Brazil defeated England in a friendly match

The Brazilian national team, which failed last year, won the first match under the leadership of new coach Dorival Junior in a friendly match with another giant – the English team – at Wembley. It was brought to the Brazilians by their new prodigy, 17-year-old Endrik, who scored the only goal in the end.

The match at the main British stadium became for all the media resources that covered it an occasion to remind who this Brazilian guy was, who entered the field in the second half, and soon found himself in front of the goal to receive a soft pass from Vinicius, who had made a cool breakthrough, and send him to them the ball. We were talking about an exceptional character.

Brazilian football lately, it seems, is not as often as before producing not just talented (there are still plenty of these) players, but with absolutely extraordinary talent, shining from childhood. But Endric Felipe Moreira de Souza, whose full name is naturally shortened for convenience, is definitely from this exclusive category. The graduate of the Palmeiras club academy was talked about as a miracle prodigy in Europe soon after he traveled with the Brazilian national team to France in 2022 for an international tournament for football players under 16 years of age, and scored five goals there. Soon after him, the club included the schoolboy in the team, despite the fact that he had decent competition in the attack line, and agents took Endrik to Chelsea for a trial. But something didn’t work out there. But at the same time, Real Madrid, which became interested in him, promptly signed a contract with the forward. More precisely, a kind of futures. Brazilian players are prohibited from joining European clubs until they are 18, which is what Endrick will turn on July 21. That is, next summer he will presumably end up at Real Madrid next to the same Vinicius.

There are different versions about how much Endrick cost Madrid. According to Transfermarkt, the deal amounted to €45 million. But some sources suggest that taking into account bonuses it could be higher. In any case, these figures, which seem relatively modest, given that hundred-million-dollar transfers are no longer particularly surprising to anyone on the market, are not worth paying attention to. The valuation could jump up sharply after Endrick shows himself at the top level.

And he has already taken some steps in the right direction. Endrick joined the Brazilian national team – an adult team, not a youth team – last year. Her former coach Fernanda Diniz used the striker as a substitute in November’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina.

But at that time, much more pressing than the appearance of the prodigy was another topic – the terrible game of the Brazilian national team, in which any accompanying ones instantly dissolved, like ice in boiling water. In that qualification, she lost both in the matches with Endrik’s participation and before them – to the Uruguayans. And even earlier I made a draw with the weak Venezuelans. In general, a terrible crisis by the standards of a grandee, which resulted in the resignation of the coach.

The debut of Dorival Junior, who was appointed to replace Fernando Diniz, turned out to be simply fabulous. The England team was missing in the match with the Brazilians due to injuries to a number of key players, including, say, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka. But still, success in confronting her at Wembley is a cool achievement, definitely lifting your spirits and adding self-confidence. For Endrik, thanks to the goal (it could have been the second, by the way, but English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford withstood being shot at almost point-blank range) – even more so. After all, there have never been players younger than him who have distinguished themselves at Wembley.

And in the history of the Brazilian national team, there were only three goal scorers younger than Endrick. He scored at 17 years, 8 months and 3 days. Endrik fell short of 16-year-old Edu and, of course, the king of football Pele, and also – just a little, less than a month – Ronaldo, the forward nicknamed the Phenomenon, who, having broken into the Brazilian national team in the early 1990s, then shone in Barcelona, ​​Inter, Real Madrid, received prestigious individual awards, including the Golden Ball.

However, the famous English football player Joe Cole, who talked about the match on the BBC, compared Endrick with another gorgeous Brazilian forward, older than Ronaldo, Romario: also short, he is also amazingly able to deal with opponents in tiny areas of the field, unexpectedly pushing the ball past them. “What a constant expression of happiness,” Cole added a small but important touch to the hero’s portrait. It is a fact that Brazilian footballers only become great if they play with a smile on their face.

Alexey Dospehov