CR7 leads the way
The major talking point across Europe last night of course surrounded Ronaldo’s latest crowning achievement.
This came with the Portuguese icon having taken to the pitch for Juventus in an Italian Super Cup showdown with Napoli.
A tightly contested affair eventually saw the Bianconeri come away with a 2-0 victory, securing Andrea Pirlo’s first piece of silverware as a manager in the process:
Juventus score a second with the last kick of the game to secure the Supercoppa against Napoli!
Scenes as Andrea Pirlo secures his first silverware as a coach! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/fq6Em1QZny
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 20, 2021
As well as proving a special night for his boss, though, Juve’s win over Napoli also came as a momentous one for Ronaldo.
The veteran attacker put his side on their way 24 hours ago, lashing home from close range just past the hour mark in Reggio Emilia.
And his latest strike, in turn, was quickly reported across social media and beyond as having seen Ronaldo take his place in football’s history books, as the greatest goalscorer the game has ever seen:
760 – Cristiano Ronaldo
759 – Josef Bican
757 – Pele
743 – Romario
719 – Lionel MessiThe record-breaking goal for CR7! 📈 pic.twitter.com/kivED5nB10
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 20, 2021
Bican still no.1?
Ronaldo, understandably, has since been showered in praise for his achievement, as the former Real Madrid star continues to stake his claim as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
As outlined above, however, if the latest comments on the part of the Czech Football Association are anything to go by, then the 35-year-old may in fact have some way to go yet before his claim to the title of best-ever in front of goal is recognised worldwide.
In an announcement released earlier this afternoon, Jaroslav Kolář, head of the History and Statistics committee of the Czech FA, firmly refuted such claims.
Instead, it is suggested that Austrian-born Czech legend Josef ‘Pepi’ Bican remains atop the all-time scoring charts, having managed 821 goals, rather than the widely reported 759:
‘As Cristiano Ronaldo approaches the legendary Josef Bican in the number of goals scored in official matches, questions are multiplied by how many goals the Czechoslovak gunner has scored.’
‘The answer is – Josef Bican scored 821 goals in official matches.’
‘Goals from matches in the first and second leagues, national cups, the Central European Cup and national team selections are included. On the contrary, friendly matches are not included in the statistics, with the exception of the national team.’
Kolář added:
‘The FACR Commission on History and Statistics has decided to shed a brighter light on this case.’
‘Websites of renowned statisticians, RSSSF and IFFHS, state that Josef Bican has 805 goals in official matches, but they note with one breath that the 1952 year, in which Bican played the second highest competition for Škoda Hradec Králové, is not included.’
The best goalscorer in football history? 🤔
The History and Statistics committee of the Czech FA counted all the goals scored by the legendary Josef Bican and we can declare he scored 821 goals in official matches.
Jaroslav Kolář, the Head of the committee shares more details. pic.twitter.com/eYqTcGJf1p
— Czech Football Team (@ceskarepre_eng) January 21, 2021
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