Thursday, April 25, 2024
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the record goalscorer in the history of men’s football, having netted his 760th goal while sending Juventus to an Italian Super Cup win over Napoli.
The 35-year-old was expected to reach the stunning landmark against Inter on Sunday after edging closer to history by scoring against Sassuolo last week to level to record - but failed to get on the scoresheet in the 2-0 loss, reports Mail Online.
Instead, the legendary Juve forward waited for the big occasion in the Italian Super Cup and duly delievered against Gennaro Gattuso's men as he found the back of the net in the 64th minute - sending his special career to new incredible heights. A corner was swung over and Napoli fluffed their lines - leaving Ronaldo with the perfect opportunity to thump into the net left-footed.
Prior to Ronaldo drawing level with the record on 10 January and surpassing it on Wednesday night, Josef Bican had been the recognised top scorer in history for competitive goals, reports independent.co.uk.
The Czech-Austrian played in the 1930s through to the 50s and netted 759 official strikes - though the numbers of some players from earlier generations are disputed.
Pele is another who has claimed a far greater tally, though some are believed to be non-competitive or unofficial fixtures - he is considered to have 757 by most sources, three fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo now has.
Lionel Messi is the only other modern-era player who is capable of breaking the record, being currently on 719 goals for club and country, ranked fourth in history.
Romario, Gerd Muller, Ferenc Puskas, Eusebio, Ferenc Deak and Arthur Friedenreich make up the rest of the recognised top 10 scorers in the men’s game.
Ronaldo has netted 85 goals in total for Juventus, after previously scoring 450 for Real Madrid, 118 for Manchester United, five with Sporting CP and 102 for the Portugal national team.
He has 20 goals in 20 games across all competitions this season, including 15 in 14 Serie A matches.
