Cristiano Ronaldo’s rivalry with Lionel Messi has dominated football for more than a decade. These two superstars are now in the twilight years of their illustrious careers and will go down in history as two of the greatest football players of all time.
In their respective primes, Ronaldo and Messi played for Real Madrid and Barcelona, two of football’s biggest clubs respectively, pushing each other to unprecedented heights.
As the two competed for every title, their individual talents shone through and they broke countless records by outdoing each other.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at five Cristiano Ronaldo records that are almost impossible for Messi to break.
#5 International appearances
Currently, Ronaldo holds the record for the most international appearances. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner made a total of 201 appearances for Portugal during his career.
Meanwhile, Messi currently ranks eighth with 177 appearances for Argentina. Ronaldo is several years older than Messi and will likely hang up his boots before the Argentinian Messi. But he is getting stronger and stronger now, and it is almost impossible for Messi to catch up with him.
#4 Six consecutive seasons with over 50 goals
Ronaldo is widely regarded as the greatest goalscorer in the sport. His goal-scoring ability has been crucial to Real Madrid’s success over the past decade. The legendary striker was a very prolific goalscorer during his time at Real Madrid.
From the 2010-11 season to the 2015-16 season, he scored more than 50 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid for five consecutive seasons. Ronaldo will likely hold this record for a long time as it is now too late in Messi’s career for him to equal this remarkable feat.
#3 Most assists in UEFA Champions League
Ronaldo’s playmaking ability is a hugely underrated aspect of his game. Due to his transition to center later in his career, his playmaking abilities are often overlooked.
Ronaldo contributed 42 assists in the Champions League. He is the player with the highest assists in the history of Europe’s elite competition. Messi follows with 40 assists.
However, with both players leaving Europe, these numbers are likely to remain the same.
#2 International Goals
Ronaldo is currently the leading goalscorer in men’s international football. He has delivered exceptional performances for Portugal on the international stage and has been their main source of goals for nearly fifteen years.
During his national team career, he scored 123 goals for Portugal. In September 2021, he scored twice for Portugal against the Republic of Ireland in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, breaking the record of 109 goals held by former Iran international Ali Daei.
Messi is the third top scorer in men’s international football. He played 176 games for Argentina and scored 104 goals. Despite being 38 years old, Ronaldo is still Portugal’s main offensive force and he is likely to add more goals, making this record an almost impossible one for Messi to break.
#1 Most goals in the Champions League
As we mentioned before, neither Ronaldo nor Messi are likely to play in the Champions League again during their careers. Ronaldo currently plays for Al Nasr in the Saudi Professional League, while Messi plays for Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
At this stage of their careers, a return to Europe and the rigors of the Champions League seems impossible. Therefore, their Champions League numbers are likely to remain the same.
Ronaldo is the top scorer in the history of the competition. The Real Madrid and Manchester United legend has scored a whopping 140 goals in the Champions League. Messi ranks second with 129 points.