Ranking the 5 greatest male footballers Brazil have produced

#3 Neymar

Neymar looks on during Brazil's match against Peru in the 2021 Copa America

The 'Golden Boy' of Brazil, Neymar has become his country's new talisman since making his international debut in 2010. Neymar, who was just 17 at the time of his debut, is now the second-highest goalscorer in the history of Brazil football. His record stands at 68 goals in 107 national team appearances.

Neymar led Brazil to glory at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013, where he finished the tournament as the second highest goal-scorer. He also guided Brazil to the semi-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup on home soil, but was ruled out of the game due to injury. Many believed that Brazil were demolished 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals due the to the absence of Neymar.

Pele says he can't wait for Neymar to break his Brazil goal record 🤝🗣️ "Everytime I see this boy (Neymar), he's smiling. And it's impossible not to smile back, it's contagious." https://t.co/ALU0tcfbfZ

— Goal (@goal) June 18, 2021

The 29-year-old was also the captain of the Brazil team that won the Gold Medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

#2 Ronaldo

Ronaldo Nazario at the preliminary draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup File photo of Pele

'Il Fenomeno,' or more commonly known as Ronaldo, is without a doubt one of the greatest strikers the world has ever seen. The buck-toothed assassin mesmerized defenses and oppositions with his dribbling, speed, passing, and finishing. He inspired generations of footballers to become strikers and copy his style of play.

Ronaldo redefined modern football with his forward play. Unfortunately, recurrent knee injuries prevented him from becoming the greatest player of all time. Ronaldo played for Brazil in 98 matches, scoring 62 goals, and is the third-highest all-time goalscorer for his national team.

The striker was also a member of the Brazil squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He almost single handedly led Brazil to the final of the 1998 World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball. Ronaldo led Brazil to victory at the 2002 World Cup as well by scoring an astonishing eight goals, and won the Golden Boot award.

Ronaldo held the record for the most goals at the FIFA World Cup with 15, until he was surpassed by German striker Miroslav Klose during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Additionally, he also led Brazil to victory in the 1997 and 1999 Copa America.

#1 Pele

Pele is considered by many as the greatest of all-time in world football

Widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, Pele revolutionized the game of football with his style of play. He led his country through a phase of dominance that no team has managed to achieve since. To this day, Pele remains one of the most popular figures in world football.

During his international career, he led Brazil to glory at three FIFA World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970. The record made him the only player to win three World Cups. Pelé is Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer with 77 goals in 92 games.

Neymar is closing in on Pele for Brazil’s leading all-time goalscorer 👀🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/OEZEbJfaCW

— Goal (@goal) June 18, 2021

His career total of 1,2 goals in 1,363 games, which included friendlies, is recognized as a Guinness World record. During the peak of his career, Pele was the highest paid athlete in the world.