Cristiano
Ronaldo on Wednesday scored the 760th goal of his illustrious career
in Juventus’ 2-0 Supercopa Italiana final win over Napoli, leading to claims
that he was the highest goalscorer in the history of football. However, there
are doubts over who that record belongs to.

Football
historians estimate Austrian-Czech footballer Josef Bican scored 805 goals over
his playing career. Bican represented a number of clubs and the Austrian and Czechoslovakian
national sides from 1931 to 1955, AFP reported.

According
to an article in FIFA.com, “Pepi’, as he was known, is credited with scoring
805 goals in 530 games, giving him a career average of 1.52 goals per game.” However, that
tally includes 27 goals for Rapid Vienna’s reserve and amateur teams, apart
from a few that were not scored in official international matches.

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With those
goals out of the equation, Bican’s tally stands at 759 goals in 495 games,
although international football research website RSSSF (Rec. Sport Soccer
Statistics Foundation) says data is partially missing from the 1952 season in
the Czech second division.

There is no
doubt over Ronaldo’s tally, however. The Portuguese superstar has five goals
for Sporting Lisbon, 118 for Manchester United, 450 for Real Madrid, 85 for
Juventus and 102 for his national team.

Turning 36
next month, Ronaldo is the undisputed holder of several records, easily the
leading scorer for Real Madrid and his country, and above Lionel Messi in the
Champions League goalscoring charts.

Meanwhile, Brazilian
duo Pele and Romario both claim to have netted more than 1,000 goals. Last
month Barcelona’s Messi surpassed Pele’s recognised total of 643 goals for a
single club, but Santos swiftly countered saying the three-time World Cup
winner racked up 1,091 goals for them including those in friendlies.

Pele’s own
Instagram bio notes he is the “Leading Goal Scorer of All Time
(1,283)”. He is credited with between 757 and 767 goals in competitive
matches over his career, which include 92 for Brazil.

He is
listed third (767) by RSSSF behind Romario, who helped Brazil to the 1994 World
Cup and ended with 772 goals.

Romario
celebrated reaching a “personal count” of 1,000 goals in 2007, a
total comprising strikes at youth level and in friendlies and testimonials.

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Other
reports and statisticians suggest Romario’s official haul is just under 750
following a globetrotting career that included spells at PSV Eindhoven,
Barcelona, Flamengo, Miami FC and Adelaide United.

As for
Messi, who at 33 is two years Ronaldo’s junior, he is on 719 goals for
Barcelona and Argentina and will undoubtedly factor into the equation before he
is done.

What is
certain is that even if Ronaldo did not break the all-time record, the mark
appears well within reach for a player who continues to score at a remarkable
rate as he approaches his 36th birthday.