage in a single Champions League season: 2 hat-tricks (shared with Luiz Adriano and Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Highest scorer in a UEFA Champions League game: 5 goals (shared with Luiz Adriano)
- Only player to score in 23 different cities in the European Cup
- Highest scorer in UEFA Super Cup: 3 goals (shared with 8 other players)
- Most free-kick goals in UEFA Super Cup: 2 free-kick goals
- Youngest player to finish as UEFA Champions League top scorer: 21 years old (2009)
- First player to score 5 goals in a single UEFA Champions League game
RONALDO EUROPEAN RECORDS
- Only player to score in all group stage matches in a single Champions League season
- Only player to have scored 15+ goals in the Champions League in a calendar year (did it 3 times: 2013, 2015, 2017)
- Most UEFA Best Player Awards: 3
- Most Champions League top scorer awards: 6
- Only player to finish Champions League top scorer in 5 consecutive seasons (2012/13 – 2016/17)
- Most league goals in history across Europe’s top 5 leagues: 376 league goals
- Only player in history to score 10+ goals in 6 UEFA Champions League seasons
- Most goals scored against a single opponent in the Champions League 9 goals against Bayern Munich (shared with Lionel Messi (against Arsenal))
- Only player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League (Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in 2017)
- First player to score 50+ goals in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage
- First player to score 40+ goals in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage
- First player to score 100 goals in the UEFA Champions League
- First player to score 100 goals in European competition (97 UCL goals, 1 UCL qualifier goal, 2 UEFA Super Cup goals when record was achieved)
- Most quarter-final goals in the UEFA Champions League: 20 goals
- The first player in history to surpass 30+ league goals in six consecutive seasons in a major European league
- Most hat-tricks in UEFA Champions League: 7 hat-tricks (shared with Lionel Messi)
- Most hat-tricks in a single Champions League season: 3 hat-tricks in 2015/16
- Most free kicks scored in UEFA Champions League: 12 free kick goals
- Fastest player to score 350 goals for a single club in Europe’s top 5 leagues (335 games)
- Most UEFA Team of the Year appearances: 11 times
- Most consecutive appearances in the UEFA Team of the Year: 10 consecutive times (2007-2016)
- Most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League group stage in a single season: 11 goals
- Most UEFA Champions League goals scored in a calendar year: 19 goals in 2017
- First player to ever score at least 10 goals in five Champions League seasons (did it consecutively)
- First player to ever score at least 10 goals in six Champions League seasons (did it consecutively)
- Most hat-tricks in the group stage in a single Champions League season: 2 hat-tricks (shared with Luiz Adriano and Lionel Messi)
- Most braces in Champions League history: 25 braces
- Most goals scored in Champions League history: 114 goals
- Most penalties scored in Champions League history: 13 penalties
- Most European Golden Shoe awards: 4 (shared with Lionel Messi)
- Most goals scored in a European Cup season: 17 goals (2013/14)
- Most consecutive UEFA Champions League matches scored in: 8 matches
- First and only player to have won the European Golden Shoe in 2 different leagues (EPL with Man Utd and La Liga with Real Madrid)
- First footballer in the history of the European Cup to score for two different winning teams
- Most goals scored in UEFA Champions League knockout phase: 54 goals
- Most headed goals scored in the UEFA Champions League: 19 goals
- Most consecutive wins in the UEFA Champions League: 14 wins
- Most goals scored in the Uefa European Championships for Portugal: 29 goals
- Most consecutive UEFA Champions League away matches scored in: 12
- Only player to be among the finalists for all the editions of the UEFA Best Player in Europe (2010-2016)
- All time top scorer in European competitions (including Uefa Super Cup and Champions League qualifiers): 117 goals
- The first player in history to surpass 30 goals in five consecutive seasons in a major European league
