In their 2026 World Cup qualifier opener on Friday, Brazil demonstrated their prowess by defeating Bolivia 5-1 at home, with Neymar surpassing Pele as the country’s top scorer.
The 31-year-old Neymar, who recently joined Saudi side Al-Hilal, rebounded after missing a penalty in the first half, scoring two goals in the 61st and 93rd minutes to become the country’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals.
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo also performed well, scoring twice, while Raphinha and Victor Abrego also contributed to the scoreline. Brazil will aim to maintain their momentum when they face Peru on Tuesday in the second round of CONMEBOL qualifiers. Uruguay also began their qualifying campaign on a positive note, defeating Chile 3-1 at home and giving former Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa his first official win as coach.
Neymar missed a penalty in the first half of the World Cup qualifying match but responded with two goals – in the 61st and 93rd minutes – to take his tally of international goals to 79.
“I never imagined reaching this record,” said Neymar – who has represented Brazil 125 times – afterwards, per Reuters.
“I want to say that I am not a better player than Pelé. 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.”
Pelé is widely regarded as one of the sport’s all-time greats, scoring 77 goals for Brazil and is the only player to win three World Cups. He died in December 2022, aged 82.
Neymar recently joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal from French Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-German. He became the world’s most expensive footballer when he joined the Parisian club from Barcelona in 2017.
