Rome (AFP)
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 N.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.
- "On the goal scorers' Olympus" -
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 Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday 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.
Still according to the Gazzetta dello sport, the Czech Josef Bican (805) and Romario (772) would still be ahead of "CR7" 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.
- Record race -
However, for Corriere dello sport, who have investigated the matter at length, "CR7" is already ahead as some goals awarded to Bican and Romario have not been 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 ...
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 that there is nothing better than a place where you feel at home. Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel ", then reacted the Brazilian on Instagram.
Since then, "La Puce" 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.
© 2021 AFP