There has been this debate among football fans wanting to find out who is the best football player between Juventus star Christiano Ronaldo and Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi. Even though both are unique in their own ways their fans try to make battle each other to prove they are rather the best.
Well, the Union of European Football Associations, UEFA, has revealed nine records that are yet to be broken by the two footballers in the history of Europe’s topflight competitions, (Champions League and Europe League).
UEFA took to their official website today to release the records, indicating that Messi and Ronaldo are yet to break the following feats in the Europe topflight leagues:
1. Most appearances – Messi has 126, while Ronaldo has 158, but the record is being held by Porto goalkeeper, Iker Casillas (179).
2. Most final goals – Messi has scored only two final goals (in 2009 and 2011), while Ronaldo has four (one apiece in 2008 and 2014, and two in 2017) but is still three shy of the record shared by two Real Madrid legends, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, who have both scored seven.
3. Oldest goalscorer – AC Milan legend, Paolo Maldini scored for his side’s defeat to Liverpool at the age of 36 in the 2005 Champions League final and also Roma legend, Francesco Totti scored at the age of 38 in his side’s Champions League group stage clash against CSKA Moskva in 2014.
4. Player with most success with different clubs – Clarence Seedorf (Ajax 1995, Real Madrid 1998, Milan 2003, 2007) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain) are both ahead of Messi and Ronaldo.
5. Fastest goal – Roy Makaay scored in 10.12 seconds for Bayern München against Real Madrid in 2007. Ronaldo’s earliest Champions League goal came in the fourth minute for Real Madrid against Juventus in 2013, while Messi’s fastest goal came in three minutes into Barcelona’s 7-0 win against Celtic in 2016.
6. Long-distance goal – Manchester United legend, Ryan Giggs has sixteen long-distance goals in the Champions League. Ronaldo has 13, while Messi has 14.
7. Goalscoring consistency – Bayern Munich forward, Gerd Müller has 0.97 goals per game ratio. Ronaldo has 0.76, while Messi has 0.82.
8. Fastest hat-tricks – Bafétimbi Gomis got his fastest hat-trick for Olympique Lyonnais against Dinamo Zagreb in 2011. Ronaldo scored his fastest hat-trick in 12 minutes for Real Madrid against Malmö in 2012, while Messi scored his fastest hat-trick in 22 minutes for Barcelona against Arsenal in 2010.
9. Most goals in a single European season – Colombia striker, Radamel Falcao scored 18 goals for Porto during the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League. Messi’s best year came in 2011/12 when he ended the European season with 14 goals, while Ronaldo set a European Cup/UEFA Champions League record with 17 in 2013/14.
