Impressive Football Records – Looking at Some of The Best and Most Unbelievable Soccer Records

Football is a game that’s packed with many fun and exciting moments. 

It doesn’t matter whether we give credit to the referee or the player for making jaw-dropping records. This sport doesn’t disappoint.

In this article, you’ll see the most memorable records broken in football history. I have to emphasize that what’s interesting about the records is that not all superstars and big clubs were involved in breaking them. 

Less popular players and clubs have more often set these mind-blowing football records. Some through hard work and determination, others through pure luck.

Sit back and enjoy the read!

#10 – Longest Scored Goal in History

On January 21, 2021, goalkeeper Tom King from Newport County scored the longest goal in football history from 96.01 meters.

Fans probably know that the previous player who set the football record was also a goalkeeper — Asmir Begovic. He scored his long-range goal from a distance of impressive 91.9 meters.

#9 – A Goalkeeper With the Most Scored Goals in History

Former Sao Paulo and Brazilian goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni was known for both saving and scoring goals. During his illustrious career, he managed to score a total of 131 goals. 

What’s more interesting is that he scored 61 free kicks in his career. A number that many wingers and strikers can’t say to have done. This is one of those football records that will hardly get broken anytime soon. 

#8 – Most Red Cards in a Single Match

In 2011, Argentinian football clubs Victoriano Arenas and Claypole thought they were having a regular match. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The referee, Damino Rubino, delivered 36 red cards in the game, setting a new football record.

The cause of this mayhem was when a fan entered the pitch, hit a player, and just started to run. Rubino sent off all the players as well as some members of the technical staff. I don’t think we’ll get this many red cards in a long time. 

#7 – Most Goals in a Calendar Year

Lionel Messi, possibly the greatest football player ever, scored 91 goals in the entire 2012 year. 79 of those goals he scored for his club Barcelona, and 12 for Argentina. The previous record-holder was none other than one of the best strikers in football — Gerd Muller. 

He scored 85 goals in one calendar year for his club, Bayern Munich, and the West German team. 

Even more remarkable is that Messi broke Muller’s record in 1972. Messi broke a 40-year-old football record!

#6 – Football Player With Most Scored Goals Ever

You may think that this record belongs to famous players like Messi, Ronaldo, or Pele. But that isn’t the case. The superb football player who scored the most goals ever in his career is the prolific striker Josef Bican. 

This Czech football player, who mostly played for Real Madrid in the 1950s, scored 1468 goals during his entire career. Besides this individual record, he had many other accolades, such as winning the European Cup 5 times with Real Madrid. 

When Josef played football, the rules weren’t so strict; nevertheless, scoring that many goals will hardly be matched in the near future. 

#5 – Most National Team Scored Goals

The Portuguese megastar Cristiano Ronaldo currently holds the football record for most goals scored for his country. At this moment, he scored 128 goals and amassed 206 appearances in Portugal’s international matches. 

Arguably the greatest European footballer of all time and one of the best to ever play the beautiful game, he surpassed the legend of the Iranian national football team in September of 2021, Ali Daei, who scored 109 goals in 149 caps. 

#4 – Most Goals Scored in One World Cup

At the World Cup in 1958, French striker Just Fontaine scored 13 goals, setting the record for most goals in a single World Cup. 

In the group stage, he netted three goals against Paraguay, followed by two goals against former Yugoslavia as well as one against Scotland. In the quarter-finals against Northern Ireland, Fontaine bagged two goals. 

Then, one goal in the semi-finals against the mighty Brazilians and four against West Germany helped France to secure third place at the World Cup. This record seems unattainable in today’s modern football, but a talented player could break it one day. 

#3 – Most Attendants in One Match

A remarkable feat was achieved at the World Cup Final in 1950 between fierce rivals — Brazil and Uruguay. That day, 199,854 football fans attended the match. What’s even more surprising is that approximately 174,000 tickets were sold, meaning that those extra fans were outside the stands and presented a huge safety risk. 

Fortunately, nothing went wrong, and security measures became stricter after the World Cup Final. This football record will remain unbroken because the stadiums we visit today have a limited capacity of available seats.  

#2 – Most Goals Scored in One Match

In 2002, one of the most incredible football matches happened between two Madagascar clubs, SO I’Emyrne and AS Adema. At the end of this unforgettable match, the scoreboard showed 149 – 0 in favor of AS Adema.

Although this was the match with the most scored goals, it was controversial since the players of SO I’Emyrne scored 149 goals to protest a decision made by the referee during the game. 

#1 – Longest Unbeaten Run

The legendary Romanian club, Steaua Bucharest, was unbeaten from June 1986 until September 1989 in Divizia A, setting the world football record for the longest unbeaten run.

They went undefeated for 104 football games in their league. It’s a fascinating record that will hardly get beaten.