It's just numbers - Neymar not chasing down Brazil legends Pele, Ronaldo and Romario

After moving a goal behind Brazil's third top scorer Romario, Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar shrugged off his national team record.

Published : Jun 04, 2018 04:18 IST

Neymar says he is not focused on chasing down "icons" Romario, Ronaldo and Pele to become the top goalscorer for Brazil.

After netting a superb strike against Croatia on his comeback from three months out injured, Neymar moved on to 54 international goals, one behind Romario.

Only Ronaldo and Pele - who leads the way for Brazil with 77 strikes in FIFA-recognised matches - lie ahead once Neymar passes Romario to move into third position.

But after marking his return to action with a wonderful goal that crashed in off the crossbar, Neymar said the chase for records is unimportant.

"There is no fight to be Brazil's national team top scorer," Neymar told reporters. "I think it's just numbers.

"They are my idols, those who were here before me, and when it comes to idols, I will never be better than them.

"So I respect each one of them, Romario, Zico, Ronaldo, Pele... Because they are my idols. It's just numbers.

"I'm happy to help my team, to score goals, but I don't want to be better than them and neither will I be.

"Each one has their own history and knows their importance in the team. I'm very happy for the goals."

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