An interseting report courtesy of goal.com.br has suggested that 22 year-old striker Neymar will be able to become Brazil’s all-time leading scorer at some point in the next five years, should he maintain his impressive international scoring record which has seen him bag 30 goals for his country.
Barcelona’s Neymar, who reached the milestone against South Africa with a hat trick on Friday, becomes the joint-11th highest Brazilian scorer alongside Zizinho; another ten goals would see the former Santos man enter the top five, ahead of the likes of Rivaldo, Tostao and Bebeto.
It has taken Neymar 47 games to get to 30 goals, a rate of .64 per match, which is quicker than his contemporaries Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The leading marksman in Brazilian history is, of course, Pele. The most famous player to come from the South American nation notched a mighty 77 goals for the Selecao and should Neymar continue at the rate at which he currently operates, this number would be in reach by 2019, when he is 27.
Whether or not he will have done enough in the game to be compared to the King remains to be seen…
