Pele pays tribute to 'brilliant' Messi

SAO PAULO - Brazilian football legend Pele took to social media on Thursday to congratulate Lionel Messi on reaching 700 career goals.

The Barcelona forward reached the milestone in the Catalan club's 2-2 home draw with Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Tuesday, his 862nd official match.

"Tireless, wonderful and brilliant," Pele said on Instagram. "It's beautiful to see you play the game. Welcome to the 700 goals club. Thanks for being such a joy to watch."

Pele, who is the only player to win the World Cup three times, holds the Guinness world record for the most career goals, having netted 1,281 times in 1,363 appearances, including unofficial friendliness.

Messi's tally includes 630 goals in 724 fixtures for Barcelona and 70 in 138 games for Argentina.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the only other active player to have scored 700 goals, having reached the mark while playing for Portugal in their 2-1 defeat to Ukraine last October - his 974th official match.