Neymar Jr achieved a historic milestone on Friday, September 9th, by becoming Brazil’s all-time leading scorer among men, surpassing Pele with his 78th goal in his 125th appearance. This remarkable moment occurred during their 5-1 triumph over Bolivia at Belem’s Estadio Olimpico do Para in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match when the 31-year-old forward scored from close range in the 61st minute.
Neymar Jr surpasses Pele
Pele, widely recognised as one of the greatest footballers in history, represented Brazil in 92 matches between 1957 and 1971, scoring 77 goals during his illustrious career. He achieved the remarkable feat of winning the FIFA World Cup three times for Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970, becoming the youngest player to do so at the age of 17 in 1958.
Neymar Jr had the opportunity to break Pele’s record in the first half, but his penalty in the 17th minute was thwarted by goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra. However, he ultimately sealed the deal with his second goal during injury time, securing a comfortable victory for Brazil over Bolivia.
Watch Neymar Jr scoring the goal here
After surpassing his idol Pele’s record, who sadly passed away on December 29th last year at the age of 82, Neymar Jr stated, “I never imagined reaching this record. I want to say that I am not a better player than Pele. I always wanted to make my own story, write my name in the history of Brazilian football and the national team. And today I did that.”
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