Which record is hardest to break in football history?
Most goals in a single league (Pele) In a report from the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics), it emerged that Pele scored 1281 goals in 1363 games. These did include unofficial games, though. So to be more accurate, Pele's league goal tally comes to around 650 goals in 694 games.
With the records tumbling this season, it’s time to check out 10 records in world football that nobody may ever break.
Over the last decade, we have seen countless football records smashed in an era dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The pair have stood on top of the football world for years and have reached heights that many believed to be impossible. Even in their thirties, they remain hungry for greater things.
No matter how great Ronaldo, Messi or any other football player might be, however, there are just some records that can’t be broken.
We’ve seen countless superstars over the years attempt to stamp their names in the history book by doing the impossible. Try as they might, though, these 10 records are unbeaten – full stop.
So here we name the Top 10 football records that nobody may ever break – no matter what.
10. Most goals in a World Cup (Fontaine)
We recently saw Harry Kane win the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot by scoring an impressive six goals.
The England captain’s tally was impressive and played a key role in the national team’s fourth-place finish. However, it turns out that Kane’s achievement in Russia was nowhere near record-breaking.
The honour of scoring the most goals in a World Cup tournament instead belongs to Just Fontaine of France.
The French striker scored an incredible 13 goals in six games to help France finish third in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
9. Most time without a goal conceded for country (Zoff)
This fabulous football record is held by Dino Zoff.
The Italian legend was famed for putting the brakes on strikers before they even got a sniff of a goal. It’s a shame we can’t see him in action against Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi these days.
Nonetheless, Zoff is one of the greatest keepers in history and once held the Serie A record for most consecutive clean sheets. But Gianluigi Buffon broke that one in 2015/16 by going 12 matches and 974 consecutive minutes with no goal conceded.
However, Buffon could never beat Zoff’s record of 1142 minutes without conceding a goal for Italy between 1972 and 1972.
8. Five European Cups in a row (Real Madrid)
The Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid won three Champions League titles in a row between 2016 and 2018. Incredible, right?
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As impressive as it is, however, it turns that there was an even more formidable Los Blancos squad once. It’s hard to imagine, but the team from 1955 to 1960 was something else.
Real Madrid won five consecutive European Cups, with the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano leading the charge.
It was frightening stuff indeed as no one in Europe could do anything about it.
7. Fastest goal in a World Cup match (Sukur)
This particular honour belongs to Hakan Sukur.
The Turkish striker took just 10.89 seconds to score against South Korea in a third-place World Cup playoff match in 2002.
It was a little late coming, but better late than never right?
The previous record-holder was Vaclav Masek, who took 15 seconds to score for Czechoslovakia against Mexico in 1962.
6. Most goals in a European season (Messi)
Gerd Muller’s old record of 67 goals in the 1972/73 season was supposed to remain unbeatable. Nobody had come close ever since then.
But in came a certain Lionel Messi, dubbed “The Magician”, to achieve the impossible for Barcelona. How he did it is still beyond our belief, it’s what you expect from video games, not real life.
But Messi proved us wrong in 2012/13 by scoring a stunning 73 goals for Barcelona. There was nothing that could stop him from pulverising defences across Europe that season.
Then what does he do after that?
Sets a brand new record of 91 goals in a calendar year!
5. Most goals from a goalkeeper (Ceni)
There are goalkeepers capable of doing more than keeping the ball out of their own nets. In fact, some decide to go one better by scoring for their teams instead.
And the football record for the most goals from a keeper belongs to Rogerio Ceni, who even put some strikers to shame.
If there was ever a Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi for goalkeepers, it would have to be Ceni – no arguments.
The Sao Paulo legend scored an incredible 131 goals in his career, with his nearest rival Jose Luis Chilavert finishing on 67 goals.
4. Four goals-per-game in four successive matches (Nakayama)
Mandatory Credit: Ben Radford/Allsport
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This is one record you would probably expect either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to own.
But this special one belongs to Japanese footballer named Masashi Nakayama, who scored 16 goals in four successive matches. They did all occur in the J1 League, but it’s still an impressive record.
Nakayama reached this feat from April 15 to 21 in 1998 with Japanese club Júbilo Iwata.
3. Record Champions League scorer (Ronaldo)
If there is one thing that defines a goalscorer’s true greatness, then it’s his ability to deliver at the highest level each season.
And Cristiano Ronaldo fits the bill perfectly as perhaps the greatest goalscorer in football history.
So it’s no surprise to see him with a record 128 Champions League goals for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
He’s also won the competition a record five times, including that memorable three times in a row with Real Madrid.
Lionel Messi is, perhaps, the only player that can challenge Ronaldo with 114 goals to his name.
2. Most titles won in a single year (Barcelona)
Pep Guardiola’s four years at Barcelona were incredible, with his first two seasons being the finest of his career.
The Catalan won a La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League in 2008/09. A Supercopa de Espana and the European Super Cup followed later in 2009 before Barcelona won the FIFA Club World Cup.
Therefore, they won an incredible six trophies.
No one has come close to breaking that record since then.
1. Most goals in a single league (Pele)
Turns out Lionel Messi’s record tally of 433 goals in 470 La Liga goals is nowhere near enough to challenge Pele.
The Brazil icon is one of the most famous footballers of all-time despite never playing in Europe. His records, though, remain revered across the world nonetheless.
In a report from the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics), it emerged that Pele scored 1281 goals in 1363 games. These did include unofficial games, though.
So to be more accurate, Pele’s league goal tally comes to around 650 goals in 694 games.
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Photo: Ksenia Chernaya
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