Messi scored his 644th goal for Barcelona in a league game against Valladolid on December 22, moving one clear of Pele, whose official goals for Santos stands at 643.
Pele congratulated Messi on his achievement of another milestone in an illustrious career but the Brazilian’s former club insist Barcelona’s captain needs another 448 goals to catch up with the 80-year-old’s tally of 1,091.
Santos argue that some of Pele’s goals scored in friendly games have not been taken into account.
"In the accounts of the specialized press, the King of Football scored 643 in competitions and the 448 goals scored in matches and friendly competitions were ostracized, as if they had less value than the others," a statement released by Santos’ club historian, Fernando Ribeiro, read.
"The argument of some analysts is that so many of these 448 goals scored in friendly matches were faced with weak opponents, such as small or regional teams. Even so, the matches were played in official uniforms, with the official rules of the game and with a score sheet.
"We have to remember that clubs could only play friendly matches with the endorsement of regional and national federations, one of the rules imposed by FIFA, the organizer of world football.
"Taking subjective attributes into account, such as the weakness of opponents, is not ideal for compiling statistical data. The numbers are absolute."
