Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has sparked a backlash from Brazilians on social media following his comments about Brazil’s football legend Pelé and his record of 1,000 career goals.
In a recent conversation with former teammate Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo revealed that his goal is to score 900 career goals, with the ambition of reaching 1,000 if he surpasses the 900-goal mark.
He emphasised that, unlike previous players who have claimed to reach the 1,000-goal milestone, he intends to have video evidence to substantiate his achievement.
Ronaldo’s remarks have been interpreted by many as a subtle jab at Pelé’s legendary record, leading to a wave of criticism from fans in Brazil.
“The best mark that I reach is first reaching 900 goals. After, my challenge is to reach 1000 goals with one difference: all the goals I have scored have videos. So I can prove that I have scored 1000 goals,” he said on his YouTube channel UR Cristiano.
“I respect all of them, but there are videos of my goals, and if you have a problem, I can bring videos from training too. And I will prove to the people. After they prefer this or that player as the best, I don’t care about that.”
Pelé remains the only footballer officially recognised for scoring 1,000 career goals, making Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent comments a point of contention among Brazilian fans.
Ronaldo’s remarks, made during a chat with former teammate Rio Ferdinand, seemed to suggest a challenge to this historic milestone.
Many in Brazil have taken offence, interpreting Ronaldo’s statements as dismissive of Pelé’s achievement.
Some critics argue that his comments were unnecessary and have fuelled animosity towards him.
However, Ronaldo’s supporters contend that his remarks were meant to be taken with a sense of humour and sarcasm rather than as a direct challenge to Pelé’s legendary record.
Cristiano is always the first to complain about how the media hates him yet he throws shade like this towards greats of the past who achieved more than him.
Very hypocritical & childish - won’t say that I didn’t expect this from him as he’s made a career of degrading others. https://t.co/WwEwnFGlVs
— Solo (@Z9Priv_) August 28, 2024
Claiming Pelé didn’t score 1000+ goals because there isn’t video evidence is awful reasoning.
We have journalists reports, newspapers, eye witness accounts & radio commentary of them all. All verified through multiple sources.
— All Things Brazil™ 🇧🇷 (@SelecaoTalk) August 28, 2024
Theres footage of Pelé winning 3 World Cups if Cristiano Ronaldo wants to see it 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/kNKRVH6kjG
— Ginga Bonito 🇧🇷 (@GingaBonitoHub) August 28, 2024
This is why Messi will always be respected & more loved than Cristiano Ronaldo.
He’s not insecure. He doesn’t need to diminish the achievements of other all-time greats to stand out. pic.twitter.com/mPz8wVjVtD
— Ginga Bonito 🇧🇷 (@GingaBonitoHub) August 28, 2024
Tears man
The only thing keeping this cry baby relevant is his YouTube channel pic.twitter.com/Y1fyWzUR5v
— Marcus (@Mheracle3) August 28, 2024
The official Brasileirão account fires back at Cristiano Ronaldo who mocked Pelé & other older legends of the game for not having all their goals on video.
“🎶 Only Pelé, only Pelé
📹 On video!”
This is a video of when he officially scored his 1000th goal. https://t.co/7m1fmtSufa
— Ginga Bonito 🇧🇷 (@GingaBonitoHub) August 28, 2024
Sem polêmica.
Sem indireta.
Sem egocentrismo.
Sem desmerecer ninguém.
A diferença é muito clara: de um lado, o frustrado que vive fazendo marketing pessoal para se autoafirmar. Do outro, quem sempre preferiu falar com a bola nos pés.
Abismo como jogador.
Abismo como ser humano. https://t.co/QS31Gy7Q6e pic.twitter.com/ECWJiaFrTY