Neymar got tired of criticism and did this with the Brazil National Team

Brazil's National Team began its road to the 2026 World Cup to be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada. On Friday night they played at the Estadual Jornalista Edgar Augusto Proença stadium in Belém against Bolivia in the first match of the South American qualifiers and won 5-1, which places them among the leaders of the standings, together with Uruguay, Argentina and Colombia.

Things went in favor of Fernando Diniz's team from the start of the match. Rodrygo Goes, the Real Madrid forward, scored the opener 24 minutes into the first half, when he took a rebound inside the area and shot into an empty net. At the beginning of the second half, Raphinha doubled the advantage with a left foot shot, while Rodrygo netted the third.

Neymar Jr. had been heavily criticized by the Brazilian press and fans after the national team's failure to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup on penalties against Croatia in the quarterfinals. Now he had returned after a serious injury and in his first interventions he had missed a penalty and some clear chances.

However, in the second half he recovered and scored two goals. This allowed him to break an impressive record: with 79 goals, he surpassed Pelé and became the all-time top scorer of the Brazilian National Team. This earned him the recognition of the Brazilian Football Confederation, who gave him a commemorative plaque with the message: "With your goals, you also brought joy to millions of Brazilians and fans around the world".

What did he say?

Neymar posted a message on his social media accounts after the match: "Family and friends... it was worth all the effort. Thanks for helping me get this far. History has been made”.