However, Czech football's governing body published a statement claiming Bican's tally actually stands at 821, meaning Ronaldo would have to score 62 more goals to become the top goalscorer in football history.

"The History and Statistics committee of the Czech FA counted all the goals scored by the legendary Josef Bican and we can declare he scored 821 goals in official matches," a tweet by the Czech football federation's said.

In a lengthy statement posted on the Czech football federation's website, it is claimed 821 is the "most accurate number possible" when it comes to counting how many goals Bican scored throughout his career.

Josef Bican, former Czechoslovak and Slavia Prague player, is claimed to have scored 821 official goals

"Goals from matches in the first and second leagues, national cups, the Central European Cup and national team selections are included. On the contrary, friendly matches are not included in the statistics, with the exception of the national team.