After Cristiano Ronaldo reached his milestone of 900 career goals, Guinness World Records acknowledged him in the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) by responding to debate on social media posts with a GOAT emoji.
This subtle recognition further emphasised his legendary status in football, following this historic achievement.
Ronaldo’s 900th goal solidified his standing in international men’s football and across club competitions, surpassing rivals like Lionel Messi and many others.
In a late X post on Thursday, Guinness World Records quoted a BBC post celebrating Ronaldo’s historic new record, where it posted, “900 career goals for Cristiano Ronaldo. Incredible. #BBCFootball.”
The global authority on record-breaking achievements since 1955, #GWR
PUNCH Online reported that Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal during Portugal’s UEFA Nations League opener against Croatia.
The goal came in the 34th minute of the match when Ronaldo volleyed in a cross from Nuno Mendes, securing a 2-1 victory for Portugal.
This goal not only helped Portugal win but also marked a historic moment for Ronaldo, making him reach 900 goals across his international and club career.
Social media users react
𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐊 using his X handle, #ChessLordK, said, “Even Guinness world records knows the GOAT.”
Famous with the handle #Famous_999_ posted, “I can confirm you guys changed admin.”
Another user, HertzBiT Talks via his account #HertzBiT, tweeted, “Rigged WC Merchants incoming.”
Meanwhile, Kovac-MCFC with account #kovacjosko stated in his post, “Pele 5 World Cups before 900 career goals Ronaldo’s zero World Cup before, after and forever in his life.”
Pelé’s feat
In a December 2022 piece from the Associated Press titled “Nobody disputes Pelé’s greatness but goal count fuels debate,” the article acknowledged Pelé as a football legend and the only player to win three World Cups.
The debate centres around his official goal count, which some sources claim to be over 1,000 goals, including both official matches and friendlies.
However, FIFA’s official tally places his competitive goals at a lower count, sparking ongoing discussions about the criteria for counting goals in football and Pelé’s place in the pantheon of the sport’s greatest players.
Despite the debates over his total number of goals, there is unanimous agreement on his profound impact on football and his legendary status in the sport’s history.
The piece read partly, “Many of his goals came at a time when it wasn’t as easy to register match statistics, and not all of them were caught on tape. There is also a discrepancy in the total number of matches he played.
“According to Pelé, he was the all-time leading scorer in the history of the sport with 1,283 goals in 1,366 matches. That would be an extraordinary 0.93 goals per game.
“If only goals in official matches are tallied, Pelé ’s mark was considerably lower no matter the source, standing at fewer than 800 goals. That would leave him behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Romário, and Josef Bican, who played before Pelé’s time.”
Record scorers
According to TalkSport, Ronaldo has scored 900 goals in 1,236 games since his professional career began in 2001, making him the top scorer in football history.
His closest rival, Lionel Messi, has netted 838 goals in 1,069 games since 2003.
Josef Bican, who played from 1931 to 1956, scored over 805 goals in more than 530 games, while Romario, active between 1985 and 2007, recorded 772 goals in 994 matches.
These players represent the pinnacle of goal-scoring achievements across football history.
