5 Untouchable records held by Cristiano Ronaldo that Messi can NEVER break

While Lionel Messi may go down as most people's pick for the greatest player ever, several of Ronaldo's records are simply beyond reach for the Argentine, and for virtually anyone else on the planet.

Here are five records held by Ronaldo that Messi is unlikely to ever break.

Ronaldo holds the world record for goals scored in men's international football, with 146 goals for Portugal across 23 years of international football.

Messi, by comparison, has 125, and has recently retired from international football after an incredible career with Argentina.

No player in the history of men’s or women’s football has scored at six different World Cup tournaments.

Cristiano Ronaldo achieved this at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first to do so by scoring against Uzbekistan in the group stage.

Ronaldo has scored 516 goals since turning 30, a number that simply defies belief.

Messi, whose own late-career form has been extraordinary, has scored 365 after the same age. The gap is insurmountable at this stage, with Messi retired from international football and expected to end his Inter Miami contract in the summer of 2028.

Ronaldo's 140-goal haul in the UEFA Champions League is the most in the competition's history and one of the most unassailable records in football.

Messi's tally of 129 is the closest anyone has come, but with Messi playing in MLS rather than Europe, the gap is only going to grow. No active European player is anywhere near either figure.

In the 2013-14 season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 17 Champions League goals for Real Madrid, the most ever recorded in a single European Cup campaign.

He opened with a hat-trick against Galatasaray and ended by converting a 120th-minute penalty in the final against Atletico Madrid to seal La Decima.