Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with a special commemorative shirt for breaking Brazil legend Pele’s official goalscoring record of 767 goals.
The Juventus and Portuguese forward overtook the Brazilian’s total last weekend after scoring a hat-trick in his side’s 3-1 victory at Cagliari to take his own tally to 770 goals.
Before the Old Lady’s Serie A fixture with Benevento on Sunday March 21, which they lost 1 – 0 at home, Ronaldo was handed a shirt with ‘G.O.A.T 770’ on the back, claiming that the Portuguese forward is the ‘Greatest Of All Time’.
The presentation was done by Juventus president Andrea Agnelli.
On achieving the milestone in his career, Ronaldo wrote on Instagram: ‘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.’
Pele responded to Ronaldo’s comments, posting: ‘Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official matches.
‘I admire you a lot, I love watching you play and this is no secret to anyone. My only regret is not being able to give you a hug today.’
Ronaldo’s tally of goals includes 668 at club level, including 188 for Manchester United and 450 for Real Madrid, while he has also scored 120 goals at the international level for Portugal.
ANALYSIS OF CRISTIANO RONALDO’S GOALS
Right foot – 491
Left foot – 143
Headers – 134
Others – 2
