With the goal scored against Croatia in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Cup, Neymar, 30, reached 77 and equaled Pelé, 82, as the top scorer in the history of the Brazilian team, which began in 1914.
The current number 10 of Brazil reached the mark in 124 matches for the main team, thus averaging 0.62 goals per game, well below that of Pelé, the most famous number 10 in history.
The King of Football, champion in the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups, ended his career with 77 goals (the same as Neymar now has) in 92 games – an average of 0.84 goals per game.
These numbers do not include unofficial matches played by youth teams or at Olympic Games.
FIFA, football’s highest body, is dubious about Pelé’s data, who has been hospitalized since November 29 in São Paulo dealing with health problems.
“Don’t we all [os gols e jogos de atletas da seleção brasileira] in the database because we are recording the statistics of our competitions. It is therefore not possible to provide a complete list,” he told Sheet FIFA’s press office when asked about the main scorers in the history of the Brazilian team.
However, in publications on her website, as in the text that dealt with Brazil vs Croatia, she played the King of Football with 77 goals for the national team.
Relevant football statistics websites, such as RSSSF (Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation) and Transfermarkt, corroborate the numbers.
However, for the Brazilian Football Confederation, Pelé is far ahead of Neymar in the list of players who most often scored for the national team.
The CBF, in its account, includes the matches that Pelé played against teams and combined, which inflates his information: 95 goals in 113 games.
The CBF figures for Neymar are the same: 77 goals in 124 matches.
According to the governing body of Brazilian football, Ronaldo Fenômeno (67 goals in 105 games), Zico (66 goals in 88 games) and Romário (56 goals in 74 games) complete the Top 5.
In the list of RSSSF and Transfermarkt, below, the numbers are different and there is an inversion between Zico and Romário.
- Skin – 77 goals, 92 games (average: 0.84 goals per game)
- Neymar – 77 goals, 124 games (average: 0.62 goals per game)
- ronaldo – 62 goals, 99 games (average: 0.63 goals per game)
- Romário – 55 goals, 71 games (average: 0.77 goals per game)
- Zico – 48 goals, 71 games (average: 0.68 goals per game)
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