[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Football legend Pel? belatedly congratulated Argentina's Lionel Messi for surpassing his previous record to become the top scorer among South American players in A matches (international matches between national teams).
On the 25th (local time), Pel? posted a photo of Messi celebrating a goal on his social media and congratulated him on breaking the record. Pel? wrote, "Hello Messi, sorry for being late," adding, "But I didn't want to miss the chance to congratulate you on setting another record earlier this month." He continued, "Your football talent is truly outstanding. I hope you achieve even more together with my friends Kylian Mbapp? and Neymar (both from Paris Saint-Germain)."
On the 9th, Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 home victory over Bolivia in the 2022 Qatar World Cup South American qualifiers held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Having represented Argentina's national team since 2005, Messi added three goals that day, bringing his total A match goals to 79, setting a new record for the most goals scored by a South American player in A matches. The previous record was 77 goals held by Pel?.
Pel?'s late congratulations are known to be due to health issues. Earlier, during a routine checkup, a tumor was found in his colon, and he underwent surgery earlier this month. After being moved from the intensive care unit to a general ward, news came that he was transferred back to the ICU for treatment after three days, causing concern among fans. However, he quickly stabilized and is reportedly recovering smoothly.
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