Cristiano Ronaldo pays heartwarming tribute to Pele after setting goal scoring record

Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has paid a heartwarming tribute to Brazil legend Pele after setting a goal-scoring record.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Cagliari yesterday and has now scored 770 goals for club and country. The Portugal international has subsequently penned an emotional tribute to Pele on Instagram.

There have been debates regarding Pele's goal-scoring tally. The number has varied over the years, with Pele himself stating that he has scored more than 1000 goals during his storied career.

Cristiano Ronaldo, in his social media post, stated that he was a huge fan of Pele. He also admitted that he had taken into account Pele's goals for the Sao Paulo state team as well as the Brazilian military team.

The former Real Madrid star is regarded as one of the best footballers to have played the game. Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed tremendous success with clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, and is seen as Portugal's greatest ever footballer.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a return to Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid for a club-record fee of €100 million in 2018. He has arguably been their most important player since then.

In 122 appearances in all competitions, the 36-year old has scored 95 goals. He has won two Serie A titles with Juventus, but success in the Champions League has eluded him.

Juventus have struggled in Europe's premier club competition, despite the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo. The last three seasons has seen them knocked out of the Champions League by Ajax, Lyon and most recently, Porto.

As a result, the Portuguese forward has been linked with a move away in recent days. A return to Real Madrid has been mooted, with Cristiano Ronaldo having enjoyed enormous success with the La Liga giants.

In 438 appearances in all competitions for the Real Madrid, Ronaldo scored 450 goals. He is the club's all-time top goalscorer.

A few months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo was also linked with a return back to Manchester United, although those rumours have since died down.

Cristiano Ronaldo: “I can’t wait for the next games and challenges, the next records and trophees. Believe me, this story is still far from being over. The future is tomorrow and there’s still a lot to win for Juventus and Portugal”. 🇵🇹 #CR7

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 14, 2021

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