Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible record that Lionel Messi could break at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
If there’s one thing that fuels the excitement of soccer fans, it’s the constant comparison between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and in that context, a new contest has emerged. It’s an incredible record belonging to the Portuguese star, which the Argentine can break at the 2026 World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
To talk about this great mark that brings them face to face again, achieved by Cristiano Ronaldo, we have to go back to 2018, when the Portuguese national team and Spain met for the first match of Group B of the World Cup in Russia. It was that day when CR7 made history: he became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the biggest soccer tournament.
It is true that despite his three goals, the match ended in a draw, but that does not detract from the relevance of such a feat. Given this, Lionel Messi will have the great challenge of reaching his eternal rival, as long as he plays in the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
During Qatar 2022, the captain of the Argentine national team was able to surpass the Al-Nassr scorer in another statistic, that of scoring goals in the knockout stage, something that neither of them had achieved before. Now, the challenge for Lio will be to score a hat-trick to match what Cristiano did.
A unique opportunity for Messi
While there are many incredible records that both can still achieve, this one is quite particular since it is the last opportunity that Messi would have to achieve it, as it is the last World Cup he would play with the Albiceleste team.
On Ronaldo’s side, something similar is happening, since he is also on the eve of his sixth and surely last World Cup appearance representing his country. With these cards on the table, fans eagerly await to know what the resolution of this episode will be.
The 2026 World Cup promises to be a stage for both Messi and Ronaldo to add to their already legendary careers. Whether Messi can break Ronaldo’s record or Ronaldo can extend his own mark remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the world will be watching.