Luis Figo helps break world record on zero-gravity flight

While he’s used to leaving defenders unlucky behind, former Real Madrid and Barcelona star Luis Figo recently broke new ground when he took part in a football match that was played in world-record highs.

In fact, on August 20, 2022, the 49-year-old Portuguese legend took part in a Mastercard-organized four-a-side match aboard a parabolic flight at an altitude of 6,166 meters (20,230 feet), the highest ever football game played .

The game took place on a specially constructed 75-meter square pitch built inside the aircraft, which levitates in alternating upward and downward arcs in a trajectory simulating the effect of weightlessness. That didn’t stop Figo from scoring with an acrobatic volley, however.

Figo, who secured a 2-1 win for his side, was joined by seven other players from around the world, with his team-mates hailing from Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Subsequently, all their efforts were validated by the Guinness World Records jurors, who presented the players with the title for the “Highest Game of Football on a Parabolic Flight”.

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Even at his age, Figo adds great accomplishments to an already extensive career, although he is not the only prominent footballer to hold a Guinness World Record.

Ronaldo of Manchester United has several Guinness World Records He has certificates for most goals scored in international football (117 and counting), most consecutive Champions League games scored (11), oldest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup (33 years and 130 days) . , the most European Championship tournaments scored by a single player (4) and, slightly less impressively, the record for the most viewed Wikipedia page by a male athlete (over 48 trillion views).

Lewandowski has no fewer than four Guinness World Records thanks to his Herculean goalscoring streak with Bayern Munich – all a result of his incredible five-goal spree against Wolfsburg in 2015.

The Poland forward came on at half-time and scored five goals in just nine minutes home. In doing so, he secured records for the fastest Bundesliga hat-trick (3 minutes 22 seconds) and the fastest four goals in a Bundesliga game (5 minutes 42 seconds). , fastest five goals in a Bundesliga game (8 minutes 59 seconds) and most goals ever scored by a substitute in a Bundesliga game (5.)

It should come as no surprise that Messi is also an owner (or co-owner). a giant raft of Guinness World Recordsmost of whom have been recognized for their outstanding performances on the pitch.

Among the many official titles Messi holds are: most goals scored in a single Champions League game (5), most goals scored by a substitute in a Copa America game (3) , most appearances by a foreign player in La Liga (427) , youngest player with 50 goals in the Champions League (24 years 246 days), most goals in a calendar year (91 goals in 2012) and most Ballon d’ Or victories (7th)