25 Soccer Records That Will Never Be Broken
Soccer being such a vastly followed sport by millions all around the world has allowed it to grow by leaps and bounds over the years, and because of the innumerable stats, rules, and regulations surrounding the games, there are many records to be had in soccer. There have been many iconic records which have been formed over the years, and while many of them bring a sense of pride to whoever is holding them, there are a few others which are remembered for all the wrong reasons. Not only are records created for winning trophies or scoring goals, but numerous aspects of soccer have ushered in the creation of many unique records.
The incredible depth of the sport allows not only the star strikers but defenders, goalkeepers, and midfielders to create some reputable records which help them remain a part of history. While there are certain records which have brought embarrassment to the players holding them, most record-holding individuals in soccer are quite proud of their achievements, which helped write their name in history. While we've seen so many soccer records being broken over the years, there are certain records which probably won't be broken in the future.
Just like any other sport, soccer has generated many unbreakable records throughout its history, as we take a look at 25 specific records that will probably never be broken.
25 The Most Goals By A Player In A Calendar Year
The likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Mohamed Salah have been so good over the past few seasons that they've made it seem like scoring a high number of goals every season is easy.
But what Messi did in 2012 is unmatched, as the Barcelona star scored 91 goals that year, which helped him land a spot in the record books.
It was because of Messi's incredible goal-scoring prowess which helped him make the record for the most number of goals scored by a player in a calendar year, as he beat the record of many legends to make that achievement his own. It'll be nearly impossible for someone to break this record, which further proves how special Messi is.
24 The Youngest Player To Debut In A Professional Match
Modern day soccer players tend to become so fit at a relatively young age that we've seen many teenagers debut for top clubs in recent years, but a soccer player needs to do something amazing to break the record set by Mauricio Baldivieso.
The soccer player from Bolivia made his professional debut at the age of 12 for club Aurora, becoming the youngest player to do so in a competitive soccer match.
He's since been playing in his country of Bolivia and trying become a bigger name in the world of soccer. While he might not have attained the kind of fame he wanted, Baldivieso still proudly holds a record which will keep his name etched into the history books for the rest of time.
23 Most Consecutive World Cup Appearances For A Nation
Qualifying for a FIFA World Cup is no easy feat at all, as we've seen many big soccer nations fail to qualify for the biggest stage in soccer over the years. But one country which has stayed strong is Brazil, who have been a peak team in World Cup history and qualified for every single World Cup since its inception in 1930.
That means that Brazil holds the record of the most consecutive number of World Cup participation by qualifying for 21 straight World Cup tournaments.
This amazing feat will never be broken by any team, and because of Brazil's continued development in soccer, this record will only grow stronger in the future as Brazil are unlikely to ever fail to qualify for the World Cup.
22 Most Red Cards In A Player's Career
The game of soccer can often get a little bit heated because of the physicality involved in it, with something highly rash forcing the referees to brandish a red card. Now getting sent off and leaving their team without a player is not something any player wants, but there are certain players who are extremely violent and have often seen red cards in their career.
But for Gerardo Bedoya, getting sent off was no rare sight as the soccer player holds the record for getting the most number of red cards in soccer history with 46.
Bedoya was soon labelled a mad-man for often lashing out and getting sent off as a result.
21 The Highest Attendance For A Single Match
The fans play a huge part in creating the right environment for a soccer match, with their voice and chants often helping inspire the players to perform even better. While many large stadiums have been restricted to shorten their attendance capacity due to security issues, that wasn't the case many decades ago when fans would barge into the stadium to overcrowd it. The Maracana Stadium holds the record for having the highest attendance for a single match during the 1950 World Cup final match between Brazil and Uruguay.
Apparently, 199,854 fans flocked the stadium to watch the match.
This incredible record will always remain unmatched because of how limited the stadium attendances are kept these days.
20 Most Number Of Clean Sheets By A Premier League Goalkeeper
The Premier League's popularity is due to its thrilling nature, with exciting action leading to many goals being scored week in, week out. Over the years, we've seen more and more goals being scored in the Premier League as even the meanest of defenses find it difficult to keep clean-sheets and not concede a single goal over many consecutive games.
