Despite reaching Ronaldo Nazario’s record, we tell you the biggest reason he might not reach his or Pele’s level in Brazilian football history.
Neymar surpassed Ronaldo Nazario’s 62 goals with Brazil last night during the World Cup Qualifier against Peru. The PSG star scored two penalties and a third goal that left him only behind Pele in the all-time table. He stands at 64 goals under O’Rei’s 77 goals at 28 years old. Nobody doubts he will surpass the Santos FC legend, but there is so much more he needs to accomplish in order to be compared.
Neymar’s achievements aren’t even on par with everything Ronaldo Nazario did during his entire career. Although he is the best player from his country’s last decade, we seriously doubt he will ever reach the level of the two players mentioned in this article. For starters, Ronaldo Nazario conquered two FIFA World Cup trophies and two Ballon d’Or awards in his entire career.
France Football also acknowledged recently that Pele has been recognized in seven Ballon d’Or awards during his prime. Not to mention the three FIFA World Cup trophies he conquered with Brazil between 1958 and 1970. All Neymar has done differently compared to the other two stars, is winning the UEFA Champions League in 2015.
Neymar still has time to catch up.
Not everything is lost for Neymar. He can still reach at least Ronaldo Nazario’s level if he puts his mind to it. Perhaps he will surpass both players in the all-time scorers’ table for Brazil, but that’s virtually all he could end up with. Neymar still has to win the Copa America in 2021, the World Cup in 2022, and at least one Ballon d’Or.
Then and only then, will the world acknowledge him on Pele or Ronaldo Nazario’s level. By the end of his career, perhaps the only worthy record he’ll have is the top of the all-time goal-scorers. This is only an opinion, we actually love watching Neymar play football. But we seriously doubt he will even be compared to the other two legends.
In Brazil’s all-time list of most revered players in the country’s history, Ronaldo Nazario ranks second behind Pele. Whereas Neymar doesn’t even make the list, he has a lot of work to do if he wants to be part of Brazil’s biggest legends.
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