The 17-year-old may lack in experience, but he has already shown he can be the answer to the Selecao's striker woes
A look at the stats suggested that Endrick didn't play that well against England. In 19 minutes, he touched the ball six times, completed just one of three passes, committed one foul, lost a ground duel, and didn't create a chance. But, crucially, in a drab slog of a contest, the 17-year-old found the back of the net – scoring the winning goal in a testy 1-0 victory.
Having a central striker who can provide game-changing moments has been an admittedly rare occurrence for the Selecao in recent times, whose struggles with No.9s have been well-documented at this point. You'd have to go back nearly 20 years – to the days of Ronaldo – to find the last reliable central striker to don the famous yellow kit. Since then, various strikers have come and gone, none of them able to hold down the starting spot or make a consistent impact at the highest level.
It is in that context that Endrick has emerged. Not yet 18, and without a single goal outside of South America, the soon-to-be Real Madrid forward is the most raw, yet the most talented, forward to come out of this great footballing nation since Neymar.
He is largely unproven and untested at the highest level, and presumably won't even start when he lands in Madrid in July. But for a Brazil side that needs an attacking impetus, a new star to lead the line, Endrick should be made indispensable – starting with the Copa America this summer.
Getty ImagesHistoric issues with strikers
Brazil, in many ways, are still scarred by the premature end to Ronaldo's top-level career. Injuries robbed the great striker – who had already reached immense heights – of what should have been a stratospheric second-half of his career. Since the mid-2000s, the Selecao, and country at large, have been seeking the next striker to assume his mantle.
Many have tried. Adriano burned brightly but briefly; Robinho flirted with stardom; Alexandre Pato came close. Most recently, Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison and Rodrygo have all had their moments. And although the latter three are all excellent footballers in their own right, none are top-level goal-scorers. They have all, in fact, spoken of the pressures that come with playing as a No.9 for the Brazilian national team. This is starting to look like an impossible job.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesEndrick's emergence
And it is in that landscape that Endrick has emerged. Dubbed, at just 15, as being 'the next Pele', the Palmeiras striker has been tabbed for stardom for years. The race to secure his signature was played out in public, as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and countless others leveraged the might of their South American scouting networks to entice the Brazilian to their clubs.
Madrid won the race, their Brazilian-laden team, as well as a handsome €60 million (£52m/$64m) fee, proving enough to secure South American football's next big star. Expectations soon skyrocketed, and despite an up-and-down first full season at senior level in Brazil, during which he scored 11 goals in 31 league games, Endrick received a call-up to his national side in November 2023. Still, he hardly played as a struggling Brazil side lost back-to-back World Cup qualifiers.
And that might have been it. It might just not have been Endrick's time. That is, until new manager Dorival Jr decided to keep Endrick in the fold for the March friendlies against England and Spain. Already hailed as the next big thing – and laden in the kind of Gucci outfits to back it up – the hype went into overdrive.
Getty ImagesFew other options
It might seem hasty to ask so much of a player so young – no matter how good he is. But for a Brazil team in a state of transition, they have few other places to go. Richarlison has starred in moments for the national team, but his achievements outside one of the best goals of the 2022 World Cup have been limited. Jesus, meanwhile, has been open about his lack of confidence in front of goal, and Rodrygo, remains adamant in his assertion that he is not a natural striker.
Endrick is, then, the most obvious, and natural No.9 in the pool. Although he can play anywhere in the front three, Endrick is at his best stretching the defence as a central striker, and carrying the ball on the counter. Most importantly, though, he is deadly in front of goal, and possesses the crucial positional awareness that all prolific strikers have. That alone makes him unlike anyone Dorival can turn to to lead the line.
Getty ImagesTactical fit
And perhaps he makes the most sense when the Selecao are trying to piece a functional team together. Dorival prefers something resembling a standard 4-3-3, relying on two wingers to stretch the defence – or make runs in behind – and one central player to link things in the middle. Against England, Rodrygo operated as a false nine, with Vinicius Jr on one side and Raphinha on the other. It didn't quite function in a traditional manner, but with pace to burn in that forward line, Brazil were still dangerous on the break at Wembley.
Throw Endrick into the mix, and things could definitely improve. Vinicius would seem to be a shoo-in on the left, while using Endrick centrally could offer Rodrygo the opportunity to play on the right-wing, where he has been at his best for Real Madrid in the last 18 months.
Such is Endrick's versatility, he could operate within the system in multiple ways, but if Brazil are to become a dangerous counter-attacking force, with a physical midfield trio of Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta holding everything together, then Endrick seems to be the perfect player to lead that line.
