Neymar surpasses Pelé as all-time top scorer for Brazil
Neymar surpassed Pelé on Friday as the all-time leading scorer for the Brazilian men's national team, scoring the 4-0 in the partial victory of the 'Seleção' over Bolivia in the first match of the South American qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup.
With his goal, a right-footed shot preceded by several passes, in the 61st minute, the 31-year-old forward reached 78 goals in 125 matches, surpassing the 77 goals scored by 'O rei' in 92 matches played between 1957 and 1971.
Forward Marta (122 goals in 189 matches), 37, is the top scorer for both national teams.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, considered by many as the greatest footballer of all time and who passed away in December at the age of 82, claimed 95 goals in 113 matches.
The former '10' includes in his calculations friendly matches played against clubs and state teams of Brazil, records that FIFA does not take into account.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), on the other hand, recognizes the 95 goals.
In addition to being the only player to win three World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970), Pelé is also ahead in terms of scoring average: 0.84 goals per game, compared to 0.62 for the current player of Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.
Also in the total number of goals: FIFA and Conmebol have credited Pelé with 1,281 goals, while he claimed 1,283 in 1,363 matches, although the official record is 757 goals in 815 matches. His successor has scored 474 goals in 756 matches.