Ronaldo lauded countryman Neymar after being surpassed by the Paris Saint-Germain superstar to the second most goals in Brazil’s history on Tuesday.
Neymar’s hat-trick in a 4-2 World Cup qualifying win over Peru saw him eclipse Brazil great Ronaldo on the nation’s goalscoring list.
With 64 international goals, Neymar moved past Ronaldo (62), only adrift of Pele (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 for you @neymarjr!,” the 44-year-old former striker wrote via Instagram on Wednesday.
“He plays a lot, gives assistance, plays, dribbles and thrashes. The sky is the limit. Fly, kid!
“What a beautiful story you are writing. A complete and increasingly mature player. Crack! Handling the pressure off the pitch is sometimes more challenging than the ball itself.
“Now tell me: where did we come from, where did we arrive…who is going to tell us what is impossible? Keep trusting your instincts because the talent is yours and nobody can take it from you.
“You have a lot of records to overcome and marks to leave. Proud to see a Brazilian at the top!”
Neymar’s treble performance against Peru was also the fourth occasion he has scored three or more goals for his country in a game, but the first time in a competitive fixture.
After equalling Ronaldo’s international haul, he emulated the Brazil great’s iconic celebration and took to social media after the match to pay tribute.
While Neymar is cementing his status as a Selecao great, young Brazilian Rodrygo recently declared he doesn’t want to follow in his footsteps and instead leave 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 over me,” the Real Madrid youngster said.
“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’m just starting out and I think there is only one Neymar.
“I always had that weight over me, but I just want to be Rodrygo.”
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