Manchester United goalscoring machine Cristiano Ronaldo reached another landmark after his hat-trick over Tottenham on Saturday evening.
There were reports that the Portuguese became recognized as Fifa’s all-time top scorer with his hat-trick, passing Czech-Austrian Josef Bican’s 805. FIFA website mentions Bican’s 805-goal haul as an estimated total and does not call it a record.
49 – Cristiano Ronaldo (37y & 35d) has scored the 49th hat-trick of his club career, while he becomes the second oldest player in Premier League history to net a treble after Teddy Sheringham in August 2003 (37y & 146d). Speechless. pic.twitter.com/FUwWb6Axet
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 12, 2022
The Czech FA however says that Bican, who died in 2001, scored 821 goals and unofficial statisticians RSSSF – which initially reported the 805 figure – now says he has scored more than 950 goals. That includes strikes in amateur and reserve games and for regional teams.
806 goals.
No player in history has scored more goals for club and country than Cristiano Ronaldo 🐐 pic.twitter.com/ZYVDNcSH6o
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 12, 2022
Of the players to score more goals, Brazil legends Pele and Romario and Real Madrid, and Hungary icon Ferenc Puskas are all somewhere in the 700s too but there are no exact numbers from the trio as they vary from report to report.
PSG and Argentine star Lionel Messi is next on 759 goals for Argentina (80), Barcelona (672), and Paris St-Germain (seven).
