As happens with most statistics, especially in the 21st century, Lionel Messi consistently ranks at the top. Normally, if not ranked first, La Pulga always has a guaranteed spot in the top 3.

However, there is a statistic that shows that the world champion is not in the top 3. This Tuesday, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) announced the list of players who played many matches most so far in the 21st century and Messi is in fourth place with 1,047 appearances.

So who tops the list? Of course Cristiano Ronaldo with 1,204 matches for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr and Portugal. This number seems difficult to surpass, especially as the Portuguese striker continues to appear prolific and adds matches against Al Nassr as well as the Portuguese national team.

Behind is current Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio with 1,202 appearances, who also played for Vasco da Gama and Cruzeiro. In third place is Dani Alves, with 1,056 matches for Bahia, Sevilla, Barcelona, ​​Juventus, PSG, San Pablo and Pumas de UNAM and the Brazilian national team. It should be noted that, although Alves has not officially retired from football, at the age of 40, he is being detained and undergoing trial on charges of sexual abuse.

Messi, 36, has played 778 matches for Barcelona, ​​180 matches for the national team, 75 matches for Paris Saint Germain and currently 14 matches for Inter Miami. Among them, 584 matches belong to the national championship, 104 matches belong to the National Cup and 179 matches belong to the international cup.

Top 10 players who have played the most matches so far in the 21st century:

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 1,204

Fábio (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

Andres Iniesta (Spain) 949