Pele has denied changing his Instagram bio after Cristiano Ronaldo overtook his haul of 757 goals in official competitions.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo moved on to 758 career goals with a double in Juventus’ 4-1 victory over Udinese on Saturday.
It came just two weeks after Brazil great Pele, a three-time World Cup winner, saw his record for the most goals with a single club, 643 at Santos, surpassed by Barcelona’s Messi.
Following Ronaldo’s goals against Udinese, Pele was accused of updating his Instagram bio to include “Leading Goal Scorer of All Time (1,283)”, a total that remains the subject of much debate. However, the 80-year-old has refuted the allegation, insisting he is not trying to detract from the achievements of Ronaldo and Messi.
“I was accused by the press of having changed my Instagram bio to overshadow these big stars that are breaking my records,” Pele posted on Twitter. “The bio text has always been the same since I joined the platform. None of this should distract us from their incredible achievements.” Only Czech striker Josef Bican, credited with scoring 805 goals, lies ahead of Ronaldo in the all-time list.