“Chalk it up!”
Hold up. Lionel Messi has NOT broken Pele’s scoring record for a single club and will have to score – gulp! – 448 more Barcelona goals to do so. That’s according to Santos. The Brazilian club claims that Pele’s official tally stands at 1,091 goals scored for them, because the 448 that he scored in friendlies (and you should see the state of some of the opponents – many of the games were more like exhibitions than friendlies) should also be counted. Er, okay.
The internet has, overwhelmingly, taken Messi’s side, and rightly so. Santos’s claim, made sincerely as far as anyone can tell, is absurd and just makes them look like sore losers. Did Pele put them up to this – doubtful as he praised Messi on social media last week – or were Santos acting alone? Either way, Twitter is rolling with it:
Pele: *kicks a toddler down the stairs*
Santos: pic.twitter.com/aq9rLRx09V
— Mendes (@MendesTHFC) December 28, 2020
Pele when Graziano Pelle scores pic.twitter.com/6XQ9NRgSPs
— Masi (@CFCMasi) December 28, 2020
pele after kicking a ball between the legs of the dining table pic.twitter.com/EgAoLUAB7V
— * (@KingAfo) December 28, 2020
Pele when he volleys his chewing gum into the bin pic.twitter.com/3oo3PVi8uy
— Adil (@axnaz14) December 28, 2020
Pele adding the time he kicked a balloon through two chairs at Carlos Alberto’s wedding reception…#Pele #Santos #Messi pic.twitter.com/pJa7h63oOn
— Ryan Benjamin (@Ryan_Benjamin) December 28, 2020
Pele adding him kicking a crisp under the fridge to his goal tally pic.twitter.com/DCkSOFaWMS
— Kαι. (avi lad) (@lfc_kaiV2) December 28, 2020