Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Who has more Guinness World Records?

Messi and Ronaldo are two of the greatest footballers of all time

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi is one of the greatest rivalries in sports. The Guinness Book of Records was created in 1955, and which player’s name features on the list more times could finally end the debate.

This ongoing argument has caused many harsh words to be spoken, punches to be thrown, and friendships to fall apart over the past 20 years.

There is only one criterion that actually matters: who has the most Guinness World Records titles? Lionel Messi’s originality, agility, and natural brilliance are frequently contrasted with Cristiano Ronaldo’s effectiveness, athleticism, and work ethic.

Lionel Messi has 50+ Guinness World Records and Cristiano Ronaldo also has 41

Possibly the best footballer of all time is Lionel Messi. His career has been extraordinarily successful, and during that time, he has smashed numerous records. He currently holds 50+ Guinness World Records (as of June 2025), as confirmed via a post on his 38th birthday.

Happy birthday to Lionel Messi 🐐Most wins of the Ballon d'Or ✅Most liked photo on Instagram ✅Over 50 world records ✅ pic.twitter.com/bdSTYCtJGa

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 24, 2025

At the World Cup, he received the most man-of-the-match honours (11).

Messi maintains his own record for scoring 50 goals in the Champions League at the youngest age. At the age of 24, he accomplished that milestone in April 2012. More than any other football player in the world, Messi has appeared on 10 video game covers.

He is the highest-paid football player in the world, reportedly earning $107 million annually. Messi became the player with the highest number of goals scored in just one game in the Champions League when he scored five goals in a match against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012.

The 36-year-old played with Barcelona for the majority of his career and presently holds the record for the total number of foreign players to feature in La Liga (520).

Last but not least, Messi surpassed the record for the most goals netted in a Copa America match by a substitute when he scored a hat-trick for Argentina against Panama in June 2016.

Ronaldo holds 41 Guinness World Records

The phenomenon is Cristiano Ronaldo. He holds 41 Guinness World Records (as of 2024), which speaks volumes about the perfect human specimen he has proven to be. Ronaldo leads all-time international goal scorers. He also has 140 goals in the Champions League, which is the most of any player.

🏅 Cristiano Ronaldo has received the Guinness World Record award for the most international wins in history with 132. pic.twitter.com/2kYXynXPHX

— Khel Now World Football (@KhelNowWF) March 24, 2025

The maximum number of goals tallied by any player in just one Champions League season was 17 by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013–14. Together with Radamel Falcao, who recorded 17 goals for Porto in the 2011–12 Europa League, he holds the record for the most goals recorded in a single campaign of a UEFA European club tournament.

During the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons, Ronaldo registered in 11 straight Champions League matches, a feat that has yet to be surpassed. He also leads all players in goals scored in UEFA club championships.

At 33 years and 130 days old, he made history as the eldest player to achieve a World Cup hat-trick when he scored three goals in Portugal’s opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup against Spain.

In addition to Brazilian superstar Pele, German goal machine Miroslav Klose, and Wet Germany’s Uwe Seeler, Ronaldo remains the sole player to have contributed to five FIFA World Cups.

After overtaking Michel Platini during Euro 2020, the Portuguese icon continues to hold the distinction for the greatest number of goals netted in UEFA Euros (14) as well.

Ronaldo is among the most accurate penalty shooters in La Liga history (72) and is noted for his consistency from the spot. He received the best rating of any player ever—99%—in the EA Sports FIFA 18 Team of the Year, based on the Guinness World Records website.

Ronaldo, a global celebrity, has the most followers of any athlete on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. On the contrary, he also happens to be the person who is most followed.

The most visited site on the internet for a male athlete is Ronaldo’s Wikipedia entry, which has received over 48 trillion visits.

When he played his 200th game for the Portuguese national team during the Euro 2024 qualifying match against Iceland on June 20, 2023, he recently beat his own record for the highest number of caps by a male player in international football.

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