Neymar has broken Pelé’s all-time Brazil men’s national team scoring record, netting his 78th and 79th career goals for the Seleção in a 5-1 win over Bolivia on Friday.
The record-breaking 78th goal came in the 61st minute of the World Cup qualifier in Belém, Brazil. Rodrygo got on the end of a cross and shifted around a Bolivia defender before being taken down, with the ball falling kindly for Neymar to slot home.
Neymar’s goal made it 4-0, with Brazil ultimately winning 5-1 after the forward added another goal late in stoppage time to reach 79 career international strikes.
The 31-year-old, who recently joined Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, has set the record in 125 caps, with his record-tying 77th goal coming in a World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Croatia last year.
Though FIFA credits Neymar with owning the record, the Brazilian federation still insists that the late Pelé actually scored 95 goals for Brazil, not 77.
The discrepancy comes from matches Brazil played against club sides, which FIFA does not count as official games.
In any case, everyone can at least agree that neither Pelé nor Neymar is actually the all-time leading goalscorer for the Brazil national team. The holder of that honor would be Marta, who has 115 goals.
Watch Neymar’s record-breaking goal
Neymar’s historic 78th goal for Brazil! 🇧🇷
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— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 9, 2023
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