One of the biggest rivalries in sports is that between Messi and Ronaldo. As of the creation of the Guinness Book of Records in 1955, this fight at a pub is the biggest ever.
Over the past fifteen years, this constant debate has resulted in several angry words being said, punches being thrown, and friendships breaking down.
Who holds the most Guinness World Records titles is the one criterion that truly matters. Cristiano Ronaldo’s efficacy, athleticism, and work ethic are usually compared with Lionel Messi’s creativity, agility, and innate brilliance.
Lionel Messi has a one-record lead over Ronaldo
Messi is arguably the greatest football player of all time. He has broken multiple records during the course of his incredibly successful career. He won the most man-of-the-match awards (11) at the World Cup.
The Argentine continues to hold the record for the youngest goal scorer in the Champions League with 50 goals. In April 2012, at the age of 24, he reached that milestone. Messi has more appearances on video game covers than any other football star in the world—ten to be exact.
With an estimated yearly salary of $107 million, he is the highest-paid football player in the world. When Messi scored five goals in a 2012 UCL encounter against Leverkusen, he became the player with the most goals scored in a single game.
The 36-year-old spent most of his playing career with Barcelona and currently holds the record with 520 foreign players featured in La Liga.
Not to mention, when Messi scored a hat-trick for Argentina against Panama in June 2016, he broke the record for the most goals scored by a replacement in a Copa America game.
It is Cristiano Ronaldo the sensation. He has 16 Guinness World Records to his name, which says volumes about what an exceptional human specimen he is. Ronaldo is the top goal-scorer for his country of all time. In the Champions League, he has scored the most goals of any player with 140.
In just one Champions League season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the most goals of any player—17—in 2013–14. He shares the record for most goals scored in a single season of a UEFA European club tournament with Radamel Falcao, who scored 17 goals for Porto in the 2011–12 Europa League.
Ronaldo achieved a record-breaking 11 straight Champions League appearances in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons. Additionally, he leads all players in UEFA club championship goals scored.
He made history by becoming the oldest player to score three goals in the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening match between Portugal and Spain at the age of 33 years and 130 days.
Apart from the legendary Pele from Brazil, the formidable Miroslav Klose from Germany, and Uwe Seeler from Wet Germany, Ronaldo is the only player to have participated in five FIFA World Cups.
The legendary Portuguese player still holds the record for most goals scored at the UEFA Euros (14) after surpassing Michel Platini during Euro 2020.
Ronaldo is renowned for his consistency from the spot and is one of the most accurate penalty-takers in La Liga history (72). According to the Guinness World Records website, he was awarded the EA Sports FIFA 18 Team of the Year with the highest rating of any player ever—99%.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Valuable Players Aged Over 39 Years
Among athletes, Ronaldo is the most followed person on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter due to his widespread fame. Conversely, he also happens to be the most followed individual.
With over 48 trillion views, Ronaldo’s Wikipedia entry is the most popular site for male athletes on the internet.
He just broke his own record for the most caps by a male player in international football on June 20, 2023, when he played his 200th game for the Portuguese national team during the Euro 2024 qualification match against Iceland.
