Pele has taken to social media to congratulate Cristiano Ronaldo after the Juventus star surpassed his tally of official goals.
Photo via Sports Illustrated
The Portuguese star’s hattrick in the 3-1 Serie A win over Cagliari took is career tally to 770 – three clear of Pele’s mark of 767.
It prompted the World Cup-winning Brazilian legend to post on Instagram:
“I admire you a lot, I love watching you play and this is no secret to anyone. Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official matches.”
There had earlier been speculation about Pele’s actual goal tally, with some reports putting it at 757.
His club Sao Paolo, however, said that total did not include nine goals for the State Team and one for the Military Team, which took the figure to the officially recognised 767.
It is this uncertainty that had led to Ronaldo maintaining his silence on the matter …until now.
With everything official now, the Portuguese superstar took to social media himself to address the milestone.
"My ever-lasting and unconditional admiration for Edson Arantes do Nascimento [Pele], such as the respect that I have for mid-20th century football, led me to take into account his 767 score, assuming his nine goals for Sao Paulo State Team, as well as his single goal for the Brazilian Military Team, as official goals”
Ronaldo also graciously paid tribute to the man whose record he broke:
"Today, as I reach the 770th official goal in my professional career, my first words go straight to Pele. There's no player in the world who hasn't been raised listening to stories about his games, his goals and his achievements, and I'm no exception.
"And for that reason, I'm filled with joy and pride as I acknowledge the goal that puts me on top of the world's goalscoring list, overcoming Pele's record, something that I could never have dreamed of while growing up as a child from Madeira."
Photo via ESPN
The honour could not come at a better time for Ronaldo, who had been under fire recently for Juventus’ exit from the Champions League.
The 36-year-old, however, says there’s more to come from him:
“Now I can’t wait for the next games and challenges! The next records and trophies! Believe me, this story is still far from being over. The future is tomorrow and there’s still a lot to win for Juventus and Portugal!"
By: Nicholas Darren John
