Pulse Picks: Top 6 sports records that were broken in 2023

All too soon, another year is coming to an end, with 2023 delivering some memorable

record-breaking moments in various sports.

In football and other disciplines, there were several athletes who distinguished themselves by putting their names in the record books.

Here are the top six sports records that were broken in 2023:

Ronaldo becomes most capped men's player in international football

In 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo became the most capped men's player in international football following his 197th appearance for Portugal.

The 38-year-old reached the landmark in a Euro 2024 qualifying match against Liechtenstein in March. He has since extended the record to 205 international matches.

Simone Biles breaks 90-year-old record in gymnastics 

Simone Biles took a break from gymnastics after the Tokyo Olympics but returned to reclaim her crown as the best in the game this year.

The 26-year-old participated in the US Gymnastics Championship in August and won the floor routines with 118.450, 3.9 points.

This marked her eighth all-around title, breaking the record held by Alfred Jochim which was set in 1933 and had stood for 90 years.

Osimhen becomes first African to win Serie A golden boot

Nigeria intentional Victor Osimhen also wrote himself into the history books when he became the first-ever African player to emerge as top scorer in Serie A.

The Napoli forward was instrumental in the club lifting the league title after over 30 years, while also scooping the he Capocannoniere.

Osimhen scored 26 goals in 32 Serie A appearances in the 2022/23 campaign.

Messi sets record for most goals in Europe’s top five leagues

After winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi returned to European football for one last hurrah by breaking a record held by his long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Argentina captain helped PSG to win their 11th league title and also scored his 496th career league goal, one more than Ronaldo’s 495 in Europe’s top five league.

Haaland breaks Premier League goal record in a single season

Meanwhile, Manchester City forward Erling Haaland broke the scoring record in a single Premier League season by netting 36 times in 2022/23.

The Norway international, therefore, surpassed the Premier League’s previous-best mark of 34, which was jointly held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.

He went on to become the fastest player to reach 50 goals when he scored against Liverpool in November, doing so in just 48 matches.

Djokovic breaks record for all-time Grand Slam wins

It took some time, but Novak Djokovic finally broke the all-time men’s record for Grand Slam wins with his 23rd title.

The Serbian overtook long-time rivals Raphael Nadal and Roger Federer after beating Casper Ruud in the final of the French Open.