Football is one of the most popular sports on the planet, and professional players are capable of truly remarkable performances. One of the main reasons why so many people love the game of football is due to the unpredictability of every match when everything can change in an instant. Over the years there have been some stand-out players, teams, and managers who have managed to accomplish the impossible and break world records. These include setting Premier League records, as well as other achievements such as the most goals scored in a European season and the most football trophies won at the professional level. If you’re interested in who the best players to have played in the Premier League are then check here for more information. Below we go through seven amazing world records that have been set in the world of football.
1. 73 goals in a European season
Starting off this list is a player who broke the record for the most goals scored in a single European season. The player we’re talking about is Lionel Messi, of course, who many people regard as being one of the best to have ever played the game. In the 2011/2012 season, Lionel Messi somehow managed to rack up a total of 73 goals playing for Barcelona, which set a new world record for the most goals scored in a single European season.
This record was previously held by the German striker for Bayern Munich, Gerd Müller, who scored a total of 67 goals in the 1972/1973 season. In true Lionel Messi fashion, he broke this record by scoring a hat-trick during a home game against Malaga.
2. Scoring in 21 consecutive league games
The second world record on this list is also held by Lionel Messi, who managed to score in 21 consecutive league games during the 2012 season. Messi achieved this impressive feat whilst playing for Barcelona in La Liga. The record was previously held by Teodor Peterek who scored in 16 consecutive games in the league all the way back in 1937. This record was impressive even back in the day, but to score in 21 consecutive league games in the modern era is something truly mind-blowing. Of course, Lionel Messi would not just break the record in a boring fashion.
3. 49 trophies
When it comes to discussing who are the best football managers, Sir Alex Ferguson is a name that is often mentioned. After having a brief look at his history of achievements throughout his career, it’s easy to see why many people regard him as the best and most successful manager to ever exist in football. Throughout Sir Alex Ferguson’s career, the distinguished manager racked up a total of 49 trophies. This is far more than any other manager in the history of football, with Mircea Lucescu coming in second place with 36 trophies.
Amongst these 49 titles, Sir Alex Ferguson won a whopping 13 Premier League titles as well as winning 10 titles in Scotland as the manager for Aberdeen. He was also the proud winner of the Champions League with Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson has earned his spot in the Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Museum, and will always be remembered as one of the all-time greats in football.
4. Most seasons in the top flight
The next football world record on this list goes to the team that broke the record for the longest time spent in the top-tier league. The team that managed to achieve this record is Everton, founded in 1888, who at the time of writing have only spent four seasons in divisions lower than the top-tier league, the Premier League, previously the First Division.
For future seasons, Everton, currently managed by Frank Lampard, will be hoping to hold onto this record by playing well enough throughout the season to stay up. Whoever goes on to manage Everton in the future will have a lot of pressure to maintain their impressive history.
5. Greatest goalscorer ever
When you think of the greatest goalscorers to ever play the game of football at a professional level, you probably think of players such as Lionel Messi, Pelé, or Gerd Müller. However, this record actually goes to the Austrian-Czech football player, Josef Bican, who managed to score a total of 57 goals for Slavia Prague in just one season and won the award for top goalscorer a whopping 12 times in his domestic league.
6. 5 Goals in 9 minutes
Before Robert Lewandowski managed this amazing feat in 2015, the thought of someone scoring five goals in just nine minutes did not seem possible. When Lewandowski came on as a substitute for Bayern Munich with the task of coming back from a losing position against Wolfsburg, no one could have expected what he did next. In the 51st minute, Lewandowski scored to equalize, and then just one minute later he scored again, putting Bayern Munich in front. Three minutes after that, Lewandowski went on to score his third goal in just five minutes. This awarded him the fastest hat-trick to ever be achieved in the Bundesliga, the top German football league.
However, Lewandowski wasn’t finished yet, as in the 57th minute he scored his fourth goal in six minutes, and then went on to score his fifth goal three minutes later in the 60th minute. This was a truly unbelievable achievement that is unlikely to ever be repeated at any time in the near future, although Manchester City’s Erling Haaland could probably give it a good go on his best day!
7. 131 goals for a goalkeeper
Reaching 131 goals as a professional football player is an impressive achievement in itself; however, to do it as a goalkeeper is virtually unheard of. Rogério Ceni was the goalkeeper for São Paulo who had a fantastic career that lasted 25 years at the same club, and he’s even remained at the club as their current manager. Over his time as a player, Ceni managed to score a whopping 69 penalties, 61 freekicks, and one goal from open play in a total of 1,257 games. The closest goalkeeper to score anywhere near this amount of goals was José Luis Chilavert, who managed to rack up a total of 67 goals throughout his entire career.