Cristiano Ronaldo has joined the world in mourning the death of Pele.
Everyone was shaken by Thursday’s news that arguably the greatest athlete to have ever lived had died at the age of 82 after a battle with colon cancer.
The worst fears of everyone associated with the beautiful game were confirmed after Pele had spent the Christmas period in hospital, receiving support and well wishes from around the world.
But sadly, even the brightest of flames don’t burn forever.
What did Pele achieve in football?
Pele leaves behind an extraordinary legacy: the only three-time World Cup winner in history, the IOC’s ‘Athlete of the Century’ and the FIFA Player of the Century.
With more than 1,000 goals attached to his name, Pele was an extraordinary tour de force in the beautiful game, becoming the sport’s first true global celebrity.
And you only have to look at all the moving tributes being paid to the Santos legend to grasp just how much he means to anyone and everyone with an interest in sport, football… and life.
From Kylian Mbappe to Lionel Messi and Neymar to Brazil themselves, the outpouring of love for Pele stands as a monument to his impact on the lives of the millions and millions who adored him.
How did Ronaldo react to Pele’s passing?
And few tributes were as moving or heartfelt as the one penned by Ronaldo, who expressed his sadness at the devastating news to his 524 million followers on Instagram.
According to the Daily Mail, the translation of Ronaldo’s tribute reads as follows: “My deep condolences to all of Brazil, and in particular to the family of Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
“A mere ‘goodbye’ to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently embracing. An inspiration to so many millions, a reference yesterday, today and forever.
“The love you always showed me was reciprocated in every moment we shared even from distance. He will never be forgotten and his memory will live forever in each and every one of us football lovers.
“Rest in peace King Pelé.”
Ronaldo or Pele: Who scored more goals?
Ronaldo and Pele are, of course, two of the greatest footballers to have ever lived and two of its most prolific goalscorers at that.
In terms of which footballing icon scored the most goals, then it depends on the sources that you believe, because if you accept Pele’s claim that he found the back of the net 1,283 times then he obviously bests the 819 career goals that Ronaldo boasts.
However, according to other sources such as Goal, it’s Ronaldo who leads the way with Pele’s total diminished to 759 strikes when you consider that some of his goals came in friendly matches.
SOURCE: givemesport.com
