Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have broken many records in their careers. Here are five records that both players jointly share.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are widely considered as two of the greatest players to ever play the game of football
The Barcelona and Real Madrid pair have succeeded in wooing crowds across the globe with their magnificent and magical performances for both club and country.
Having won everything there is to win in football at club level, both have continued to dominate the football landscape for the last decade.
On an individual level, both Messi and Ronaldo have also won every other award there is in world football, including the European Golden Boot, the Ballon d’Or, the FIFA Best Player, among many other personal accolades.
Indeed, the Argentine and Portuguese have shattered many records since emerging on the scene and look destined to break more before they finally hang their boots.
Here are five records that are jointly shared by Messi and Ronaldo.
#5 Most European Golden Shoe awards
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both taken goal scoring to a whole new level at Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. The duo are the all-time top scorers of their respective clubs, having recorded scary numbers when it comes to goals.
As a result, both have won the European Golden Shoe four times so far in their respective careers. It is one of few records that the Real Madrid and Barcelona stars cannot be separated on.
Ronaldo first won the European Golden Shoe with Manchester United in the 2007/08 season, before again emerging the winner in the 2010/2011, 2013/14, and 2014/15 seasons – all with Real Madrid.
Messi on the other hand top scored in Europe in the 2009/10, 2011/12. 2012/13 and the 2016/17 seasons with Barcelona.
#4 The only players to score 300+ goals in La Liga
Aside from taking their rivalry to European competitions, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have equally taken goal scoring in La Liga to different heights that may never again be reached.
The two superstars have never scored below 25 goals since rekindling their rivalry at Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Ronaldo and Messi are the only players to have netted over 300 goals in the history of the Laliga and continue to add to that tally with each passing week when they step onto the field.
Ronaldo has scored a whopping 307 goals in the Spanish top flight since moving to the Santiago Bernabeu from Manchester United in the summer of 2009. The Portuguese’s eternal rival Messi is slightly ahead, also boasting a staggering 374 La Liga goals since debuting for Barcelona in the 2004/05 season.
#3 Most FIFA Ballons d’Or
No two players have dominated the prestigious Ballon d’Or award more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Real Madrid and Barcelona superstars have been nominated together for the prestigious individual award in 10 out of the last 11 editions.
Since 2007, both players have mounted the podium together, barring 2010 when Andres Iniesta and Xaxi Hernandez were nominated alongside Messi, with Ronaldo being left out of the final three.
The Portuguese and his Argentine rival have, however, both won the Ballon d’Or award on five separate occasions – the most by any players since the inception of the award in 1956.
The pair were first nominated for the prestigious award in 2007 but they both lost out to AC Milan’s Ricardo Kaka. However, Messi and Ronaldo have since won each of the following editions of the Ballon d’Or, making it 10 straight years of dominance by the duo.
Ronaldo won it in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, whilst Messi reigned supreme in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015.
#2 Most FIFPro World XI appearances
Having rivalled each other for the better part of the last decade, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have made it to the list in each of the last 11 FIFPro World XI team.
The two have been named in the FIFPro World XI since 2007 as recognition for their impressive and unmatched performances on the field.
Their record now stands at 11 consecutive appearances in the team of the year. In fact, no other players have been able to get close that this feat chalked by Ronaldo and Messi and this shared record will take a very long time if it is ever to be broken.
In terms of consistency, the pair has continued to defy the odds despite both currently being in their 30s.
#1 The only players to have scored at three FIFA Club World Cups
Another record that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi share together is the number of times they have gotten on the scoresheet in separate FIFA Club World Cup competitions.
Both Ronaldo and Messi are the only players to have scored in three different World Club Cup tournaments. The Portuguese first netted in the competition in 2008 when he participated with English giants Manchester United, however, he has since scored in two other editions – 2016 and 2017 – with Real Madrid.
Messi also scored his debut goal in the World Club Cup in 2009 and again netted in the 2011 and 2015 editions, helping Barcelona to win the trophy in each of the aforementioned years.
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