The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has just announced the list of players who have played the most matches, and it is interesting that Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi are chasing each other in the top
Lionel Messi has broken many records in his illustrious career with Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami and Argentina, but there is one statistic that shows he is not in the top 3. On Tuesday, the Federation of Statistics and History International Football Association (IFFHS) has published a list of players who have played the most matches ever in the 21st century and Messi is in 4th place, with 1,047 matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list with 1,204 matches and the Portuguese striker is still playing, making his record quite difficult to beat. Current Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio is second on the list with 1,202 appearances. He also played for Brazilian football team Vasco da Gama and Cruzeiro. In third place is Brazil’s Dani Alves, with 1,056 appearances for Bahia, Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus, PSG, Sao Paulo and Pumas UNAM.
Messi’s numbers
Messi, 36, has made 778 appearances for Barcelona, 180 for Argentina, 75 for Paris Saint Germain and so far 14 for Inter Miami. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has represented Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr and Portugal.
The 10 players who played the most matches ever in the 21st century
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 1,204 matches
Fabio (Brazil) 1,202
Dani Alves (Brazil) 1,056
Lionel Messi (Argentina) 1,047
Luka Modric (Croatia) 1,010
Joao Moutinho (Portugal) 997
Iker Casillas (Spain) 974
Sergio Ramos (Spain) 974
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) 962
Andrés Iniesta (Spain) 949
