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

Neymar is now just one goal shy of breaking the legendary Pele’s record and becoming Brazil’s outright all-time top goalscorer.

Widely regarded as the greatest player to come out of his country in the current generation, the 31-year-old needs just one more goal to cement himself in the history books for Brazil, despite making a club switch from PSG to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

Likely to be a key player for the Samba Boys for a few more years, the possibility of Neymar overtaking Pele as the top-scorer in Brazil’s history is inevitable, with 77 goals in 124 appearances so far. 

Here, we take a look at exactly how Neymar can break the Brazil scoring record, and examine the fierce competition he has beaten off so far to put himself as joint leader. 

MORE: What happened to Neymar? The sad story of PSG failure and ill-fated chase for the Ballon d’Or

Who has scored the most goals for Brazil? 

Pele has stood as the undisputed top scorer for Brazil since 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 #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