Neymar was on the scoresheet in the Round of 16 after recovering from injury.
The striker became only the third Brazilian player to score a goal in three different editions of the Men’s World Cup. He joins an elite list of players who have achieved the same feat. He takes his place alongside legends Pele and Ronaldo Nazario who also scored goals at three different FIFA World Cups.
The Paris Saint-Germain player scored in Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea at the 974 Stadium on Tuesday to help the team reach the quarter-finals. There, they will meet the 2018 FIFA World Cup finalist Croatia in the last eight stages. As for the Asian challenge at the tournament in Qatar, it ends with the elimination of South Korea by Brazil after Japan was also defeated by Croatia in the round of 16.
Interestingly, Neymar has 76 goals for the Brazilian national team, one behind the best scorer of all time, the legendary Pele. The penalty was his seventh goal in World Cup tournaments in 12 appearances.
Brazil becomes the first team to use 26 players
Another thing Brazil managed to achieve was becoming the first team in World Cup history to use as many as 26 players in one edition. It was vital for them to have Neymar back in the squad after picking up a nasty ankle injury in the opening game of the 2022 edition.
Due to the severity of the ankle injury, he was excluded from the rest of the group matches against Switzerland and Cameroon. To the relief of Brazil’s national football fans, Neymar was fit enough to start against South Korea.
He scored his first goal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, converting a penalty in the 13th minute, equaling Pele and Ronaldo’s record of three or more World Cup appearances for the national team.
If the Brazil men’s national team is to end a 20-year drought and finally win the FIFA World Cup, then Neymar will surely play a big role. He needs to stay fit and avoid any injuries as the 30-year-old plays a significant role in Tite’s plans.