Petr Cech has been an absolute rock in front of goal and has kept 201 clean sheets in his PL career, which is the record for the most by a keeper.
The fact that he's still notching up clean-sheets for Arsenal makes this record near impossible to beat and Cech can comfortably enjoy being a record-holder for years to come.
19 The Longest Recorded Goal In History
The excitement which comes from a goal being scored is what makes the sport of soccer so amazing and even though we've seen normal and extraordinary goals being scored with each passing year, Asmir Begovic's goal in 2014 was something special. The goalkeeper set the record for scoring the longest goal recorded in soccer history after his shot from inside his own penalty area somehow made way into the opponent goal.
Begovic's goal was measured at 91.9 meters and was only scored because of the blowing wind helping the ball end up in goal.
The Bournemouth goalkeeper will definitely take it as this prestigious achievement makes sure that he'll be remembered by soccer fanatics for years to come.
18 Most Number Of Champions League Titles In A Row
The UEFA Champions League has become the pinnacle of club soccer over the years and it's because of its extreme competitiveness that many teams have found difficult to win it consecutive times. But the team which has achieved that feat multiple times is Real Madrid, who, despite winning it three times in a row recently, haven't managed to oust the record set by their team in the 1950s.
Real Madrid holds the record for winning the most number of Champions League competitions in a row, having won the title consecutively five times from 1956-60.
Los Blancos were an absolutely unstoppable team back then and set an amazing record which won't be surpassed or beaten by any team(including their own) in the future.
17 All-Time Top Scorer In La Liga
Spain's La Liga has picked up popularity over the years because of the heated rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, which picked up after the personal battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. With Ronaldo leaving for Juventus recently, that allows Messi to further increase his record for being the all-time top scorer in the league's history.
Messi has scored 383 goals in his La Liga career, holding the record for being the all-time top goal-scorer in Spain's history.
The fact that he'll only further that increase by a long margin in years to come makes it certain that it'll remain untouched in the future, as Messi won't allow anyone else to break the record.
16 Most Appearances By A Premier League Player
The Premier League has been a really difficult environment for players to survive in the long-term, but there are certain players who adapted to it perfectly and managed to play in it regularly throughout their career. While some players struggle to make 100 Premier League appearances, Gareth Barry showed incredible longevity by breaking the record of most Premier League appearances by a player.
He's currently holding that record, having made 653 appearances in the league for numerous teams.
Even though he might not have a memorable career, this record will keep him in the history books forever and assures his name is recognized by fans of the Premier League for years to come.
15 The Longest Serving Manager In The Premier League
The cut-throat nature of the Premier League has become so severe in recent years that we've seen Premier League managers finding it impossible to survive in their clubs for a stretch of years, which increases the respect for former managers who managed their sides for decades. The Premier League has had some ever-green managers, but former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger holds a special record for being the longest-serving manager in the history of the league.
He managed the most number of matches for a Premier League manager at 828, leading the Gunners for over 7,600 days.
Wenger even eclipsed Sir Alex Ferguson, as this incredible record will never be broken by any other manager.
14 The Fastest Red Card In History
Getting a red card in soccer is nothing to be really proud off and while we've seen many ridiculous red cards being shown in early parts of soccer games in the past, nothing can seemingly break the record for the fastest red card being held by former striker Lee Todd.
The striker was sent off two seconds after the start of a game, which earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest sendoff in soccer history.
Apparently Todd uttered a profanity about how loud the referee's whistle was, which provoked the official to send him off and helped Todd achieve this weird, seemingly unbreakable record.
13 Longest Consecutive Run Without Conceding A Goal For A Goalkeeper
The job of a goalkeeper is extremely tricky and being the last line of defense, it's very important for them to be alert in front of goals to make sure their sides do not concede goals. While we've seen many goalkeepers keep a streak of clean-sheets for consecutive matches, no one can really touch the record for the longest consecutive run without conceding a goal, which is held by Mazaropi.
The former Vasco da Gama goalkeeper holds the record for not conceding a goal for 1,816 minutes, which is just over 20 games.
