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The Selecao icon is more than happy to have been overtaken by a player who hopes can achieve even more success.
Ronaldo praised compatriot Neymar after being surpassed by the Paris Saint-Germain superstar to the second-most goals in Brazilian history on Tuesday.
Neymar’s hat-trick in a 4-2 World Cup qualifying win over Peru saw him eclipse the great Brazilian Ronaldo on the nation’s top scorers list.
With 64 international goals, Neymar surpassed Ronaldo (62), only drifting past Pelé (77) for Brazil’s all-time record at the age of 28.
Ronaldo, who won two World Cups during his time with Brazil between 1994 and 2011, used social media to praise Neymar’s achievement.
“All my respect to you @neymarjr!” The 44-year-old former forward wrote via Instagram on Wednesday.
“He plays a lot, assists, plays, dribbles and scores. The sky is the limit. Fly, boy!
“What a beautiful story you are writing. A well-rounded and increasingly mature player. Crack! Handling pressure off the field is sometimes more challenging than the ball itself.
Now tell me: where did we come from, where did we get … who is going to tell us what is impossible? Keep trusting your instincts because the talent is yours and no one can take it away from you.
“You have many records to break and marks to set. Proud to see a Brazilian at the top!”
Neymar’s hat-trick against Peru was also the fourth time that he scored three or more goals for his country in a match, but the first time in a competitive match.
After matching Ronaldo’s international swag, he emulated the iconic celebration of the great Brazilian and took to social media after the match to pay tribute.
As Neymar consolidates his status as a Selecao great, young Brazilian Rodrygo recently declared that he does not want to follow in his footsteps and instead make his own mark.
“From the beginning of my career, when I started at Santos, they already compared me as the ‘new Neymar’ and with Robinho, I always had that weight on me,” said the Real Madrid youngster.
“I always said that I wanted to be Rodrygo and make my story, Robinho and Neymar are great idols of Santos and of all the places where they played. I am starting and I think there is only one Neymar.
“I always had that weight on me, but I just want to be Rodrygo.”
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