Cristiano Ronaldo is indeed one of the greatest footballers in history; and he has won it all: league titles, golden boots, Ballon d’Ors, Champions league. His rivalry with Lionel Messi is such a fierce contest that most pundits have debated over for more than a decade. Anyway, Messi too has won it all. So who is the best? That’s not our call. Here are ten impressive records of Ronaldo that Messi will never beat.
Related media: Top 20 Cristiano Ronaldo Goals That Shocked The World
#1. Won Every Possible Title With Two Different Teams
In 2008, while playing for Manchester United, Ronaldo won all possible football titles with the club — the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, and finally the FIFA Club World Cup. However, Messi also achieve the same feat with FC Barcelona the year after, but Ronaldo did it all again in 2014 with Real Madrid (this time winning the UEFA Super Cup as well) for the second time in his football career.
#2. Won League Titles In Top Three European Leagues
Ronaldo has won three league titles in the EPL with Manchester United, in 2006, 2007, and 2008. He did it again in the Spanish La Liga with Real Madrid for two titles in 2013 and 2015. And it seems he just can stop his winning streak of success. Now playing for Juventus in the Italian Serie A, he has won the league title for the third time playing for three different teams in three different leagues. That’s the winning spirit!
#3. Scored Over 40 Goals In Two Different Leagues
Winning golden boot isn’t an easy feat, but if you can do so playing for the top teams in some of the major leagues in the world, then you’re a “G.O.A.T.” (No offense). Ronaldo has scored more than 40 goals per season for two different teams in two of the top five major leagues in Europe. The first with Manchester United in the 2007/08 season, and again with Real Madrid for six more times. An absolute record!
#4. Scored Over 50 Goals In Six Consecutive Seasons
Winning top scorer of the season with a high number of goals is an impressive feat for impressive players, and Ronaldo is such a player. Between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 seasons, Ronaldo managed to score more than 50 goals in all competitions, consecutively. Messi has passed the 50-goal mark consecutively for three seasons, it is Ronaldo’s consistency that’s made him unsurpassable. Any challenger?
#5. Scored Over 60 Goals In Four Consecutive Years
Is Ronaldo a goal scoring machine? Oh! yes, he is. Ronaldo is the only player in football history to have scored more than 60 goals in four consecutive years — between 2011 and 2014, he scored over 60 goals each year. Despite the fact that Messi has the record for most goals scored in a single year (91 goals for his team and country in 2012), again, it’s Ronaldo’s consistency that’s the game changer.
#6. Fastest Player To Score 150 La Liga Goals
Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid is even a record Messi hasn’t achieved yet. He became the world’s highest signing for a record €94 million ($110 million) as of 2009. And ever since, he did beat Messi as the top scorer in La Liga with a nine goal margin in his third season, and went to score 150 goals by his fourth season. So far, there are only 20 players in La Liga history with 150 goals, Ronaldo was the fastest. This is a record Messi will never achieve no matter what.
#7. Top Scorer In UCL; And In Six Consecutive Seasons
Undoubtedly, we can say Ronaldo is the King of the Champions League. Any questions? As of the writing of this article, he currently has 134 goals (16 goals more than Messi) in the Champions League alone. And it is this achievement that’s consistently made him the top scorer in the Champions League for six consecutive seasons. Messi, however, has been consistent for only four seasons. Si!!!
#8. Part Of UEFA Teams While Playing In Three Different Leagues
Ronaldo certainly being a world class player surely means if there is a football club for such players, then he’ll surely make that team; and oh my word, he has. Ronaldo has been part of the UEFA team of the year for a record of 13 times, while playing for three different teams — Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. The only other player to have achieve this feat is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, not Messi.
#9. Won Both ‘Ballon D’Or’ And FIFA Best In Two Different Leagues
By now you know that we’re talking about the BEST of the best. Not only is Ronaldo the world best player: winning both the Ballon d’Or for five times and being FIFA’s best player. He has achieved this impressive feat while playing in two of the top five leagues in Europe, both with Manchester United in 2008, and Real Madrid in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Although Messi has won six Ballon d’Or titles, he did in only one league.
#10. Won Three Consecutive UCL Titles
Alright, you could argue this one is a team achievement, but come on, we’re talking about the “King of the UEFA Champions League” for crying out loud. Cristiano Ronaldo! Playing for Real Madrid was his most successful peak in his career. Here are the stats: top scorer in UCL history, top scorer for six consecutive seasons, higher number of goals scored per season (17 goals in 2013/14), and winning the dang title five times — winning three consecutively.
What more do you want us to say about CR7?
What’s even more…
All time scorer at the FIFA Club World Cup (seven goals), most FIFA Club World Cup’s won: four titles (2008, 2014, 2016, and 2017), only player to win two FIFA Club World Cup golden boot awards (2016 and 2017), only player to score a hat-trick at the FIFA Club World Cup final, player with most Ballon d’Or voting points (946 points in 2017), and so much more.
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Written by: Nana Kwadwo, Fri, Jan 02, 2021.
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