Saturday, September 9, 2023, 10:36
On the morning of September 9, Neymar officially surpassed “soccer king” Pele to become the top scorer for the Brazilian national team.
The former PSG star scored in the 62nd minute in the match between Brazil and Bolivia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for South America. That goal helped Neymar reach a record of 78 goals for the Samba team. Neymar has officially surpassed the late legend Pele to become the best goalscorer of all time for the Brazilian national team.
Neymar’s record-breaking goal came after a low cross in the penalty area from his teammate, the 31-year-old striker finished the ball with a precise finish from close range. After scoring, the former PSG player recreated Pele’s celebration with a fist pump in the air. This was also the goal that helped Brazil increase the score to 4-0.
Before this goal, Neymar had already missed a penalty kick in the 13th minute. However, the Selecao did not have to regret it for too long when in the 24th minute, Rodrygo scored to open the score for the golden team. green.
In the second half, Neymar “redeemed” his missed penalty on the penalty spot by assisting Raphinha to double the gap in the 47th minute. Brazil then continued to attack and just 6 minutes later, Rodrygo completed the goal. scoring a double of his own in this match, and helping Selecao increase the score to 3-0.
Not to be outdone by the “junior”, in the final minute of injury time, Neymar once again put his name on the scoreboard with a ground kick that defeated goalkeeper Viscarra, completing a double in this match. Bolivia only had one honorable goal thanks to Victor Abrego in the 78th minute.
In the end, Brazil won 5-1 against Bolvia on the opening day of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in South America. This result helped them climb to first place in the group with 3 points but with a difference compared to the second team, Uruguay (+4 compared to +2).