Cristiano Ronaldo was level on 767 career goals with Pele. Last night, Juventus had a game with Cagliari after crashing out of the Champions League against Porto.
Cristiano Ronaldo was targeted by the critics for Juventus’ Champions League exit. Yesterday, he silenced his critics in a remarkable fashion as he scored a first-half hat-trick within 32 minutes.
His 57th career hat-trick took his goal tally to 770 goals, surpassing Pele’s tally. So the Brazilian legend congratulated the Portuguese legend.
Pele wrote on Instagram: “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.”
Cristiano Ronaldo replied to Pele’s post: “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!”
Following the game against Cagliari, Ronaldo said why he has acknowledged the record. He said: “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.”
“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 goalscoring list, overcoming Pele’s record, something that I could never have dreamed of while growing up as a child from Madeira.”
