If and when the time comes, Neymar may choose against celebrating the achievement out of respect for the CBF and for his idol. The next international break is in March so the 30-year-old - who will be 31 by that stage - has more than three months to wait if he wants to go above Pele. Unfortunately, Neymar will not have the chance to add that all-important goal to his tally after the shootout defeat to Croatia. Another goal would see him break the record. Using FIFA’s statistics, that means he is level with Pele as as his country’s leading goalscorer. That elevates his Brazil record from 77 in 91 - including 12 goals in 14 games at World Cups - to 95 in 113.īrazil knocked out of the World Cup by Croatia In the 1960s and 70s, the likes of Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid played against Brazil - which is where the extra appearances and goals came from.Īs he did in every type of match, Pele had a brilliant goalscoring record in these games: 18 goals in 22 matches. Where the discrepancy occurs is in the games played by international teams in the 20th century against club sides. Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard’s goals against Brazil in February 2013 count towards the Three Lions’ goalscoring charts. The two governing bodies clearly don’t agree on what constitutes an international match.įIFA’s data - for caps and goals - considers matches between two separate nations.įor example, a friendly between Brazil and England would count towards their statistics. Why is there a difference between FIFA’s records and the CBF? Whereas, this is how the top five looks according to the CBF: With the extra games and goals being taken into account, Brazil’s leading goalscorer charts look slightly different.Īccording to FIFA, they currently look like this: That represents a sizeable discrepancy as FIFA’s records show that he found the net 77 times for Brazil in 91 matches.
Pele (bottom row, second from the right) and his Brazil team-mates at Hampden Park ahead of the 1966 World Cup (Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)
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