Brazilian superstar Neymar is determined to win the 2022 World Cup. However, Neymar also wants to surpass the goal record of Pele, the Brazilian icon.
The Paris Saint-Germain player will lead Brazil in the 2022 World Cup finals. The Selecao are top of the CONMEBOL standings with 39 points and are confirmed to have qualified with Argentina although the qualifying rounds still have two games remaining.
Brazil will appear in Qatar with a mission to win a sixth world championship trophy. The last time Brazil won the World Cup was in 2002, 20 years ago.
However, lifting the World Cup trophy is not Neymar's only ambition. The 30-year-old footballer is also chasing a personal record to become Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer, breaking Pele's record. Since making his yellow-green debut in 2010, Neymar has scored 70 goals, just seven goals from his senior.
"We are going to look for the World Cup trophy, which everyone wants," the former Barcelona star said, quoted by ESPN.
It would be a great honor to be the national team's top scorer and I would be lying if I said I didn't think about it. Of course that is one of my personal goals. I hope I can achieve it. I really wish I could break Pele's goalscoring record because he's an idol to everyone in Brazil.
Neymar still has a few more years to play at the highest level of football. Even so, Neymar revealed, he will hang up his boots if his mentality is no longer the same.
"I once joked with my friends that I would retire at the age of 32. But it was just a joke. I don't know. Frankly, I will play until I'm mentally exhausted," he continued.
"But if my mental health is good and my body is too... Physically, I feel I can play for a few more years. But my mental health is the most important. My contract with Paris expires when I am 34 years old. So I will play at least until then," said Neymar.
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