BEVERLY HILLS, March 15, (THEWILL) – The legend of Brazilian Football and world football icon, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more commonly known as Pele, congratulated Portuguese superstar and Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo after the striker successfully overtook him in the all-time goals rankings with a hattrick for Serie A side Juventus on Sunday at the Sardegna Arena.
Before Sunday’s fixture against Cagliari, the two icons were tied on 767 official career goals for club and country.
Then, Ronaldo edged ahead with a first-half hat-trick which took his haul to 770.
Pele’s goal record was, for a long time, the world record which some believed could not be overtaken.
Yet, there is no consensus about the goal-scoring records of the past and this has put the comparison of goals scored into disrepute.
For instance, the Czech FA remains adamant that their own legendary forward Josef Bican actually managed 821 goals in his illustrious career.
The problem with this claim is that it is disputed by many, including the Rec Sports Soccer Statistics Foundation, who believe the Czech forward only ended with 759 goals in competitive matches according to official records.
Not one to be drawn into these disputes, the legend himself congratulated Ronaldo for the Portuguese’s monumental achievement of overtaking him through his official account on the social media platform Instagram.
As down to earth as always, Pele composed the post in Portuguese and English which read, in part: “Life is a solo flight. Each makes his own journey. And what a beautiful journey you are having. 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.”
Ronaldo did not hesitate to acknowledge the message online as well and he immediately cleared the air about his hesitation to celebrate the achievement:
“The last few weeks were filled with news and stats considering me the world’s top scorer in football history, overcoming Pele’s 757 official goals. Although I’m thankful for that recognition, now it’s time for me to explain why I didn’t acknowledge that record until this moment.”
He did not hide how he felt about Pele: “My ever-lasting and unconditional admiration for Mister 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.
“The world has changed since then and football has changed as well, but this doesn’t mean that we can just erase history according to our interests.
“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 goal-scoring list, overcoming Pele’s record, something that I could never have dreamed of while growing up as a child from Madeira.”
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