5 Lionel Messi records Cristiano Ronaldo might not break
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated world football for almost a decade and a half. The timeless rivalry between the duo has been an absolute treat for football fans all around the globe. Ronaldo is now 36, Messi is 33 and their record-laden careers might draw to a close in the coming years.
But the two players have made their careers by defying expectations. Despite having gone past their peaks, they continue to break records and maintain their place among the very best in the business.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have made a habit out of breaking records
Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi are two of the greatest footballers of all time. The sheer number of records the duo have broken is a testament to their almost superhuman abilities.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five Lionel Messi records that Cristiano Ronaldo might not break.
#5 Most European Golden Shoe Awards - 6
The European Golden Shoe is awarded to the player who scores the most number of goals in a single season in all leagues across the continent. When Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were at the peak of their powers and scoring goals for fun, they would trade blows in the race for the Golden Shoe.
Cristiano Ronaldo first won the award with Manchester United in the 2007-08 season. He has won it three times since then, in 2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15. At the time, Ronaldo had the lead over Lionel Messi. The Argentine had only three when the Portuguese won his last Golden Shoe Award.
But Messi won the award in three consecutive seasons from 2016-17 to 2018-19. He has now won six European Golden Shoe Awards. Although Ronaldo continues to be a prolific goalscorer, it doesn't look like he will ever become the top scorer in Europe again.
Robert Lewandowski scored 41 goals in the 2020-21 season and won the award this time. Ronaldo finished third in this season's race to the Golden Shoe. Messi came second. Now that he is 36, it is nearly impossible for Ronaldo to go on and win three more European Golden Shoes and break Messi's record of winning six European Golden Shoes.
#4 Most consecutive Ballon d'Or wins - 4
From 2008 to 2019, only Luka Modric was able to break Lionel Messi's and Cristiano Ronaldo's duopoly over the Ballon d'Or. After Cristiano Ronaldo had won the most prestigious individual prize in football twice in successive years, Lionel Messi would go on to win it four times in succession from 2009 to 2012.
It's a record which is extremely unlikely to be broken by Ronaldo. He'll have to start from scratch as his last Ballon d'Or win came in 2017. At his age, winning four consecutive Ballons d'Or is impossible.