Neymar scored a hattrick in Brazil’s 4-2 victory over Peru in the South America FIFA World Cup qualifying stage on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old’s latest treble for the Selecao took him to 64 goals for his country, surpassing Ronaldo in the process, and moving within 13 goals of Brazil’s highest ever top scorer Pele, who scored 77 international goals.
Ronaldo’s goals for Brazil arrived in 98 caps while Neymar has reached his milestone in 103 appearances.
Ronaldo, who won two World Cups for Brazil, has lauded the former Barcelona forward for his latest 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!"
