One record I from English soccer I don’t think will be broken is for a player to play in all four English top professional divisions in one season like Tony Cottee did in 2000-01. Playing in two divisions in one season is very common as quite a number of players either transfer up or down leagues during a season, 3 in one season an exceptional rarity as players rarely have 3 clubs in one season and when they do they are not likely to be spread over 3 divisions and to play in all 4 is unparalleled. This record would also be impossible to break under current FIFA rules which say a player can only play for 3 clubs at most in one season.
Emanuel Lasker was World Chess Champion for 27 years, while only three other players have held the title for ten years or more (Alekhine second-best with 17 years).
All the more remarkable given the thousands of land mines under the fairways, which unfortunately aren’t visible in the pic.
Fair enough, though I would argue that neither of those examples can be considered “top-class” football - much in the same way that playing in a regional US cricket league would not be considered “first-class” cricket.
Agree with you about Tony Cottee, though I’m not sure it’s a record that’s really in the spirit of the thread as it’s more about unusual circumstances rather than a feat players are striving to achieve :). Certainly an interesting one, though.