Soccer-Pele congratulates Messi for equalling goal record

Bhang

20/12/2020 07:12

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Brazil soccer great Pele has paid tribute
to Lionel Messi for equalling his goal-scoring record for a
single club after the Argentine forward netted his 643rd goal
for Barcelona in Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Valencia.
    Messi, 33, hit the milestone goal with a diving header just
before halftime immediately after his penalty was saved by
Valencia keeper Jaume Domenech.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IZ0CK
    Messi, who made his first appearance for Barcelona aged 17
in 2004, needed 748 matches to score 643 goals, while Pele
managed the tally in 665 competitive games for Santos.
    "When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to
change your path. Like you, I know what it's like to love
wearing the same shirt every day," Pele, the only player to win
the World Cup three times, wrote on Instagram. 
    "Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the
place we feel at home. Congratulations on your historic record,
Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career
at Barcelona. 
    "Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long,
unfortunately will be increasingly rare in football. I admire
you very much."
    Pele, now 80, made his Santos debut aged 15 in 1956 and left
in 1974 after winning six Brazilian league titles plus two Copa
Libertadores crowns, South America's equivalent of the Champions
League.

 (Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen
Coates)
 ((Arvind.Sriram@thomsonreuters.com;))