What are the European records that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have not broken yet? These are the few records that have escaped their clutches so far.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the world of football like no other in the last 15 years. It seems that the duo break records every single season as they chase both team and individual glory year after year. People have now begun to wonder what are the European records that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have not broken yet
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Messi and Ronaldo seem to share multiple football records between them. However, there are still a few records that the dynamic duo are yet to get their hands on. With the pair in the twilight of their careers, let us look to find the answer to the question; What are the European records that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have not broken yet and can they break them before calling it a day?
UEFA competition appearances
This record belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo’s former teammate Iker Casillas. The former Real Madrid captain and keeper has made 188 appearances in all UEFA club competitions including the qualifiers. In Europe’s Elite contest, Casillas has made 181 appearances.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are at considerable distance. The Barcelona superstar has made 141 appearances so far while Ronaldo, who is two years older, has made 173 appearances. Ronaldo is joint third at the moment and will become the joint second when he turns out for Juventus in their next Champions League match. However, it will take at least another season before he can catch up with Iker Casillas.
Lionel Messi on the other hand will require at least 4 more seasons to overtake Casillas. And even then, it will require Barcelona to make deep runs in the competition. This is one record that is likely to stay away from the two for at least a little while.
Success with different sides
Lionel Messi’s commitment to Barcelona means that Lionel Messi will never be in the running for Clarence Seedorf’s record. The former Dutch midfielder is considered one of the most successful players in UEFA Champions League history.
Clarence Seedorf is the first, and currently the only, player to have won the Champions League with three clubs. He first won it with Ajax, in 1995, once with Real Madrid, in 1998 and twice with Milan, in 2003 and 2007.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Champions League with Manchester United and Real Madrid. By joining Juventus, he has given himself the chance to replicate Seedorf’s record. However, as far as scoring for the most sides goes, Zlatan Inrahimovic’s record of scoring for 6 teams in the UEFA Champions League looks likely to stand the test of time.
With both Messi and Ronaldo in the last stages of their career and both clubs having explicitly said that they would desire the superstars to retire in their current clubs, this is one record they may never achieve.
Fastest goal
Roy Makaay scored the fastest goal in Champions League history when he found the back of the net with his first touch in the match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid back in 2007. The Bayern Munich striker’s goal was clocked at 10.12 seconds.
The 2005 Champions League final, dubbed the miracle in Istanbul, is remembered by many for Liverpool’s heroic comeback. However, Paolo Maldini’s opening strike in 53 seconds is another notable event from the match.
That goal would go on to become the fastest UEFA Champions League final goal and still stands 14 years later. Neither Cristiano or Messi have come close to either of the two records in all their appearances so far.
Ronaldo’s fastest goal in a Champions League match came in the 4th minute while Messi has knocked one in the 3rd minute twice. Their numbers in finals is even worse. Messi has scored two goals in finals while Ronaldo has 4. All 6 of these goals have however, come in the second half of the match.
