Brazil great Pele has congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo for breaking his record for goals in “official matches” after the Portugal star scored a hat trick in Juventus’ 3-1 victory over Cagliari on Sunday.
Ronaldo came in for some criticism after Juventus’ Champions League defeat against Porto on Tuesday, the second year in a row they have been knocked out at the last-16 stage. But this performance was a reminder of just how devastating the former Manchester United forward can be.
Ronaldo netted three times inside the opening 32 minutes to take his career total to 770 – three clear of Pele’s tally of 767.
Pele — the only player in history to win three World Cups — has claimed to have scored 1,283 goals in total, including in unofficial matches. Pele wrote on Instagram to his 5.8 million followers: “Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official matches.
Ronaldo’s goals include 668 for club sides — five with Sporting Lisbon, 118 for Manchester United, 450 for Real Madrid and 95 for Juventus. He has also scored 120 for Portugal.
Some media however put Czech Josef Bican on 805 goals, ahead of both Ronaldo and Pele. Former Brazilian striker Romario also claims to have scored 1,000 career goals including unofficial matches. Other sources attribute 772 to him.
