'I am not better than Pele for having surpassed him in this record'

BeSoccer 1 year ago 2.8k
Neymar did not want to compare himself to 'O Rei'. AFP

Neymar, on the day he made history by surpassing Pele's record number of goals for Brazil, did not want to compare himself to 'O Rei', who he considers to be the best player in his country's history.

Neymar Jr, who scored a brace in Brazil's 5-1 win over Bolivia on Friday to overtake Pele as the 'Selecao's top scorer, said he was no better than the late idol.

"I am very happy. I never imagined I would break this record. But I don't want to say I'm better than Pele just because I've beaten that record," said the striker after the win in the Amazonian city of Belem on the first day of the qualifiers.

The striker received a plaque from the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ednaldo Rodrigues, as the 'Selecao's top scorer in "between national teams" matches.

"I just want to write my name in the history of the Brazilian national team and thank my family, who are far away, and my team-mates," said Neymar as he received the commemorative plaque.

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S. America WC Qual.