Spain star Fabian Ruiz surpasses Zidane with international record not even Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo reached
This Saturday, Spain defeated Georgia 4–0 on Matchday 5 of Group E in the European qualifiers and moved within one step of securing their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026. There, Fabian Ruiz surpassed Zinedine Zidane and reached an impressive milestone that not even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo managed to achieve.
With the win over Georgia, Ruiz reached 40 consecutive matches with the Spain national team without suffering a defeat. That streak began with his international debut in 2019 and has continued to this day. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder moved past Zidane, who with France went 39 matches without losing between 1997 and 2001.
Fabian Ruiz now sits in third place in the all-time ranking. Above him are only two retired players: Spain’s Carlos Marchena (57 matches from 2003 to 2010) and Brazil’s Mane Garrincha (49 matches from 1955 to 1966).
The Spanish player’s impressive numbers speak to his massive impact on the team, serving as a key piece for head coach Luis De la Fuente. But they also show a significant element of luck. Between 2019 and the present, Spain have lost more than one match, but he was not on the field for any of them.
Spain’s most recent loss came in a friendly against Colombia in 2024, and that day Ruiz was a substitute and did not come on. The same thing happened in 2023, in a Euro qualifier against Scotland. Going further back is the FIFA World Cup 2022, in which Spain lost a match against Japan. However, Ruiz was not called up for that tournament. Situations like these go back several years and help explain Fabian’s remarkable streak.
How does Cristiano Ronaldo compare to Ruiz?
Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in international soccer, with 143 goals in 226 matches for Portugal since his debut in 2003. However, he has never come close to a streak like the one Fabian Ruiz is posting with Spain.
Ronaldo’s longest unbeaten run with Portugal came between March 2005 and July 2006. During that stretch, the forward went 17 consecutive matches without defeat at the international level, including friendlies, European qualifiers, and four matches at the FIFA World Cup 2006. However, that streak ended with a 1–0 loss to France in the semifinals of that tournament.
How many matches did Messi go unbeaten with Argentina?
Lionel Messi, unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, shows stronger numbers with Argentina. Since his debut in 2005, the forward has put together multiple significant unbeaten streaks with his national team. Two of them stand out in particular.
The first stretched to 27 matches, from November 2011 to July 2014. This included friendlies, South American qualifiers, and nearly the entire World Cup 2014. The streak broke at the worst possible moment, with the 1–0 loss to Germany in the final in Rio de Janeiro.
Years later, however, Messi reached 30 consecutive matches without defeat with Argentina. That streak began in July 2019, after losing the Copa America semifinals against Brazil. For more than three years, Lionel Scaloni’s team played friendlies, qualifiers, Copa America 2021, and the Finalissima 2022 without losing a single match.
The loss came, just like the previous time, at the World Cup. It happened in the memorable opener at Qatar 2022, when Argentina unexpectedly fell 2–1 to Arabia Saudita. Fortunately for Messi, they recovered afterward and went on a triumphant run all the way to the unforgettable final win against France.