Neymar Jr. broke one of the most coveted records in the sport, breaking a tie with legend Pele to become the all-time top scorer of the Brazilian national team during their 5-1 win over Bolivia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Friday, September 8.
The 31-year-old netted his 78th goal for Brazil with a low cross from a short distance in the 61st minute and scored another one during injury time to put his tally at 79 goals in 125 appearances.
Neymar had equaled Pele's 77 goals for the country since the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring the record-tying strike during Brazil's quarterfinal loss against Croatia on December 8. Pele passed away on December 29 of the same year.
It took a while for Neymar to score the record-breaking goal after he suffered an ankle injury during a PSG game in March, which caused him to miss the rest of the 2022-23 season.
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Not all Brazilians are happy
Despite the historic achievement, not all people from the football-crazy nation are elated.
Brazil's football confederation still considers Pele the national team's top scorer with 95 goals in 114 appearances, counting the three-time World Cup winner's goal in friendly matches.
FIFA did not include 18 goals in their official tally, and some were against tough European club sides.
Brazilian media outlets were also lukewarm to the idea, and they still appraise Pele as Selecao's all-time top scorer.
Despite the dispute, Pele's social media team congratulated Neymar for his achievement.
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