2021 was an incredible year for football fans all across the world, and a number of records have been broken this year. In this article, we take a look at the top ten records that have been broken in 2021.
10. Most Euro tournaments
Across Euro 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo has appeared in five consecutive iterations of the European Championship.
9. Youngest player in the Euros
Jude Bellingham is now the youngest player to appear in the Euros, at 17 years 349 days. The midfielder surpassed Jetro Williams as the youngest player in the competition.
8. Most goals in Euros
It’s Cristiano Ronaldo yet again, with the most number of goals in the history of Euros. The Portuguese forward has fourteen goals in the tournament, having surpassed Michel Platini’s 10 goal haul.
7. Most caps for a European team
Ronaldo also has the most number of international caps for a European team, with 184 total caps for Portugal. He surpassed his former Real Madrid teammate, Sergio Ramos, to achieve the feat.
6. Longest unbeaten run in international football
Italy went on a 37-game unbeaten streak as they won the Euros. After surpassing Brazil and Spain, their streak ended in October of 2021.
5. Lewandowski shatters Gerd Muller’s Bundesliga records
Not only did the Polish striker surpass Gerd Muller’s record of scoring 40 goals in one Bundesliga season, but he also ended the year with more strikes than the Bomber as well.
4. South America’s highest goalscorer
Lionel Messi surpassed Pele as the undisputed highest goalscorer in South America. The Argentinian now has 80 goals, three more than Pele’s 77 goals.
3. Most official goals in history
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more than 800 goals in his career, which makes him the highest scoring footballer in the history of the sport. He surpassed Pele to achieve the feat, who has 766 goals in his career.
2. Most goals in a single league
Lionel Messi has the most goals in La Liga, and has surpassed Pele as the highest goalscorer in a single league. The Argentinian had to leave Barcelona this summer to join PSG, ending his illustrious run in Spain.
1. International football’s highest goalscorer ever
Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed Ali Daei to become the highest goalscorer in football history this year. The player now has 115 strikes to his name for the national team.
