Pele praised Neymar for equaling his long-standing goalscoring record for Brazil and urged the striker ‘to continue to inspire us’ amid questions about his international future.
Neymar scored his 77th senior goal for Brazil halfway through extra time to open the scoring in Friday’s World Cup quarter-final with Croatia at the Education City Stadium.
However, Bruno Petkovic equalized in the 117th minute and Croatia stunned Brazil 4-2 on penalties to advance to the semi-finals, where Argentina now await Tuesday.
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar suggested after the match that he may have played his last game for the Selecao, although he refrained from making an official decision.
On a bittersweet occasion for the 30-something, Pele – who was hospitalized with a respiratory infection – took to social media to greet his compatriot.
“I saw you grow, I encouraged you every day and finally I can congratulate you for having equaled my number of goals with the Brazilian national team,” Pelé posted on Instagram.
“We both know it’s more than a number. Our greatest duty as athletes is to inspire.
“To inspire our professional colleagues today, the next generations and, above all, to inspire everyone who loves our sport.
“Unfortunately, today is not the happiest day for us, but you will always be the inspiration many aspire to be.
“I learned that the more time passes, the more our legacy grows. My record was set almost 50 years ago, and no one has been able to approach it until now.
“You have succeeded, my boy. It reinforces the greatness of your achievement. However, you know, as I do, that no number is greater than the joy of representing our country.
“I’m 82, and after all this time, I hope I’ve inspired you in some way to get to this point.
“More than that, I hope your success will spread to the millions of people who follow you to challenge the seemingly impossible.
“Your legacy is far from over. Keep inspiring us. I will continue to happily hit the air with every goal you score, as I have in every game I have seen you.”
Neymar is only the second Brazilian player to score in extra time at a World Cup after Leonidas against Poland in the round of 16 in 1938.
However, Brazil became the first team in tournament history to be knocked out of a knockout game in which they scored the opening goal during extra time.
This means that the Selecao’s wait for a record sixth world crown will stretch for at least 24 years by the time of the 2026 edition.
Discussing his future after the loss to Croatia, in which he didn’t take a penalty in the shootout, Neymar said: “The feeling is really bad.
“It’s worse today than what happened in the past. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find words to describe this moment. We tried, we fought and I’m proud of all my team-mates.
“I’m proud of their personality, of taking the penalty, of their character, because it’s not easy to take on that responsibility.”
Neymar has made 124 appearances for Brazil, while Pelé has reached his goal tally in 92 games.
Brazil have been knocked out of four of their last five World Cup quarter-finals and each of their last six knockout matches against European nations.