Neymar has broken Pele’s goalscoring record for Brazil. He scored his 78th and 79th goals for Brazil in a 5-1 win over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on September 9, 2023. The goals came in the 61st and 90+3rd minutes of the match. Neymar celebrated his record-breaking goal by punching the air, just like Pele used to do.
Neymar is now the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil in international football. He has 79 goals in 123 appearances. Pele had 77 goals in 91 appearances.
Neymar is only 31 years old, so he has a good chance of breaking even more records for Brazil. He is already considered one of the greatest players in Brazilian history, and this record-breaking achievement will only solidify his legacy.
Here are the details of the goals scored by Neymar in the match against Bolivia:
•61st minute: Neymar received a pass from Lucas Paqueta and fired a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.
•90+3rd minute: Neymar scored a penalty to complete his hat-trick.
Neymar was also involved in the other goals for Brazil. He set up the first goal for Philippe Coutinho and assisted the second goal for Gabriel Jesus.
The win over Bolivia was Brazil’s first of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. They are currently top of the group, with 3 points.
Neymar’s record-breaking achievement was met with widespread praise from the football world. Pele himself congratulated Neymar on Twitter, saying: “Congratulations Neymar for surpassing the King in goals for Brazil.”
Neymar is a true Brazilian legend. He has now achieved the ultimate goal of every Brazilian footballer: to break Pele’s goalscoring record. He is sure to go down in history as one of the greatest players of all time.