By scoring his 767th goal between club and selection on Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo joined the unofficial total - the subject of many debates - attributed to the legend Pelé.
Another record for the Portuguese superstar?
Difficult to say, as the figures remain controversial.
According to sources and media, Pelé (80) would have scored between 757 and 767 goals in official matches with his clubs and the selection of Brazil.
But the legendary number 10 Auriverde himself claims much more: 1,283, according to the bio of his official Instagram account.
However, many have been marked on international tours, outside of official competitions.
Another Brazilian, former international striker Romario (55), claims the “personal total” of 1,000 goals including those scored in youth categories, friendlies and gala matches.
But according to other sources, his official record does not exceed 772 goals, or even less than 750 goals over a career that has taken him from Brazil to the Netherlands (PSV Eindhoven), to Spain (Barcelona, Valencia). , and even in the United States, Australia and Qatar.
Cristiano Ronaldo's total (36) is a little less questionable, the Portuguese having only scored in the 21st century (since 2002).
Even if some media, such as
Corriere dello Sport
in Italy, for example added goals scored in the Olympic selection of Portugal.
"Umpteenth goal and record: Ronaldo joins Pelé on scorers' Olympus"
The Gazzetta dello Sport
Still, for most media or specialized sites, the figure attributed to Ronaldo is 767 goals, distributed as follows: five for Sporting Lisbon, 118 for Manchester United, 450 for Real Madrid and 92 for Juventus Turin, i.e. 665 in clubs.
To which are added 102 achievements with Portugal.
In short, if we stick to the official matches, the Portuguese star has now joined Pelé in history, symbol of the insatiable appetite of this monster of ambition and work.
"Umpteenth goal and record: Ronaldo joins Pelé on the scorers' Olympus", enthusiastic Wednesday
Gazzetta dello Sport
in its online edition, dedicating its front page to "CR767".
It remains to be decided whether or not this score is the absolute record in the history of football.
La prima pagina della #Gazzetta di oggi
CR767 COME PELÉ
Tutte le #notiziehttps: //t.co/z5T8wZ9u4Cpic.twitter.com/sfBCE5gKqR
- LaGazzettadelloSport (@Gazzetta_it) March 3, 2021
Still according to the
Gazzetta dello sport
, the Czech Josef Bican (805) and Romario (772) would still be ahead of Ronaldo and Pelé.
This would imply that the Portuguese, who aims to play until he is 40, would only have one or two seasons to play at his own pace to become the greatest scorer of all time.
However, for the
Corriere dello sport
, who has investigated the matter at length, the Turinese would already be ahead because some goals awarded to Bican and Romario were not scored in official matches.
And another goalscorer could have done better than all those forwards, the German Erwin Helmchen, who mainly played in the 1930s and 1940s ...
Messi also in the race
As for Lionel Messi (33), Cristiano Ronaldo's great rival, he is not left out: at the end of December, he also equaled Pelé, this time in the number of goals scored under the jersey of a single club, in crossing with FC Barcelona the bar of 643 units established by the illustrious Brazilian with Santos.
A performance praised by Pelé himself: “Like you, I know what love is to wear the same jersey every day.
Like you, I know there is nothing better than a place to feel at home.
Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel ”, then reacted the Brazilian on Instagram.
Since then, Messi has continued to accumulate goals and he now has 729, including 71 registered with the Argentine team.
Younger than Ronaldo by two years, Messi could therefore in turn join in this race for records, symbol of the eternal rivalry between the five-fold Portuguese Ballon d'Or and the six-fold Argentinian Ballon d'Or.
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