- Fastest player to score 200 goals in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues (La Liga)
- Fastest player to score 250 goals in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues (La Liga)
- Most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals: 13 goals
MESSI SPANISH RECORDS
- Only player in La Liga history to score 15+ goals in 10 seasons (did it consecutively) (2008/09 – 2017/18)
- Only player in La Liga history to score 10+ goals in 12 seasons (did it consecutively) (2006/07 – 2017/18)
- First player in La Liga history to have scored at least 2 goals in 100 matches
- Most goals scored in La Liga El Clásico matches: 17 goals
- Most goals scored in El Clásico matches: 25 goals
- Only player in La Liga history to score 20+ goals in 8 consecutive seasons (did it consecutively) (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Only player in La Liga history to score 20+ goals in 9 consecutive seasons (2008/09 – 2016/17)
- First player to score 25+ goals in five consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- First player to score 25+ goals in six consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- First player to score 25+ goals in seven consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- First player to score 25+ goals in eight consecutive La Liga seasons (2009/10 – 2016/17) (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Only player to score 40+ goals in two consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Only player in La Liga history to score 2+ hat-tricks in 7 consecutive seasons (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Most trophies won in Spanish football: 30 trophies (shared with Iniesta)
- Only player to score in 6 Spanish Super Cup editions: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016
- Only player to score in 4 consecutive Spanish Super Cup editions: 2009-2012
- Most goals in Spanish Super Cup Games: 17 goals
- Most away goals scored in La Liga history
- Leading goalscorer over a season in home games: 46 goals (in 2011/12)
- Leading goalscorer over a season in home league games: 35 goals (in 2011/12)
- Leading goalscorer over a season in away league games: 24 goals (in 2012/13)
- Leading goalscorer in the second half of a league season: 28 goals (in 2011/12)
- Most opponents scored against in a single season: 19 (2012/13) (Shared with Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldo)
- Most goals scored in La Liga in a season: 50 goals in 2011/12
- Most goals scored in La Liga in a calendar year: 59 goals in 2012
- Most La Liga hat-tricks in a season: 8 hat-tricks (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Most league matches scored in in a single season: 27 games (2012/13) (Shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Most home league matches scored in in a single season: 16 games (in 2011/12)
- Most away league matches scored in in a single season: 15 games (in 2012/13)
- Youngest player to score 200 La Liga goals: 25 years
- Most consecutive La Liga matches scored in: 21 matches, 33 goals(2012/13)
- Most consecutive away league matches scored in: 13 matches, 20 goals(2012/13)
- Most hat-tricks in El Clásico matches: 2 hat-tricks
- Most assists in La Liga: 144 assists
- All time highest goalscorer in La Liga: 365 goals
- Youngest player to reach 250 league goals
- First player to score 40+ goals in 3 La Liga seasons (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- Best goalscoring ratio in a La Liga season (at least 20 games played): 1.44 (46 goals in 32 games in 2012/13)
RONALDO SPANISH RECORDS
- Most penalties scored in La Liga history: 59 penalties
- Most penalties missed in La Liga history: 11 penalties
- First player to score 25+ goals in five consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Lionel Messi)
- First player to score 25+ goals in six consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Lionel Messi)
- First player to score 25+ goals in seven consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Lionel Messi)
- First player to score 25+ goals in eight consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Lionel Messi)
- Only player in La Liga history to score 20+ goals in 8 consecutive seasons (shared with Lionel Messi)
