Neymar on Sunday equalled the great Romario’s record of 55 strikes for the Brazilian national team and immediately replicated the 52-year-old’s iconic goal celebration and his simple, but classy Instagram caption saw the 1994 World Cup winner respond with an effusive post of his own.
The world’s most expensive player has been recovering from a foot surgery, but he’s been in prolific form on his return as he’s scored two outrageous goals in as many matches.
Brazil, chasing their first World Cup title since 2002 and their sixth overall, are among the frontrunners for the quadrennial extravaganza that kicks off in Russia on June 14.
And their pre-tournament form has been nothing short of sensational as they brushed aside the likes of Croatia and Austria with consummate ease.
Their 26-year-old talisman has been leading the charge and after his latest exploits, the footballing world stood up to applaud him for he’s now behind only Ronaldo and Pele in the all-time scoring charts for Brazil.
Yet, Neymar showed he can be humble too as he posted this:
In case it wasn’t obvious, the post reads: “Maximum respect for for you idol @romariofaria”.
Ronaldo has 62 strikes to his name and realistically speaking, Neymar could overhaul the legendary striker by the end of the calendar year itself.
Pele, a triple world champion with the South American giants, is further away with 77 goals, but considering Neymar’s track record with the national side, he could be ahead of him well before his 30th birthday.
The man who Neymar is poised to overtake immediately, however, is Romario and the icon, who is now active in politics, was unrestrained in his congratulations:
A post shared by Romário Faria (@romariofaria) on
The post, when translated, reads, “Numbers can always be overcome. Today, our playmaker neymar reached the mark of 55 goals scored by the brazilian football team. ⚽🏃🏽 ♂👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 with this number, he equals me, as the third top scorer of the selection.
By reaching the mark, the good kid repeated my celebration as a tribute. He said to journalists, ‘I wanted to honor him somehow. It’s an idol not only for me, but for Brazilians and the world, I have maximum respect for our baixola’. thanks, Neymar. May you follow making many goals, especially in this cup! Happy Birthday!
Some Curiosities: I scored 55 goals in 74 games. Neymar scored 55 in 85 games.
At Age 26, Neymar still has many records to overcome. 🥅 ⚽ running 🏃🏽 ♂ 🇧🇷”.
Brazil, managed by Tite, have been drawn in Group E along with Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.
They open their campaign on June 17 against the Swiss and you can bet your house that the whole of Brazil will be rooting for Neymar and Co. to go all the way.