With today's hat-trick, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest goal scorer in history, surpassing Josef Bican and Lionel Messi

In Round 29 of the Premier League, a historic event took place: with his hat-trick today, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest goal scorer in history, surpassing Josef Bican and Lionel Messi.

More news about Manchester United:

Cristiano scores hat trick to lead Manchester United past Tottenham

According to data from the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), the Manchester United striker has broken the record and has become the highest goal scorer in history. 

Why does Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick today put him as the highest goal scorer in history?

According to the IFFHS, the Portuguese star has reached 807 goals, surpassing the likes of Romario, Pelé, and even Lionel Messi. 

CR7 reached this number with the hat-trick he scored today against Tottenham in the 12th, 38th, and 81st minutes of the match, proving to his fans and his detractors that there is no one bigger than him when it comes to breaking nets. 

Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed Josef Bican and Lionel Messi today

With 807 goals scored, Cristiano Ronaldo has just surpassed Josef Bican, who according to the IFFHS was the greatest scorer in history, who had registered 805 goals in his entire career. 

Behind him in third place is now the Brazilian Romario, who has 779 goals scored in his entire career, and in fourth place is Pelé, who scored 767 goals. 

Behind them, Lionel Messi is the fifth-highest scorer in history with a record of 759 goals.

How many goals would Lionel Messi have to score to equal Cristiano Ronaldo?

Although Messi is still playing, it is very difficult for him to reach the Portuguese's figure at his current club. 

But if the conditions were right and the player was backed by a club that would allow him to score more goals, the Argentine player would need to score 48 goals to equal the mark that Cristiano Ronaldo has just set in the history of soccer.

However, the underlying issue here is that while CR7 is a striker and continues to play this role, Messi does not only play this position.

The Paris Saint-Germain player now plays more of a midfield role allowing Kylian Mbappé to be the striker for the French club, making his chance of catching the Portuguese almost impossible. 

But this still makes him the fifth highest goal scorer in history an honor, taking into account that since he played for Barcelona he covered the position of midfielder and striker. 

Despite the comparison, having seen these two monsters play at the same time was something that will be unforgettable for everyone, but especially for Cristiano Ronaldo, who now has a record that surpasses Messi. 

More news about Cristiano Ronaldo:

Is there a fight between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ralf Rangnick?