Neymar Jr. added another accomplishment to his long list of accolades during Friday's quarterfinal match against Croatia, scoring an incredible goal to tie him with Pelé for the most Brazilian goals in international play.
Neymar with a goal fitting of a tie with Pélé for all time goal leader in Brazil’s history. My goodness 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/lq3HAt4RIP
— Stu Holden (@stuholden) December 9, 2022
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for the South American nation, who squandered a late lead and lost in penalties to their Eastern European counterparts. It was another World Cup and another disappointment for Brazil, who have lost in the quarterfinal of four of the past five iterations of the tournament.
But although Brazil are long removed from their 2002 title in South Korea, they are still the most successful national in the history of the World Cup, having won five titles, and earning second place, third place and fourth place finishes twice each.
Neymar won't be able to appreciate the history in the short term considering how the match ended, but it was a sensational goal to put him in sensation company: 77 international tallies, the same amount Brazilian great Pelé scored in his career.
Ivan Perisic's son, Leo, ran over to console Neymar after the match 😢
Sports. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/FobFDyG1Rj
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 9, 2022
At 30 years old, Neymar likely still has plenty of international games to play, and will soon solidify himself as the top goalscorer in Brazilian history. It's legendary company that Neymar finds himself in: Pelé is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, and was labelled the greatest by FIFA.
Neymar did his part in the tournament, battling through injury and scoring the most important goal of the tournament for Brazil to break a precarious 0-0 tie. The superstar has already stated his status for the 2026 World Cup in North America as up in the air.
Here's to hoping this isn't the last we see of Neymar Jr. in a World Cup.
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