Neymar went into the match level with Pelé on 77 goals, and had an early chance to break the record from the penalty spot in the first half, only to see his tame effort saved by Bolivia goalkeeper Viscarra.
He didn’t have to wait much longer, though, finishing off a low cross in the 61st minute for his 78th international goal, before adding a 79th in stoppage time to put the result beyond doubt, with Brazil walking away 5-1 winners.
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Pelé, who died in December 2022 at the age of 82, had held the record with 77 goals in 92 appearances between 1957 and 1971. Pelé’s own foundation congratulated Neymar on social media after the match, writing that Pelé was “surely applauding” him.
Neymar said he never imagined reaching the record, and was careful to stress it didn’t make him a better player than Pelé, saying he’d simply always wanted to write his own story in Brazilian football’s history.
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Real Madrid forward Rodrygo also scored twice on the night, and said afterwards that playing a part in helping his idol break the record was something that would stay with him forever.
Photo: Pedro Vilela/Getty Images
