Neymar closes in on Romario, Ronaldo & Pele with goal 50 for Brazil

Neymar’s taken another step towards football glory dressed in a Brazil shirt. The Barcelona forward scored in the 3-0 win against Argentina on Thursday, taking his tally with his national team to 50. And it wasn’t just any goal. 

It was a goal against Argentina, who are Brazil’s biggest rivals in South America. It was a great move and a great goal, leaving Argentina’s place at the next World Cup in doubt. They are currently seventh in the qualification table, a long way from the fourth place they need to guarantee a spot in Russia and short of the fifth place position which would hand them a playoff. 

Neymar, playing on the left, spectacularly found space and Gabriel Jesus picked him out. Leaving behind Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabaleta, who were incapable of matching his pace, he controlled the ball and cooly slotted past Manchester United goalkeeper Romero. There was little he could do. 

With his 50th goal, Neymar is the fourth top scorer in the history of the Brazilian national team. He’s five behind Romario (55), who is third. The top two comprises of Ronaldo (62) and then Pele (77). Given his age and his progression, no-one would doubt that Neymar could go on to topple the legendary Pele.