Brazilian all-time great Pele has congratulated Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo after the latter scored his 100th International goal on Wednesday (September 8, 2020). The 35-year old forward netted both of his side’s goals as  Portugal won 2-0 away against Sweden in their UEFA Nations League encounter.

Pele, the three-time World Cup winner, took to Twitter to deliver his compliments as he wrote: “I thought we were going to celebrate 100 goals today. But it was actually 101! Congratulations @Cristiano, as you reach new heights in your journey.”

Eu pensava que iríamos comemorar 100 gols hoje. Mas foram 101! Parabéns @Cristiano, por cada passo adiante em sua jornada!

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I thought we were going to celebrate 100 goals today. But it was actually 101! Congratulations @Cristiano, as you reach new heights in your journey. pic.twitter.com/8XWmxDX7yE

— Pelé (@Pele) September 8, 2020

Pele, widely considered to be the greatest football player of all time, himself scored 77 goals in 92 appearances for the Brazilian national team, being a vital cog in their three World Cup triumphs in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Over the years, Cristiano Ronaldo and his arch-rival Lionel Messi have both been spoken about in the same breath as the legendary Brazilian. So, it comes as no surprise that Pele is showering praise on Portugal’s talisman Ronaldo.

The former Real Madrid forward had missed Portugal’s opening Nations League encounter against Croatia and came out all guns blazing for their second group stage match. Ronaldo reached the 100-goal milestone when he opened the scoring with a mesmerising freekick right at the stroke of halftime. The Portuguese star got the perfect blend of power and curl as the ball went over the wall and into the left corner. The Swedish keeper Robin Olsen could only shake his head in disbelief as Ronaldo slotted the ball right past him.

The Portugal skipper, Ronaldo, scored from another brilliant curler in the 72nd minute when he was teed up by Joao Felix, widely considered to be Ronaldo’s successor. Felix, the protégé, played the ball into the path of Ronaldo who made no mistakes and scored his 101st goal with a sensational finish right past a diving Olsen.

Ronaldo had started the match with 99-goals under his belt and after his brace has reached the 101 goal mark, thus adding another feather to his decorated cap. Ronaldo thus became only the second men`s player to reach 100 goals for his country after Ali Daei, who netted 109 goals for Iran.

In total, Ronaldo has netted 101 goals in 165 appearances for Portugal, famously leading his side to their maiden European triumph in 2016.