At 35, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to retire from football in the next few years, but the Portuguese superstar is said to have set a personal timeline before quitting. Reportedly, Ronaldo is aiming to surpass the goalscoring record of Brazilian legend Pele, whose exploits on the pitch for two decades netted him 1,281 goals in over 1,300 appearances.
According to Gary Neville, he believed his former Manchester United teammate is obsessed with the thought of exceeding Pele's career goals, which to date are the subject of debate. Officially, the professional figures of the football great pointed to a total of 650 goals that were cleared from his sanctioned league matches.
The Brazilian, however, is adamant on his claim that he played 1,363 games when the countless friendlies he participated in would be counted, per the report by Metro. Pele is convinced his total goals are about twice of the acknowledged numbers, and supposedly the cornerstone of his claim as being the GOAT of the game.
Neville said Ronaldo is a Pele believer, and the Juventus star is looking to break what his idol has achieved. If the claim by Pele will stand, then the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has a lot of catching up ahead of him.
The Juve forward has 838 professional football games credited to him and already boasts of 626 goals. It's only a matter of time, and he'll eclipse the official goal records of Pele, but it appeared Ronaldo is bent on exceeding even the Brazilian's unofficial goals.
That means Ronaldo is thinking of scoring another 500 goals, or more than 556 to be exact, before even considering the thought of retirement. The goal for the Portugal captain is to dislodge Pele from the top so he can lay a solid claim as football's GOAT, Neville revealed.
"He wants to be the greatest of all time and that is his sole purpose, understanding along the way if he is the greatest of all time the teams he plays in will win trophies and be successful," The Sun reported the United hero as saying.
The former Red Devils star offered he expects Ronaldo to continue playing until in his late 30s if only to realize his dream of becoming the Top Alpha in the game.
Neville explained: "I think he [Ronaldo] has a plan to take over Pele's record ... I genuinely believe he wants to beat Pele's numbers, that's where I think he's at in his mind."
It would seem that unlocking this specific goal might be too late for Ronaldo but the striker has not shown any sign that he is slowing down. He remains a top player of the game and while speculations are rife he could be switching sides next season, Ronaldo continuing to shine with a new team would not come as a surprise.
