Pele has congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo for breaking his “official” goal record this past weekend.
The Brazilian is obviously well known for being one of the greatest players to ever grace the beautiful game. However, many fans and critics have also questioned some of the figures associated with his legacy.
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One of those figures was 767 – how many “official” goals he scored during his playing career. On Sunday, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Cagliari to take his own personal tally to 770. The goals helped Juventus to a 3-1 win that keeps their slim title hopes alive in Serie A.
While Pele’s record does have a few question marks looming over it, he was sincere in his congratulatory message to Ronaldo’s record-breaking effort.
“@cristiano, 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. My only regret is not being able to give you a hug today. But I leave this photo in your honor, with great affection, as the symbol of a friendship that has existed for many years.” The Brazilian wrote.
In the comments, CR7 replied with a message of his own.
“My friend Pelé, thank you very much for your words, your affection and your friendship. You know that feeling is mutual. We keep this hug for when we can be together again and hopefully it will be soon! All the best and lots of health!”
In his actual Instagram bio, Pele claims to have scored 1,283 goals. Alas, the figure quoted by most sources is 757, with 10 further goals coming from his stints with a military team and for ‘Sao Paolo Selection XI’. In fairness, Pele does acknowledge that the 767 figure is the official amount.
Featured image credit: Getty