Neymar will not win the World Cup three times in his career, as Pelé did. But at least he is closing in on O Rei as the all-time leading scorer for the Brazilian national team. The Paris Saint-Germain star moved to within nine goals of Pele after grabbing one in Thursday's 4-0 thrashing of Peru in the Copa America.
FIFA statistics put Pele at the top of the scoring charts for the Canarinha with 77 goals. Neymar has 68 after scoring his team's second against the Peruvians.
"Obviously it's a great honor for me to be part of Brazil's history," Neymar said in tears during an interview in which he paused several times to keep from breaking down in tears, after the victory at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. "To be honest, my dream was to play for Brazil, to wear this jersey. I never imagined I would reach these numbers.
While on the other hand, these are Neymar's numbers at the clubs he played for:
Season Team Matches Goals/Matches Goals
2020-2021 PSG 27 0.56 15
2019-2020 PSG 22 0.73 16
2018-2019 PSG 23 0.87 20
2017-2018 PSG 30 0.93 28
2016-2017 Barcelona 45 0.44 20
2015-2016 Barcelona 49 0.63 31
2014-2015 Barcelona 51 0.76 39
2013-2014 Barcelona 41 0.37 15
2013-2014 Santos 23 0.57 13
2012-2013 Santos 47 0.89 42
2011-2012 Santos 47 0.49 23
2010-2011 Santos 60 0.70 42
2009-2010 Santos 44 0.30 13
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