The goalkeeper kept 20 clean sheets in a row and has made it into the history books for this incredible achievement which is nearly impossible to break.
12 The Most Career Hat Tricks For A Player
Some soccer players find it difficult to score more than just a few hat tricks in their career, but for the greatest of all time, scoring hat tricks was a piece of cake.
Particularly for the Brazil legend Pele, scoring a hat trick was no big deal as he holds the record for scoring the most, having 92 in his career.
The legend is known for scoring goals for fun during his time, but the fact that he's scored 92 hat tricks proves why he's recognized as one of the greatest of all time. This incredible record will definitely keep Pele's name in the record books forever.
11 The Most Appearances For A Manchester United Player
Manchester United have kept on growing as a worldwide brand over the years and it's because of the prestige and history of the club, that it's the dream of every budding player to play for them. The Red Devils have had some amazing players come up over the years and there have been many loyal players who devoted their whole careers towards playing for the club.
But the one to hold the record for being the all-time most capped United player is Ryan Giggs, who made an amazing 963 appearances for United in his 20+ year career.
Giggs' incredible devotion to United is unmatched and because of the changing nature of soccer, nobody will be able to break this amazing record set by the United legend.
10 The Fastest Goal In World Cup History
The palpable excitement of scoring a goal on a stage like the FIFA World Cup is unmatched in soccer, but scoring a goal seconds after the whistle blows must feel something unreal. There have been many quick goals scored in the World Cup over the years, but the record for the fastest ever goal is held by Turkish soccer legend Hakan Sukur.
He scored a goal against South Korea in the 2002 World Cup Bronze medal match in just 10.8 seconds after the opening whistle was blown.
This incredibly quick goal earned him a place the World Cup record books and it's highly unlikely that anyone else will actually be able to score this early and break this seemingly impossible record.
9 Most Red Cards In A Single Match
There have been some really heated games in soccer over the years which has seen more than one red card being brandished, with Portugal and Netherland's World Cup match in 2006 seeing four players being sent off.
But something extraordinary happened in a lower-tier league match in Argentina in 2011, when the referee sent off 36 individuals in the same match.
In the match between rivals Claypole and Victoriano Arenas, a mass brawl between both sides urged referee Damian Rubino to send off not just the players, but the substitutes and coaches as well. He showed 36 red cards in a single match, a record which will probably never be broken as that crazy, lower-league game helped the referee become a part of history.
8 The Longest Header Ever Scored
Scoring a headed goal takes a lot of precision as one needs to properly connect their head with the ball to score, as we've seen some impressive headers being scored over the years. But nothing has been as extraordinary as the goal scored by Norway's Jone Samuelsen in 2011.
In what was a really freak goal, Samuelson scored from 58.13 meter out from goal which helped him make this record.
The goal was extremely lucky as Samuelsen just blocked a clearance from inside his half and saw the force of his header help the ball slowly go into the net, making him a sensation for holding this unique record.
7 The Highest Goal Scorer In Champions League History
The Champions League has become the pinnacle of European club soccer over the years, with the best sides from around the continent vying to win this precious title. It's because of the high level of competition that scoring in the Champions League is much more difficult than in any league, which makes it even more amazing how Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for being the all-time leading goal-scorer in the tournament.
Ronaldo has scored 120 goals in the Champions League so far in his career, and has a comfortable lead over 2nd place Lionel Messi.
He'll be further adding to his tally with Juventus and it seems unlikely for anyone to overthrow this record set by the Ronaldo.
6 The Fastest Hat Trick In The History Of Soccer
The excitement of scoring a hat trick in soccer is only known by those who are absolutely devoted to it, but fans and players alike also realize how difficult it is to actually scored three goals in a row in a single game. While we've seen so many hat tricks being scored in the past, the record for the fastest hat trick is still held by Tommy Ross.
The former striker from England scored a hat trick in 90 seconds during a match between Ross County and Nairn County in 1964.
It's quite impossible to even think how Ross scored three goals in the space of 90 seconds, but it's an admirable record which won't be broken anytime soon.
