The day Neymar stood alongside Pele

After nearly three years out due to injury, Neymar returned to the Brazilian national team for the 2026 World Cup and immediately reached a historic milestone previously held by Pele.

Neymar returns to the Brazilian national team for the World Cup. Photo: Reuters .

Neymar marked his return to the Brazilian national team when coach Carlo Ancelotti brought him on in the 76th minute of the match against Scotland in the final round of Group C at the 2026 World Cup . The striker, born in 1992, replaced Matheus Cunha at a time when Brazil was controlling the game and heading towards victory.

Despite only playing for the last 10 minutes of the match, Neymar still made a special impact. This was his 14th appearance at the World Cup, thus equaling the record of legendary Pele while playing for the Brazilian national team.

With this milestone, Neymar joins the group of players with the most appearances for "Selecao" at the biggest football tournament on the planet. Leading the list is still Cafu with 20 matches, followed by Ronaldo Nazario with 19. Dunga and Claudio Taffarel both have 18 appearances, while Lucio and Roberto Carlos have 17.

Neymar immediately achieved another memorable milestone in his career. Photo: Reuters.

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Neymar's return is all the more significant as he has just finished a long period battling injury. Before the match against Scotland, the last time the striker played for the Brazilian national team was against Uruguay in the South American World Cup qualifiers on October 17, 2023.

In that match, Neymar suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and damage to the meniscus in his left knee. The serious injury kept him out of action for over a year before he developed further fitness problems. In total, Neymar had to wait 981 days before he could return to the national team.

Since making his debut for the Brazilian national team in October 2010, Neymar has never experienced such a long absence. However, the 34-year-old striker remains the all-time leading scorer for the "Selecao" according to FIFA statistics, with 79 goals in 128 appearances.

The 2026 World Cup will also be Neymar's fourth World Cup appearance, following the tournaments in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Neymar's timely return at this crucial stage of the tournament provides coach Ancelotti with another quality option in his quest for a sixth World Cup title.

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Source: https://znews.vn/ngay-neymar-sanh-vai-pele-post1662932.html