Soccer-Ronaldo hails Pele after eclipsing the Brazilian's goal-scoring haul

Bhang

14/03/2021 23:37

March 14 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo hailed Pele after he
surpassed the Brazilian great's goal-scoring haul in official
matches by netting a hat-trick in Juventus' 3-1 Serie A win over
Cagliari on Sunday.
    Since soccer’s world governing body FIFA does not keep an
official record of who is on top of the all-time scoring list,
it is a benchmark that is hotly contested.
    Several media outlets previously hailed Ronaldo for breaking
the record when he reached 760 goals as he had supposedly
surpassed the record set by Austro-Czech striker Josef Bican. 
    However, the Czech FA subsequently said in January that
Bican’s total was actually 821 goals, following a review of his
statistics during a career spanning from 1931 to 1955.
    On Sunday, however, Ronaldo ignored Bican's revised total to
claim he was now on top of the scoring pile. 
    "My everlasting and unconditional admiration for mister
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele), such is the respect that I
have for mid-20th century football, led me to take into account
his 767 score, assuming his 9 goals for Sao Paulo State Team, as
well as his single goal for the Brazilian Military Team, as
official goals,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.
    “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.”
    Pele, who helped Brazil to win the World Cup in 1958, 1962
and 1970, states on his own Instagram page that he heads the
all-time scoring list with 1,283 goals.  
    The 80-year-old former Santos striker and his compatriot
Romario scored in excess of 1,000 goals during their careers,
but those statistics include strikes in amateur, unofficial and
friendly matches.
    Nevertheless, Pele congratulated Ronaldo on Sunday. 
    "Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official
matches. My only regret is not being able to give you a hug
today," he wrote on Instagram. 
    

 (Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
 ((alasdair.mackenzie@thomsonreuters.com;))