Superstition has always been a big part of sports. In a strange attempt to deter the Seleção, Peruvian religious practitioners have taken to rituals and the power that be. The reward of these rituals? To limit Neymar Jr. and Brazil in their upcoming World Cup qualifier against Peru.

The former PSG star achieved a historic milestone by surpassing Pele’s national record after netting twice against Bolivia on Friday. In hopes of neutralizing the threat, indigenous supporters in Peru conducted prayers and rituals before the game.

Religious practitioners perform rituals to stop the Brazilian star

Peruvian shamans performed ceremonies and cast prayers to Tayta Inti (Father Sun) seeking blessings for their country’s success in the second stage of the CONMEBOL qualifiers. Peruvian fans acknowledge that Neymar has the potential to run riot at Lima’s national stadium this Tuesday.  Nevertheless, to aid the heart, if not the mind, shamans performed unique rituals to prevent the Barcelona icon from scoring in the match.

One of the shamans, Felix Rondan remarked, “We neutralize Neymar by tying his feet. We tie him so he doesn’t have a physique, doesn’t run, and doesn’t play well. We did a special ritual so that his mind becomes clouded and cannot achieve what he is looking for, which are goals.”

The shamans manifested their deeply held beliefs in an attempt to thwart the Brazilian maestro. They draped a brown cloth over a picture of Neymar, bound his left leg, and positioned a sword over his right leg.

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Meanwhile, Neymar surpassed his predecessor Pele with a national record in the previous game of the South American qualifiers.

Neymar eclipsed Pele as the top scorer in Brazil

Al Hilal’s new forward became the highest-scoring player in Brazil’s history, tallying an impressive 79 goals. The 31-year-old overtook Pele, who had 78 goals in his international career. Neymar received the career milestone after netting a brace in the 61 and 93 minute against Bolivia. Pele’s record had stood for 52 years.

The Brazilian winger’s triumph played a pivotal role in the team’s 5-1 victory in the inaugural game of the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign. Currently, Brazil tops the group standing with Uruguay and Argentina positioned below in the table. Consequently, soccer fans were hopeful that Brazil would secure a thrilling victory against Peru in the second round before the conclusion of the international break.

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