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Santos Respond To Lionel Messi's Barcelona Goal Record, Say Pele Scored 1,091 Goals

Santos Respond To Lionel Messi's Barcelona Goal Record, Say Pele Scored 1,091 Goals

Santos dispute Lionel Messi's record for Barcelona.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

Santos have disputed Lionel Messi's record-breaking feat by claiming that Pele actually scored 1,091 goals - not the reported 643 goals.

Messi scored his 644th goal for Barcelona during the week to overtake Pele as the highest goalscorer for a single club.

It was thought that the Barcelona superstar had broken the all-time record until the Brazilian club piped up with a lengthy statement.

They insist the legendary World Cup winner bagged 1,091 goals for Santos, 448 goals more than the supposed figure of 643.

Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA

Santos say his goals against River Plate, Boca Juniors, Racing, Universidad de Chile, Real Madrid, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Benfica and Anderlecht are not included in the official total not to mention the eight goals against Inter Milan or four goals against Barcelona.

Their argument is that the matches were official as they were played with official teams and the rules of the game.

So, the additional goals should be counted.

Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA

Part of the statement reads: "In the last few days, much has been said in the press and on social media about the number of goals scored by Pele with the Santos Futebol Clube shirt.

"According to some statisticians, Argentine Lionel Messi (Barcelona) became the player with the most goals for the same club, reaching 644 goals for the Catalan club, excluding friendly matches - called by some as official goals.

"Pele had already congratulated Barcelona's shirt 10, 'Stories like ours, of love for the same club for so long, unfortunately will be increasingly rare in football,' wrote the King on his social networks.

"However, part of the press reports the historic feat, reneging on the greatest of all records, the total goals in the clubs.

"Pele scored 1,091 goals for Santos. In the accounts of the specialized press, the King of Football scored 643 in competitions and the 448 goals scored in matches and friendly competitions were ostracised, as if they had less value than the others."

Over to you, Barcelona.

Featured Image Credit: PA/PA

Topics: Football News, Santos, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Pele

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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