This morning, in his hospital room in Sao Paulo, Pelé is still the top scorer in Brazilian history, with 77 pawns, but the "Ney" is getting closer, and he seems to have recovered from his sprained right ankle which occurred in the first game in Qatar.

The N.10 had "cried all night" after his injury against Serbia (2-0), thinking that his World Cup was over.

He scored Monday on his favorite exercise, the penalty, from the 13th minute.

His sixth goal in a row scored in this way in selection!

It was under the gaze of Pelé, a few thousand kilometers away, in his hospital room.

The "King" (82) is still battling colon cancer, diagnosed last year, with the added bonus of a "respiratory infection" which caused his hospitalization at the start of the World Cup.

Since then, the selection and its boss, Tite, have multiplied the testimonies of affection towards the one who remains the unbeatable icon of Brazilian football.

He had in any case announced that he would be in front of his television: "I want to inspire you, my friends", he said on Instagram.

They answered him, on the lawn, by scoring four superb goals (4-1) then by deploying a banner with his smiling face, at the Mondial-70.

In a time when selections play more often, Neymar is already at 123 selections, twelve years after scoring on his friendly debut against the United States (2-0).

The "King" had scored his 77 goals in 92 selections, from 1957 to 1971.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, even scored three of them in the world final, against Sweden (5-2) in 1958 (a double) and Italy (4-1) in 1970, at the peak of his reign.

The record of "Ney" is far from that of "O Rei", winner of three World Cups.

But the star striker of Paris SG seems once again able to participate in the quest for Brazil's sixth star, expected in the country of "futebol" since the last coronation in 2002.

Brazilian striker Neymar during the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup between Brazil and South Korea at the 974 stadium in Doha, December 5, 2022 © NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP

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Awaiting a historic 77th goal, perhaps on Saturday in the quarterfinals against Croatia (4:00 p.m.), Neymar's express recovery also commands admiration, after his exit against the Serbs, swollen ankle and reddened eyes, and the sleepless night that followed for all his fans.

"Ney" immediately reassured them, on social networks, by multiplying with physiotherapists, by accumulating care, by working in the room, then by resuming training with a ball on Saturday in order to be operational as soon as possible.

"I feel good, I knew it would be the case", wrote the Paris SG striker on Instagram, parodying the famous song by James Brown "I feel good", after his return to training, without the slightest apparent pain.

In parallel, the N.10 addressed a word for Pelé: "We pray for your health, majesty", he wrote.

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Ney is driven by a mission.

Before trying to offer his first Champions League to PSG, he wants to finally win the World Cup, after failing in 2014 at home, when a vertebra injury stopped him in the quarter-finals.

This hard blow had prevented him from participating in the horrible semi-final lost against Germany (7-1).

In 2018 in Russia, he scored only two goals, stopped in the quarter against Belgium (2-1) and had suffered ridicule for his propensity to roll on the ground on certain contacts.

In the end, in selection, Neymar only has a Confederations Cup (2013) and the Olympic gold medal (2016 in Rio), which Pelé did not win.

And he was injured during the Copa America won by the Seleçao in 2019.

Brazilians Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Lucas Paqueta and Neymar (from left) after the latter scored his team's second goal from a penalty in the 2022 World Cup round of 16 match between Brazil and South Korea in stadium 974 in Doha, December 5, 2022 © Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP

With his return to form, in line with a royal first part of the season with Paris SG, the Brazilian N.10 can now calmly prepare for Saturday's quarter against Luka Modric's Croatia.

To fulfill the will of the "King", stated at the end of November: "Bring the trophy home!"

© 2022 AFP