Rio de Janeiro – dpa
Published on: September 09, 2023: 06:43 PM GST Last updated: September 09, 2023: 07:38 PM GST
Brazilian star Neymar revealed that he cannot believe his success in surpassing the record of the legend Pele to become the all-time top scorer for his country’s national team.
The Brazilian national team defeated its Bolivian counterpart 5-1 in the opening of the team’s campaign in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which will be held in America, Mexico and Canada.
Neymar, 31 years old, scored a goal in the 61st minute, also in stoppage time, after he had missed a penalty kick, raising his tally to 79 goals for Brazil.
The striker, who recently joined Al Hilal Saudi Arabia, coming from Paris Saint-Germain, celebrated in the style of Pele, who died last year, as he jumped into the air, waving his hand.
Neymar said: “I am very happy. There are no words to express it. I never thought I would achieve that number.”
Pele scored 95 goals for Brazil, but that includes goals in friendly matches against clubs, while the International Federation (FIFA) only approves goals scored against national teams, so the number of Pele’s goals becomes 77.
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo tops the rankings of international scorers in men’s football with 123 goals, while Canadian Christine Sinclair tops the rankings at all levels with 190 goals.
The Brazilian national team, the five-time World Cup champion, will face its Peruvian counterpart in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers in Lima next Tuesday.
2023-09-09 14:43:00
#Neymar #unbelievable #Brazils #alltime #top #scorer
