Pele responds to Instagram bio change claims after Cristiano Ronaldo's goal milestone

Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo overtook Brazil football great Pele's second-highest official goal tally after netting twice against Udinese, racking up his 758th goal. But the three-time World Cup winner appeared to have not accepted the record and updated his Instagram bio, insisting that he was still the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of the sport. Following the controversy, Pele has now spoken for the first time, offering clarification for the purported conflict. 

Also Read | Cristiano Ronaldo overtakes Pele's all-time goal record after brace vs Udinese

Pele appears to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo goals' record 

Ronaldo overtook Pele goals record last week, netting twice against Udinese to take his tally to 758 goals. Interestingly, the Brazilian legend struck 757 official goals in his career. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is now two goals shy from overtaking Josef Bican, who holds the record of scoring the most number of times in football. 

After Ronaldo's milestone, Pele changed his Instagram bio. The updated Pele Instagram bio read, "Leading Goalscorer of All Time", while also mentioning the number of goals he believes he has scored in his decorated career, 1283 to be precise. This move racked up controversy, with fans mocking the Brazilian. 

Also Read | Brazil great Pele upgrades Instagram bio after Cristiano Ronaldo beats official goal tally

Pele clarifies on Instagram bio change 

But Pele has now come out in the open to speak on the same. The 80-year-old took to Twitter to slam the media, who have accused him of "having changed my Instagram bio to overshadow these big stars that are breaking my records." But he rubbished the claims suggesting that the bio has been the same ever since he joined Instagram.

He also claimed that such reports should not distract people from the extraordinary achievements of the incredible footballers. This, however, isn't the first time that the Brazil legend has been under the scanner for his records. Recently, Barcelona icon Lionel Messi overtook Pele's single-club goal record, netting his 644th goal for the Camp Nou outfit. 

Also Read | Lionel Messi overtakes Pele's single club goal record after scoring against Valladolid

Santos dispute Messi goals record 

While Pele sent out a heartwarming message, congratulating the six-time Ballon d'Or winner for the spectacular milestone, Santos decided to refute the Messi goals record. The Brazilian outfit, where Pele spent 18 seasons in all, claimed that he had netted 1,091 goals, as averse to the official record of 643 goals. 

Also Read | Santos DISPUTE Lionel Messi's goal record, claim Brazil legend Pele still holds it

Image courtesy: Pele Instagram