Pele welcomes Lionel Messi after the Barcelona superstar hit the Brazilian record of 643 goals

Pele has paid tribute to Lionel Messi after the Barcelona star broke the Brazilian icon’s record of 643 goals for a single club in the Catalans 2-2 draw with Valencia on Saturday.

The Argentine, who tried to leave the club in a very public spit last summer, hit the mammoth sum just before halftime at Camp Nou after nodding home from close range.

Messi, 33, had been absent shortly before but was in the right place to throw Jordi Alba’s inviting ball into the box to atone for his unusual mistake 12 meters away.

The Argentine goal against Valencia was his 643rd goal for Barcelona in his career

And the goal is his 643rd place for the La Liga giants, just as much as Pele, a three-time World Cup winner, scored for Brazilian team Santos during his 18-year tenure.

The 80-year-old congratulated the Argentine superstar on Instagram and thought about the feeling of “wearing the same shirt every day”.

“When your heart is full of love, it is difficult to change your path,” he wrote. “Like you, I know what it’s like to wear the same shirt every day. Like you, I know that there is nothing like the place where we feel at home.

This is the same record Pele achieved while at the club for the Brazilian club Santos

“Congratulations on your historical record, Lionel. But most of all, congratulations on your wonderful career at @fcbarcelona.

“Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, are unfortunately becoming increasingly rare in football. I admire you very much @leomessi. ‘

It is fair to say that Messi’s love for Barcelona waned over the last year after experiencing a tumultuous argument with the club over the summer.

Pele mused that the performance in football is “becoming rarer” as he congratulated Messi

The 33-year-old tried to trigger a clause in his contract that allowed him to walk away for free. Manchester City, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain reportedly were dying to land the star.

However, Barcelona denied the suitability of the clause and Messi chose to stay at the club under Ronald Koeman for the 2020-21 season.

However, Messi’s future remains uncertain as his contract expires this summer. The presidential election in Barcelona will take place early next year and there is hope that the incumbent can help convince the club’s greatest player to dedicate his future to the Catalans.