Lionel Messi becomes the all-time leading scorer in South American football

Lionel Messi has surpassed Pele as the best scoring South American footballer of all time following his brace in PSG‘s victory over Club Brugge. Messi scored the club’s third and fourth goals, guiding them to another Champions League victory and making history in the process.

Messi Surpassing Pele

His first goal was the 757th of his career, putting him on par with Pele’s official record from his historic career. And his second, a calmly executed penalty in the second half, propelled him into first place with 758 points.

Messi scored 672 goals during his time at Barcelona, and in his 14 games for PSG, he has added six more to his tally. He has also scored 80 goals for Argentina, bringing his total to a mind-boggling number.

However, whether Pele has scored the official amount of goals associated with his name is a point of contention. Both the now 81-year-old and his former team, Santos, refused to recognize that Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo had surpassed his total earlier this year.

About Pele’s Achievements

A statement from Santos back in January said: ‘Some analysts argue that so many of these 448 goals scored in friendly matches were faced with weak opponents, such as small or regional teams. ‘Still, the matches were played in official uniforms, with the official rules of the game and with a score sheet.’

Pele then updated the bio of his official Instagram account, revealing that his all-time goal total is 1,283. Each of his goals for Santos, the New York Cosmos, and Brazil was considered. Pele did score over 1,000 goals, but his detractors have questioned his accomplishment because 525 of them were scored in unofficial friendlies and tour games.

The matches he played for the Sixth Coast Guard in their military competition are controversially recognized. Pele scored 757 goals in 812 games, according to official statistics. However, he never played for a European club. Instead, he spent 18 years with Santos and the final two years of his career with the New York Cosmos.

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