These unique football records could be scripted in 2020
What's the story
The year 2019 was amazing for the sport of football, as players and teams scripted a number of monumental records. As 2020 has kicked in, the same could once again be expected, as there are a number of records to be looked out for. On the same note, we present some of the unique records which could be scripted this year.
International woman
Most international goals by a woman
We start the list with women, as USA's Abby Wambach currently holds the record of scoring the most international goals, of 184. However, it could all be broken this year by Canada's Christine Sinclair, who is just two goals short of breaking the feat. She is also vying to be the third player to play 300 international matches after Kristine Lilly and Christie Rampone.
Defender goals
Most international goals by a defender
As of now, Argentina's Daniel Passarella holds the record of scoring the most international goals as a defender, of 22. However, this record too could be broken this year, as Spain's Sergio Ramos already has 21 to his name. Furthermore, he could also surpass Ronald Koeman on the same in La Liga, having scored 64 goals so far and is just four short.
Olympics manager
Most successful woman football manager at Olympics
Pia Sundhage of Sweden has already led her sides to the final of the Olympics on three consecutive occasions. While she did it with the USA in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 for the gold, it was with Sweden during Rio 2016 for the silver. She would be chasing the record for the fourth time as she prepares to lead Brazil in Tokyo 2020.
Men's all-time top
All-time top-scorer in men's international football
Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo is well on course to become the all-time top-scorer in international football. So far, he has scored 99 goals in his career and is one short of his century. While his ton looks imminent, he could also become the greatest international goal-scorer of all time, as 11 more goals would help him topple current record-holder Ali Daei of Iran.
Club's all-time top
All-time top goal-scorer for a single club
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is already the top goal-scorer for Barcelona, with 618 goals. However, he could further strengthen the record and become the all-time top goal-scorer for a single club. As of now, he is just 26 goals shy of surpassing the world record, currently held by Brazilian legend Pele, who has reportedly scored 643 goals while playing for Santos.