Football or soccer as played in some parts of the world is a game of surprises and one of these is the flashes of brilliance such as the accurate pass, the aerial acrobatics of the goalkeeper putting his body on the line for the ball as well as the much-needed goal.
Over the years, people have come to know and love legendary strikers who transformed the face of amazing game through extraordinary goal scoring achievements. But who is crowned the king of goals?
There are two main contenders for the title of all-time top scorer:
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The current record holder, as far as most sources are concerned, is the Portuguese maestro Cristiano Ronaldo with 893 goals in club football and international football combined. Ronaldo is the best player on the pitch n terms of athleticism, skill and a raw desire of scoring goals. He’s an established goal machine for both himself and his employers having thrived in front of goal for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal.
Sitting right behind Ronaldo is Lionel Messi, his enduring opponent. Messi is regarded as the most naturally gifted football player of all time because of his exceptional dribbling, playmaking, and goal-scoring ability. Even if Messi's recent transfer to Paris Saint-Germain upset his routine, he is still a formidable opponent.
Josef Bican is a legend from a different age, therefore his name may not be as well-known as some of the others on our list. Bican, who spent most of his playing career in Czechoslovakia, is incredibly talented, as seen by his incredible goal total. Although there is ongoing discussion over the validity of some of his objectives, there is no denying his influence on the game.
Romario, the "Little Magician," was a nightmare for the opposition. He was a prolific scorer because to his daring abilities and sixth sense for knowing when and where to be. Together with Ronaldo (not the Cristiano Ronaldo), he developed a psychic bond and played a crucial role in Brazil's World Cup win in 1994.
However, the most recent holder of this record is the legendary player and arguably the greatest of all time and that is the Brazilian, Pele with a total of 1,279 goals. Here is one catch – some of the goals scored in this tally were from friendly matches and other unofficial tournaments. If calculations are made only on competitive games, Pele has scored to this record 767 goals which should be everyone’s respect.
The spotlight is that, how do people consider the goal? If we should include friendly matches or informal tournaments? This remains rather ambiguous and permits the “Ronaldo vs. Pele debate to continue on.
We must not ignore other legends who have also contributed to the game through their wonderful goal scoring abilities. Cristiano Ronaldo’s biggest contender Lionel Messi is also completing the list with more than 833 goals. Other machineries of the beautiful game that features in the all-time leading scorers’ list include legends like Romario, Ferenc Puskas, and Gerd Muller.
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