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Cristiano Ronaldo, Legend of the Top Scorers in Football History

Cristiano Ronaldo, Legend of the Top Scorers in Football History

Whether you use statistics, fan numbers, or tactics and ability on the field, the best footballer in the world is often hotly debated. Of course, many players have come and gone over several generations, and today's youngsters are often compared to some of the older players from the 60s and 70s. So, is Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest goal scorer of all time, or is he just one of the best? His most loyal fans will undoubtedly come out on his side in an argument, and there is absolutely no denying that he is in the top-ranking footballers of all time.

Ronaldo

Setting Records

It seems that in order to determine who the best is, we need to be taking into account the number of goals they have scored. Now obviously, this only works for strikers because defenders and goalkeepers may be outstanding players and win many games for their team, but they never achieve goals. However, recently he scored his 767th goal and saw him recorded in the history books as one of the best goal scorers of all time. This goal tally is the number of times he has been on target, both playing for his national team and his club. If you aren't aware, he is a Portuguese national and plays for them at the international level and his club team, Juventus. His nickname is CR7, his initials and his shirt number. At 36 years old, this is quite an impressive goalscoring record, but is it the highest ever?

Controversy in Numbers

Media sources and other recorders of such statistics suggest that Pele, who is a former Brazilian international, had a goal scoring record of somewhere between 757 and 767 goals which means Ronaldo has now equalled this. These are thought to be the number of goals he scored officially during his club and international time on the field. However, the 80-year-old who plays in the number 10 shirt states on his official Instagram that he has scored 1280 three goals in his lifetime. The official statistics count only club and international matches, not international tours or non-official competitions, so he may likely be counting those. Romario, who is another retired Brazilian national, also suggests that his goal tally for his career is 1000, but he does confess this includes gala and friendly games. However, in this case, official sources say that the 55-year-old cannot claim any more than 772 goals, and this may even be generous as potentially the figure is as low as 750. He is a player who has played not only for his country but Spain, Netherlands and teams in the United States.

Ronaldo

Easier to Count

Of course, for these older players, their careers spanned the centuries, and counting was perhaps less of a metric at the time. Cristiano Ronaldo's goals were all scored during the 21st century, and the official figure does come out at 767, which the following goal tally can evidence—playing for Real Madrid 450 goals, playing for Manchester United 118 goals, playing for Juventus Turin 92 goals and Sporting Lisbon 5 goals. That gives his official club tally of 665, and then he has 102 international goals with Portugal. Using this official count only, he has undoubtedly equalled Pele and, as he has not yet finished playing, is likely to beat him.

Current Signing

For the rest of his career, it is likely that he will be picked to play for the Brazilian national team; his club contract is with Juventus until June 2022. It seems likely that he may be offered an extra year. The club isn't having the best of seasons currently. They are standing third in Serie A but keeping Ronaldo would be a smart move for both team and player. Ronaldo is a serious contender in the Champions League, which is a match between the top four European countries.

Ronaldo

At What Price?

However, hanging on to this star player will cost Juventus considerably. It is thought that they would have to sell Dutch international Matthis De Ligt during the next transfer window in order to afford to keep Cristiano Ronaldo. This younger player is also incredible and was quickly a star when he played for Ajax Amsterdam, so for Juventus to bin him so fast just to keep an older 36-year-old player will cause controversy, and not everyone will agree with that decision. However, if the team does not decide to keep him, Ronaldo still remains one of the most in-demand players, and competition will definitely heat up during the transfer window. Currently, the odds that he will leave the club are 1.65, whereas the odds that he will stay are 2.10. Clearly, the bookmakers do think that he will leave the club at the end of the 2022 season.




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