Messi surpasses Pele to becomes top men’s South American goalscorer

It was an emotional day for the footballing legend as he cried tears of joy with the fans after becoming the highest-scoring South American men’s player in history.

The Argentine now stands alone atop CONMEBOL’s men’s goalscoring list
Lionel Messi scored his 79th international goal on Thursday night to break the South American men’s record held by Pele.

Messi scored all three goals in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win over Bolivia in Buenos Aires, giving him two more than the legendary Brazilian striker.

Only Brazilian stars Marta (109) and Cristiane (96) have scored more overall international goals than the Argentina icon now as he claimed his spot as the top men’s goalscorer on the continent.