- Only player to score 40+ goals in two consecutive La Liga seasons (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
- First player to score 30+ goals in five consecutive La Liga seasons
- First player to score 30+ goals in six consecutive La Liga seasons (2010/11 – 2015/16)
- Most hat-tricks in Spanish football: 35 hat-tricks
- Only player in La Liga history to score 2+ hat-tricks in 7 consecutive seasons (shared with Lionel Messi)
- The first player to score against every team in La Liga in a single season
- The first player ever to score in six consecutive Clásicos
- The first player to score 20 away goals in a single season in La Liga
- Most league matches scored in in a single season: 27 games (2011/12) (Shared with Lionel Messi)
- Most goals scored in three consecutive La Liga matches: 9 goals(shared with László Kubala, Mundo and Campanal)
- Most opponents scored against in a single season: 19 (2011/12) (Shared with Lionel Messi and Ronaldo)
- First player to score more than 50 goals in four [consecutive] seasons in Spanish football
- Most hat-tricks in La Liga: 32 hat-tricks
- Most goals scored in La Liga after the first 8 games: 15 goals (and he didn’t play in 1 of those games)
- Most goals scored in La Liga after the first 10 games: 17 goals (and he didn’t play in 1 of those games)
- Most goals scored in La Liga after the first 12 games: 20 goals (and he didn’t play in 1 of those games)
- Most goals scored in La Liga after the first 15 games: 25 goals (and he didn’t play in 1 of those games) (shared with Pruden and Bata)
- Most consecutive home matches scored in in La Liga (in which he played): 17 consecutive home games
- Only player to win 3 LFP awards in one season (2013/14): Best player, Best forward and Best goal
- Fastest La Liga player to score 150 league goals (140 games)
- Fastest La Liga player to score 200 league goals (178 games)
- Fastest player to score 300 official club goals
- Best La Liga penalty conversion rate (of at least 30 PK’s): 93%
- The best goal ratio ever in La Liga (over 100 games): 1.04
- First player to score 40+ goals in 3 La Liga seasons (shared with Lionel Messi)
- Most La Liga hat-tricks in a season: 8 hat-tricks (shared with Lionel Messi)
MESSI BARCELONA RECORDS
- Most free kicks scored for Barcelona: 28 free kick goals
- All time Barcelona top scorer in all games: 559 goals
- All time Barcelona top scorer in official competitions: 529 goals
- Barcelona top scorer in La Liga: 365 goals
- Barcelona top scorer in European competitions: 100 goals
- Barcelona top scorer in international competitions: 102 goals
- Most hat-tricks in official competitions for Barcelona: 39 hat-tricks
- Most hat-tricks in La Liga for Barcelona: 28 hat-tricks
- Most hat-tricks scored for Barcelona in a single La Liga season: 8 hat-tricks
- Most goals scored in a single Champions League season: 14 goals(2011/12)
- Most goals scored in Derbi Barceloní (Catalan derby): 12 goals
- First Barcelona player to be La Liga top scorer 3 times
- First Barcelona player to be La Liga top scorer 4 times
- Most Champions League trophies: 4 (shared with Xavi & Iniesta)
- One of 2 players to have scored in 6 different official competitions in one season (Copa del Rey, La Liga, UEFA Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, completed on 4 January 2012) (shared with Pedro)
- Only player to have scored and assisted in 6 different official competitions in one season (Copa del Rey, La Liga, UEFA Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, completed on 12 January 2012)
- The first Barcelona player to surpass 30 league goals in 2 [consecutive] La Liga seasons
- The first Barcelona player to surpass 30 league goals in 3 [consecutive] La Liga seasons
- The first Barcelona player to surpass 30 league goals in 4 [consecutive] La Liga seasons
- The first Barcelona player to win 2 European Golden Shoes
- The first Barcelona player to win 3 European Golden Shoes
- The first Barcelona player to win 4 European Golden Shoes
- The first Barcelona player to surpass 50 goals in a season
- The first Barcelona player to surpass 50 goals in 2 seasons (did it consecutively)
- The first Barcelona player to surpass 50 goals in 3 seasons (did it consecutively)
- The first Barcelona player to surpass 50 goals in 4 seasons
- The first Barcelona player to surpass 50 goals in 5 seasons
