5 La Liga records that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi failed to break

#3 Fastest hat-trick

Gameiro has scored the fastest hat-trick in La Liga

Continuing the hat-trick trend, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are famous for scoring an insane amount of goals. To put things in perspective, the duo have a combined hat-trick total of 112, equalling 336 goals. Despite the unfathomable count, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo has been able to crack the record for the fastest hat-trick in La Liga.

France international Kevin Gameiro remains the proud holder of the accolade four years after claiming it. Playing for Atletico Madrid against Sporting Gijon, Gameiro netted three late goals in the span of 4 minutes and 43 seconds to etch his name in La Liga's history books. However, due to technical incapacities, such a list is not at all definitive.

Spanish legend David Villa was credited with this record prior to Gameiro's heroics, having scored a hat-trick in just 4 minutes and 47 seconds in 2006. Nevertheless, many still consider Bebeto's record of 1995 as the undisputed number one even without conclusive evidence. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both entering the twilight of their distinguished careers, they will have to make do with the insurmountable number of records they already have.

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#2 Most La Liga appearances

Andoni Zubizarreta unveiling Luis Suarez

While his enormous tally of 450 strikes for Real Madrid can be misleading for certain fans, Cristiano Ronaldo played fewer games for Los Blancos than he had goals. Therefore, his nine-year stay at the Bernabeu could only muster 292 La Liga appearances. Subsequently, Cristiano Ronaldo cannot realistically enter such a discussion.

At the other end of the spectrum, Lionel Messi has a lot more La Liga games under his belt. Having spent 16 years with Barcelona's senior squad, the Argentinian wizard is the leading non-Spanish appearance maker in La Liga with 520 top-flight matches.

Despite his prolonged stay, Lionel Messi still fell short of Andoni Zubizarreta's record of most La Liga appearances. Precisely, 100 matches short. 23 years after retiring from the beautiful game, Barcelona's legendary goalkeeper still holds the said title with a colossal 620 La Liga appearances.

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#1 Most goals in a single league match

Kubala's statue outside Camp Nou

Given their reputation as established goal-getters, such a record should've been a cakewalk for both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Nevertheless, an insane tally gathered by two legendary players of the past proved to be the Achilles' heel for the two superstars.

Barcelona's Lazio Kubala and Athletic Bilbao’s Agustin Sauto Arana still have the bragging rights to the record for most goals scored in a single La Liga match. While Kubala achieved the feat in 1952, burying seven past a clueless Sporting side, Arana did it in 1931 against none other than Lionel Messi's Barcelona.

Cristiano Ronaldo came really close to equalling the said record in 2015, scoring five goals on two occasions against different opponents. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi's highest tally in a single league game is four, one shy of Cristiano Ronaldo's count. Having departed La Liga, both stalwarts now have little to no chance of ever demolishing any of the stated records.

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