Neymar is on the verge of breaking Pele’s national record of 77 goals after he scored from a spot-kick in Brazil’s 3-0 win over Venezuela in the ongoing Copa America.
The goal has brought Neymar’s total goals for Brazil to 67 which means that the Paris Saint Germain winger needs just 10 goals to equal Pele’s national goalscoring record.
If Neymar maintains the form he started Copa America with in the subsequent games, he could use the tournament to equal the record of the football icon.
Recall that the 29-year-old left-winger did not only score a goal against Venezuela on Sunday, June 13, he provided an assist for Gabriel Barbosa late in the game to end the match 3-0.
While Neymar’s teammate at PSG, Marquinhos scored the first goal of the match and of the tournament in the 23rd minute.
Unlike everyone else in the Brazil national team, Neymar is expected to use the ongoing tournament to prove how important he is for the national team.
Recall that in 2019, Brazil hosted Copa America and won the competition without Neymar. The 29-year-old former Barcelona forward was not fit enough to be taken to the competition then, hence he had to be left out of the squad.
Before then, the current most expensive player in the world had appeared in three Copa America tournaments – 2011, 2015, and 2016 without winning the trophy.
Since the team won the Copa America for the 9th time with the PSG talisman after waiting for 12 years, Neymar is expected to lead Brazil to successfully defend the ongoing edition of the tournament.
Neymar’s last 5 games for Brazil:
— 𝗡𝗲𝘆𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 (@Neymoleque) June 13, 2021
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ON FIRE! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PmCwdwtbHh
Brazil are in the Group A of the 2021 Copa America. Before they can win the 10-nation football tournament, they must pass through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Just like Brazil, Colombia won their first game in the tournament 1-0 against Ecuador which means that the competition in the group is currently between Brazil and Colombia.
Brazil’s next match in the competition which started on June 13 is against Peru. The match is scheduled to kick off on June 18 at 1:00 AM.
