Real legend overtaken! Brazil jewel back on track

When the Brazilian national team gathers for the World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Uruguay, the squad will also include a name who, despite his 17 years, has already caused quite a stir in world football: Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa, Endrick for short!

Real Madrid secured the services of the teenager from Palmeiras last December, which could cost Los Blancos up to 72 million euros. The Spaniards pay 35 million euros immediately, 12 million euros are the tax costs and 25 million euros can follow through bonus payments. According to Brazilian media, the nomination for the Selecao will result in an initial additional payment of 2.5 million euros. The most expensive transfer of a player under 18!

However, if the reports that he has already been described as the new Pelé are true, the amount would be a bargain. However, the person so praised made this comparison in an interview GQ Brazil already rejected himself. “No one will be Pelé, he is the king of football.”

Despite his youth, the boy from Taguatinga, around 20 km west of the capital Brasilia, seems surprisingly calm. “But now I can’t do anything, I can’t ask people not to talk about my life,” he tries to come to terms with the situation. But he also learned a lesson from this: “I used to pay attention to what people said about me. Not anymore. I like the videos on TikTok, but if there’s something about me, I don’t watch it.”

But it wasn’t just the media that showed the budding Real star the dark side of football. Football has also shown him the downside of success. Shortly after signing with Real Madrid, the talent fell into a performance slump.

After ten games in a row, the pressure became too much in February. After being substituted against RB Bragantino, the youngster burst into tears on the bench.

“Yes, it’s true, he covered his face because he was crying,” Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira said after the match, adding: “There’s a lot of pressure on him to score five or six goals and he’s trying to to deal with it yourself. The target will appear at the right time. You just have to be calm and keep smiling.”

During this time there were also rumors that he was undergoing therapy, which Palmeiras’ number nine vehemently denied. “There was an article a few days ago that said I was going to therapy, but that’s a lie. The press doesn’t know what’s going on and publishes it. But I can’t do anything. If I deny everything they say, I won’t do anything else.”

The super talent has now found his way back to his top form. At the beginning of November he almost single-handedly led his team to a 4-3 win against title rivals Botafogo. After 36 minutes, Endrick and Co. were already 0-3 behind. But in the second round the youngster was unstoppable. He reduced the score to 2-3 with a brace and then set up José Manuel López’s equalizer. The now 17-year-old was only not involved in the winning goal.

In fact, Endrick has scored four goals in the last four league games, bringing his total to nine goals this season. In doing so, he scratched the record of none other than Neymar. Since 2009, no player aged 17 has scored nine goals in the Brazilian championship. Neymar scored ten goals in the Santos jersey.

However, Endrick has written his name in the history books for his club Palmeiras. At 16 years, two months and 15 days, he is the youngest ever debutant in the Palmeiras jersey, and he also grabbed the title for youngest goalscorer (16 years, three months, four days).

He is also the only Palmeiras player to win titles at all levels. In addition to the Brazilian championship, he triumphed in the Sao Paulo Junior Cup, the Brazilian U20 League and the U17 Cup. In addition, Endrick, who joined Palmeiras at the age of ten, had already won the Paulista Championship U11, U13 and U15.

At Real Madrid you can look forward to the arrival of the prodigy. On July 21, 2024, his 18th birthday, the Brazilian will finally slip into the white jersey and will form the Brazilian offensive trio of the future with Vinicus Junior and Rodrygo. In the coming days he will be able to exchange ideas with his future Real colleagues at the Brazilian national team.

A former Real legend has already overtaken Endrick. With his nomination, the 17-year-old became Brazil’s third-youngest international player, pushing Ronaldo, known as “Il Fenomeno” in Brazil, into fourth place.

Pelé remains the youngest player of all time. But according to Endrick, as the king of football, he is also unattainable.