Top five footballers who hold the most Guinness World Records

Lionel Messi overtakes Cristiano Ronaldo

In the world of football, where extraordinary moments unfold and legends are born, there exist mavericks who shatter expectations and redefine what is deemed possible. These audacious individuals not only dominate the game but also carve their names in the illustrious pages of the Guinness Book of World Records.

With their audacious skills, unrivalled determination, and unwavering passion, they embark on a mesmerising journey, defying conventional limits and surpassing all expectations. In this article, we embark on a thrilling exploration of these football mavericks as they fearlessly rewrite the Guinness World Records, pushing the boundaries of what we didn't think was possible and leaving an indelible legacy that echoes through the ages.

5. Neymar - 4

'Neymar' is one of the best forwards in modern-day football. The Brazilian has achieved a lot of fame, played at two of the best football clubs in the world, and achieved paramount success in his career. The achievements of the 31-year-old have made people compare him with the legendary Pele.

When PSG wanted to acquire the services of Neymar from Barcelona, they had to shell out a hefty fee of €222 million (his release clause). This transfer made him the most expensive footballer in transfer history and set the Guinness World Record. This mammoth amount was more than double the then-most expensive transfer of Paul Pogba (€105) from Juventus to Manchester United.

Neymar set the record for the fastest goal in Olympic history during Brazil's semifinal match against Honduras at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The youngster snatched the ball off a Honduran defender and found the back of the net in just 14 seconds. Before Neymar's goal against Honduras, the Guinness record for the fastest goal in Olympic history was held by Mexico’s Oribe Peralta.

4. Kylian Mbappe - 5

Kylian Mbappe becomes the new addition to the list of elites. He has been sensational for PSG and France. France's captain is the youngest player to have scored 100 goals in the top division of French football.

Mbappe overtakes his PSG teammate Neymar in the standings. The French striker won the World Cup with France and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final. One of the greatest young talents is fourth on the list.

3. Robert Lewandowski - 9

Robert Lewandowski took the world by storm in 2015 when he scored five goals in the space of just nine minutes after coming on as a substitute. He is undoubtedly one of the best number nines of all time. Robert Lewandowski collected four certificates from the Guinness Book of Records to commemorate his crazy five-goal blitz against Wolfsburg.

Lewandowski now holds the records for the fastest hat trick (three minutes, 22 seconds), the fastest four-goal haul (five minutes, 42 seconds), the fastest five-goal salvo, and the first player to score five times as a substitute in the German league. The Pole only joined proceedings at halftime against Wolfsburg but still managed to find the net five times, all in a ridiculous eight minutes and 59 seconds.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo - 40

Cristiano Ronaldo's achievement of 200 international caps for Portugal has been recognised by Guinness World Records. The Al-Nassr superstar accomplished this remarkable feat during Euro 2024 qualifier match against Iceland on Tuesday, June 20. As a tribute to his accomplishment, Ronaldo was presented with a formal certificate by Guinness World Records as a new official record holder.

The Portuguese superstar recently won the award for the highest-paid athlete in a year. Cristiano earned $136 million in 2023.

Ali Daei’s 17-year reign as the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s international football was broken by Ronaldo when he surpassed Ali's 109-goal haul. He did so in style by saving his best for last in a World Cup qualifier against Ireland. He fired in two late headers to seal a dramatic 2-1 comeback win.

134 goals in 175 Champions League games is the best record of any player in the competition’s history. Ronaldo has scored 15 Champions League goals for Manchester United, 105 for Real Madrid, and 14 for Juventus. He is also level with Lionel Messi on a record of eight hat-tricks.

Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao share the record for the most goals in a single season in a UEFA European club competition. Falcao scored a brilliant 17 goals in 14 Europa League games in 2010–11 to help Porto win the tournament. Meanwhile, Ronaldo hit the 17-goal mark to lead Real Madrid to the Champions League in 2013-14.

Mr Champions League has a Guinness World Record for an 11-game goal run between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns; he has 134 Champions League goals, the highest any player has achieved across any UEFA European club competition.

He became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat trick (33 years and 130 days), and Ronaldo delivered arguably one of his finest performances to steal the show with a hat trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw. It also saw him become the first Portuguese player in history to score in four consecutive World Cups. In that same game against Spain, Ronaldo also equalled the record for the most World Cups scored in. He has scored in four different editions of the tournament for Portugal (2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018).

Aside from winning the Euro 2020 Golden Boot with five goals this summer, Ronaldo surpassed Michel Platini as the all-time top goal scorer of the European Championship. He currently has 14 goals in the tournament.

The most successful penalty-taker in LaLiga and the highest-rated player in FIFA 18; The most followers for an athlete on Twitter, the most followers on Instagram for an athlete, the most followed person on Instagram, the most viewed Wikipedia page for an athlete (male), and the most likes for an athlete on Facebook are the other records that are held by Ronaldo.

1. Lionel Messi - 41

Argentine legend Lionel Messi holds a staggering number of Guinness World Records, and the Inter Miami superstar overtook Cristiano Ronaldo in the overall standings. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has already bagged 34 trophies at club level, making him one of the most decorated footballers ever. Messi has won the FIFA World Cup, Copa América, and CONMEBOL titles on the international scene.

Guinness World Records confirmed that Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Arjen Robben had each won six Man of the Match awards at World Cup tournaments before Qatar 2022. However, the Argentine veteran pulled away significantly from the pack by earning the individual accolade in five separate games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including the final.

The then-Barcelona star was 24 years old when he scored his 50th goal in the UEFA Champions League. He became the youngest player in the competition to reach the milestone. Messi is the most featured footballer on video game covers across multiple franchises, including the FIFA series from EA Sports and the PES game series from Konami. The Argentine has graced 10 game covers: PES 2009, PES 2010, PES 2011, FIFA Street, FIFA 13, FIFA 14, FIFA 15, FIFA 16, PES 17, and the PES 18 Legendary Edition.

He is the highest-earning player, making him the footballer with the highest annual earnings. Messi became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League encounter. He featured in 520 LaLiga matches for Barcelona, making him the foreign player with the most LaLiga appearances.

The most goals scored by a Substitute in a Copa America Match were done by Messi; he came on to score a hat trick in 19 minutes. These are some of the records set by Lionel Messi.

Last updated on 01 August 2023