Precisely how many time Pele hit the net is a matter of debate, with most statisticians agreeing the number is between 1,281 and 1,283. FIFA put his overall total at more than 1,200 - over 1,000 of which came for his first club, Santos. Most of the others came for the New York Cosmos and
Brazil. On November 19, 1969, when a broadcast failure deprived the world of the second moon landing of the Apollo 12 Mission, the Brazilians missed nothing of an even more historic moment: Pelé's thousandth goal. Anf for Brazil and its "king," this date could not have been better chosen to achieve such a feat.
Pele's career by the numbers
Brazil's football association (CBF) and Santos say Pele scored a total of 1,283 goals in 1,367 matches while FIFA puts the figure at 1,281 goals in 1,366 games. Other sources give varying figures depending on the types of games included.
Pele scored a record 1281 goals in 1363 games (including 'non-official' games). It's important to consider these games because of the number of high-quality 'friendlies' Santos played around the world in that era.
According to FIFA's official website, Pele scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, but it must be noted that this figure includes data from a significant number of unofficial matches, such as friendly tours with Santos and the New York Cosmos.
The Argentine has scored more World Cup goals - 13 - than his two rivals, though he's played more games. Pele hit 12 goals at the World Cup and Ronaldo has notched eight times. Pele's ratio, though, sees him come out on top again; 0.86 compared to Messi on 0.5 and Ronaldo on 0.36.
Pele extraordinarily scored 127 goals for Santos in one calendar year: 1959.
According to Pelé, he was the all-time leading scorer in the history of the sport with 1,283 goals in 1,366 matches.
Lionel Messi has scored the most goals for one club. Pelé held the world record for around 50 years. Josef Bican is credited by FIFA with 805 goals.
Pelé was the 1st footballer in history to score 1,000 goals. Brazil's Pelé became the first man to score 1,000 goals in competitive football in November 1969 after converting a penalty for Santos against Vasco da Gama in Rio. The match was stopped for 30 minutes as supporters invaded the pitch.
Pelé holds the record for the most hat-tricks scored by a Brazilian player, with 7. One of those hat-tricks was scored in the 1958 World Cup semi-final against France; he later scored a brace against Sweden in the final in which Brazil won with a 5-2 result.
Lionel Messi
And he scored his 800th career goal in Argentina's 2-0 win over Panama during their first game since becoming world champions and then scored a hat-trick against Curacao a few days later.
Most goals scored: The late footballer Pele holds the Guinness World Record for the most goals scored in the history of football. He found the back of the net on as many as 1,283 times in 1363 matches. Most goals in a calendar year: Pele scored 127 goals for Santos in 1959 when he was only 18.
Pele, the legendary Brazilian footballer, is considered the football god of all time. No player has won more world cups (3) than him.
Brazil's Pelé became the first man to score 1,000 goals in competitive football in November 1969 after converting a penalty for Santos against Vasco da Gama in Rio. The match was stopped for 30 minutes as supporters invaded the pitch.
Pele played a total of 92 games for Brazil and scored 77 goals in his career whereas Maradona played a total of 91 games and scored a total of 34 goals.
Pele won the World Cup three times, in 1958, 1962 and 1970, a football milestone no other player has yet achieved. In 2000, Fifa named Pele as the player of the century along with Argentina's Diego Maradona, who died in 2020 at 60.
Ronaldo has scored a record number of international goals and appearances, but Messi has won more Ballon d'Or awards (7). Messi has spent most of his playing career in Spain and France, while Ronaldo has played in Portugal, England, Spain, and Italy.
Well, in official competition, Pele did score 778 goals, but his inflated tally comes from friendly matches and tour games that Santos would play at the time. He also counted games he played for the Sixth Coast Guard in a military competition against non-professionals, so you do have to take that with a pinch of salt.
One way to interpret this jumble of information: Ronaldo is the new leader as far as 'goals in official games' with Pele's disputed numbers giving him an edge in 'overall games' including exhibitions.
1 Most number of goals in a calendar year - Lionel Messi
That adds up to a tally of 91 goals in a single calendar year in 69 official appearances for the then 25-year-old Lionel Messi.
- Messi has set the world record for a goals in a single calendar year, with a grand total of 91, beating the previous all-time best set in 1972 by Germany and Bayern's Gert Müller, who got 85.
During the 2012 calendar year, Lionel Messi put up an astonishing 91 goals, shattering the old record of 85 that was held by Gerd Muller (Bayern Munich, Germany - 1972). Over a total of 69 games, Messi scored 79 for Barcelona and another 12 for his home country of Argentina.