Football legend Pepe finally congratulates Cristiano Ronaldo after breaking his official goals record

Football legend Pepe finally congratulates Cristiano Ronaldo after breaking his official goals record

- Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hattrick for Juventus in their 3-1 Serie A win over Cagliari

- The three goals came after he was dragged for his no-show in their Champions League exit

- Pele has now sent a congratulatory message to Cristiano for breaking his official goal record

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Three-time World Cup winner Pele has congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo for breaking his goal record after scoring a hattrick in Juventus' 3-1 win against Cagliari at the Sardegna Arena.

The 36-year-old was recently roasted by fans after failing to show in the Old Lady's Champions League elimination against FC Porto in the last-16 stage earlier this month.

He neither recorded nor assisted any goal in the two-legged affair which saw the Serie A giants crash out of the championship early.

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However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner responded to the criticisms with three solid goals in the Italian League.

Football legend Pepe finally congratulates Cristiano Ronaldo after breaking his official goals record
Football legend Pepe presenting the world best player award to Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008. Photo by Adam Davy - PA Images
Source: Getty Images

Ronaldo grabbed the opening goal in the 10th minute, and 15 minutes later, he doubled their lead through the penalty spot.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward made it three for the visitors just two minutes after the half-hour mark and stats reveal that was his 56th career hattrick.

Pele, who had earlier contested Ronaldo's goal record has now expressed his admiration for the forward after increasing his tally to 770 for clubs and country. The living legend wrote on Instagram:

“Cristiano, life is a solo flight. Each makes his own journey. And what a beautiful journey you are having! I admire you a lot, I love watching you play and this is no secret to anyone.
“Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official matches. My only regret is not being able to give you a hug today.

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“But I leave this photo in your honor, with great affection, as the symbol of a friendship that has existed for many years.”

Meanwhile, it is left to be seen if the five-time Champions League winner would want to extend his stay at Allianz Stadium beyond next summer after the criticisms he received following Juve's UCL exit.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Juventus returned to the Serie A, days after they were knocked out of the Champions League, but they bounced back in style.

The Old Lady grabbed all three points away from home at Cagliari with Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick on the night.

The victory moves Andrea Pirlo's side to 55 points, ten points behind league leaders Inter Milan who have played one game more.

Oluwatomiwa is a sports editor with Legit.ng. He has over eight years of field and office experience in the media industry. He graduated from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 2014 with HND in Mass Communication. Connect with him on Twitter @TomiwaBabalola.

Source: Legit.ng

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