ronaldo brazil goals scored Brazil top scorers of all time: Complete list of most goals with Pele, Ronaldo, Neymar and other legends

Neymar is finally back playing football, the forward making his return from injury in Al Hilal's AFC Champions League game with Al Ain on October 21.

There is now a chance he could be back in action for Brazil as early as November, more than a year after he suffered serious knee damage during an international match against Uruguay. That could also see him add to his record tally of goals for the Selecao.

Neymar became Brazil’s outright all-time top goal-scorer after breaking the record held by the legendary Pele.

In a 5-1 victory over Bolivia in World Cup 2026 qualifying, the 32-year-old scored his 78th and 79th international goals to set a new benchmark for the five-time world champions.

Having missed a penalty, Neymar converted the rebound to surpass the previous best mark set by Pele, and he scored again in injury time to move a further goal clear at the top of the all-time charts.

Widely regarded as the greatest player to come out of his country in the current generation, Neymar will now hope to extend his record. He had been an important part of Brazil’s plans prior to his injury despite making a club switch from Paris Saint-Germain to the Saudi Pro League, and he presumably has the 2026 World Cup in his sights.

Here, we take a look at the greats of the game Neymar surpassed to become the best international goal-scorer for Brazil in the country’s storied footballing history.

MORE: Who has scored the most international goals in history?

Who has scored the most goals for Brazil?

Neymar is the outright record goal-scorer for Brazil in men’s football. He has scored 79 goals in 128 appearances.

Pele stood as the undisputed top scorer for Brazil following his international retirement in 1971, with an incredible 77 goals from 92 caps. Neymar tied him on 77 goals with his World Cup quarterfinal goal against Croatia in 2022.

Pele and Neymar are the only two players in the Selecao’s history to cross the 70-goal mark for their nation.

Only two others have crossed the 50-goal mark for Brazil, as Ronaldo and Romario converted 62 and 55 efforts respectively. 

Below them, only one other man has managed to score over 40 goals — the legendary Zico (48 goals). 

NEYMAR HAS EQUALLED PELÉ AS ??’S ALL-TIME TOP SCORER ? pic.twitter.com/ZTrVgZu1QG

— 433 (@433) December 9, 2022

Most Brazil goals all-time list

In addition to the list of players above, there is a group of six players who have scored over 30 goals for the Brazil national side. 

Notably, the compilation includes iconic figures such as Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, who will still be fresh in the memory of many football fans. 

Neymar’s Brazil goals

Neymar scored on his debut for Brazil in 2010 in a 2-0 victory over the United States in New Jersey, setting the tone for a phenomenal international career. 

In the following year, he established himself as a key player for Brazil, scoring seven goals in 13 appearances for his nation across competitive and friendly matches. In 2013 and 2014, the 30-year-old scored an incredible 25 goals from 33 appearances, producing his most scintillating form in the iconic yellow jersey to date. 

Since then, his best tally in a calendar year is again seven goals from 13 outings, however, he has always been a huge part of Brazil’s chance creation, represented in the fact that he also has 56 assists across the board at international level. 

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he scored twice across three appearances before Brazil were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Croatia.

Neymar’s two goals in a 5-1 win over Bolivia saw Brazil make a strong start to the 2026 qualification process and saw him take Pele’s record.

?? Neymar’s #FIFAWorldCup debut was spectacular! ✨

? Where does he rank among Brazil’s greatest ever players? @neymarjr | @CBF_Futebol pic.twitter.com/I8fbbp9VhY

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 24, 2022