FIFA has stated that it cannot authenticate or compare goal statistics at the national or continental level, including those of Lionel Messi or any other player. This response comes after the Zambian Football Federation’s request to authenticate Godfrey Chitalu’s claim of scoring 107 goals in 1972, surpassing Messi’s record for most goals in a calendar year. FIFA clarified that they do not have a comprehensive database keeping statistics of all football matches played worldwide. Messi’s record has also not been officially confirmed by FIFA.
FIFA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE CHITALU’S RECORD, NOR THAT OF MESSI
