Pele sends congratulatory message to Messi after matching his record

Messi Equals Pele's Record (Image: Instagram/Pele)

One of football's greatest of all time, 'O Rei' Pele, has paid tribute to Barcelona's Lionel Messi, after he equalled Pele's record of scoring the most goals for a single club.

Messi netted his 643rd goals for Barcelona in a 2-2 draw against Valencia equalling Pele's record for Santos. Messi first appeared for Barcelona in 2004 at the age of 17 and hit 643 goals in 748games while Pele did it in 665 games.

The Brazilian legend took to Instagram to congratulate the Argentine.

"When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path.

"Like you, I know what it's like to love wearing the same shirt every day,"

"Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place we feel at home.

"Congratulations on your historic record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona.

"Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately will be increasingly rare in football.

"I admire you very much."

The 80-year-old won six Brazilian league titles, two Copa Libertadores crowns and he is the only player to win the World Cup three times.

Return to AlimoshoToday.com