RONALDO REAL MADRID RECORDS
- Most goals scored in the Madrid derby: 21 goals
- Only Real Madrid player to score a hat-trick in a Champions League knockout phase match (Shared with Ronaldo Nazario)
- Fastest hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League for Real Madrid: 11 minutes
- Real Madrid’s all time leading goalscorer 422 goals
- Real Madrid’s all time top goalscorer in the Champions League 99 goals
- Real Madrid’s all time top goalscorer in La Liga: 289 goals
- Most goals scored in a season in all competitions for Real Madrid: 61 goals
- Most goals scored in a single La Liga season for Real Madrid: 48 goals
- Most hat-tricks in a single season for Real Madrid: 8 hat-tricks
- Fastest Real Madrid player to reach 50 league goals
- Fastest Real Madrid player to reach 100 league goals
- Fastest Real Madrid player to reach 200 official goals
- Fastest Real Madrid player to reach 250 official goals
- The first Real Madrid player to score in the first four league matches of a season
- The first Real Madrid player to surpass 30 league goals in two [consecutive] La Liga seasons
- The first Real Madrid player to surpass 30 league goals in three [consecutive] La Liga seasons
- The first Real Madrid player to surpass 30 league goals in four [consecutive] La Liga seasons
- The first Real Madrid player to surpass 30 league goals in five [consecutive] La Liga seasons
- Most goals scored in 5 consecutive league matches: 14 goals
- Most goals scored in 7 consecutive league matches: 15 goals
- Most consecutive league game weeks scored in for Real Madrid: 10 games
- Most consecutive league games scored in for Real Madrid: 11 games
- First Real Madrid player to score on every day of the week
- Most goals ever scored in away league matches for Real Madrid
- Most goals scored in UEFA Super Cup matches: 2 goals
- Most hat-tricks in La Liga: 32 hat-tricks
- The first Real Madrid player to win 2 European Golden Shoes
- The first Real Madrid player to win 3 European Golden Shoes
- The first Real Madrid player to win 4 European Golden Shoes
- First player to score more than 50 goals in a season
- First player to score more than 50 goals in 2 seasons (did it consecutively)
- First player to score more than 50 goals in 3 seasons (did it consecutively)
- First player to score more than 50 goals in 4 seasons (did it consecutively)
- First player to score more than 50 goals in 5 seasons (did it consecutively)
- First player to score more than 50 goals in 6 seasons (did it consecutively)
MESSI ARGENTINA RECORDS
- Most goals scored in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers: 21 goals (shared with Luis Suarez)
- First Argentina player to score against the other 9 CONEMBOL countries
- Most goals scored in friendlies: 27 goals
- Most goals scored in one FIFA World Cup qualification: 10 goals
- Most goals scored in a year (national team): 12 goals (2012) (shared with Gabriel Batistuta)
- Youngest Argentina player to have scored at the FIFA World Cup Finals): 18 years and 357 days old in 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro
- Youngest player to have reached 100 caps in CONMEBOL history (27 years, 361 days old)
RONALDO PORTUGAL RECORDS
- Most goals scored in European World Cup Qualifiers: 30 goals
- Portugal all-time top scorer: 79 goals
- Portugal all-time top scorer in UEFA Euro matches: 9 goals
- Most matches played in UEFA European Championship finals: 19 matches
- Most matches played in World Cup finals: 13 matches
- Youngest player to reach 100 caps: 27 years, 8 months and 11 days
- Only player to score for Portugal in 3 different World Cups
RONALDO ENGLISH RECORDS
- The highest number of goals scored to win the Premier League Golden Boot for a 38-game season: 31 goals (shared with Alan Shearer & Luis Suarez)
- First player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards
RONALDO MANCHESTER UNITED RECORDS
- Most goals in a (38-game) league season for Manchester United: 31 goals
- Record sale of a Manchester United player: £80 million
- First and only Manchester United player to win the European Golden Shoe
- First and only Manchester United player to win the Fifa World Player of the Year
- First and only Manchester United player to win the Fifa Puskas Award
LAST STATS UPDATE: 11 JAN