Neymar expressed gratitude and humility after surpassing Pele as Brazil's all-time leading scorer. Neymar struck twice as the five-time world champions romped to a 5-1 win over Bolivia in their opening World Cup qualifier in the northern Brazilian city of Belem, reports Xinhua. Neymar Suprasses Pele To Become Brazil's Leading Goal Scorer, Achieves Feat During BRA vs BOL CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

"I'm very happy, lost for words," news outlet Globo Esporte quoted the 31-year-old as saying. "I never imagined reaching this record and right now I want to say that passing Pele does not mean that I am better than him, or any player in the national team."

The Al Hilal forward now has 79 goals in 124 appearances since his international debut in 2010. Pele, regarded by many as the greatest player in history, scored 77 times in 92 official matches for his country. Bruno Fernandes Scores As Cristiano Ronaldo-Led Portugal Trump Slovakia 1-0 in Euro 2024 Qualifiers (Watch Goal Video Highlights).

"I always wanted to write my name in the history of Brazilian football and the Brazilian team," Neymar said. "Today I did that. To my family and all my friends who are here, I am very grateful."

Brazil's next qualifier for the 2026 World Cup - to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico - will be against Peru in Lima on Tuesday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2023 02:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).