The combination of the numbers 1 and 7 has great significance in the history of Brazilian football. Not so much because of the 7-1 defeat against Germany at the 2014 World Cup, which the Brazilians would like to forget. But because of the teenagers who caused a sensation at the age of 17 in the canary yellow uniform of the national team. Edson Arantes do Nascimento alias Pelé should be mentioned, as well as Ronaldo Luíz Nazário da Lima alias Ronaldo, the real one or the fat one – two legends who were allowed to touch the World Cup trophy when they had not yet reached the legal minimum age for watching adult films : Pelé in Sweden 1958, Ronaldo in the USA 1994.
Now Brazil can present the next minor who meets all the requirements craque to be: Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa, called “Endrick”, who was born on July 21, 2006 in a place called Taguatinga, near Brasília – four years after the last of Brazil’s five World Cup titles.
Real Madrid secured Endrick’s services for the future months ago. Spain’s record champions signed the 1.73 meter tall, surprisingly beefy striker from SE Palmeiras (São Paulo) for a fee of 45 million euros. In Spain’s capital, anticipation has increased since Tuesday. Because Endrick appeared for the first time at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, which will only become his home from July. And in the extremely heated friendly match against Spain (3:3) he not only overshadowed Barcelona’s brilliant winger Lamine Yamal, 16, but also Leipzig’s Dani Olmo and his brilliant goal.
Olmo tunneled through two Brazilian defenders in the penalty area and put the ball into the net with a shot that made it 2-0 (36′). But Endrick countered: five minutes after coming on as a substitute, he made it 2-2 (50′). The fact that Rodri (Manchester City) scored the remaining Spanish goals with two penalty kicks (12th/87th) and that Rodrygo (Real Madrid/40th) and Paquetá (West Ham/90th + 6th) also became a minor matter with a penalty kick, scored for Brazil.
Because Endrick not only scored a remarkable volley, he also boosted his reputation. He had already scored for the Seleção for the first time on Saturday in Brazil’s 1-0 win in England. To have scored two goals in four international matches as a 17-year-old is already worthy of honor. But to have achieved that within four days, and also at Wembley and the Bernabéu – that suggests that Endrick is actually made for the biggest temples in world football. He is also the youngest player to ever score in an international match at Wembley.
The goals won’t ease the pressure. But he accepts that. In a long interview with Brazil’s trade magazine Placar – which had already put him on the cover when he was still 15 – Endrick demanded to be “treated not like a boy, but like an adult”. He receives psychological support “from God and from my family.” And anyway, he said: “I want to be an idol.” There’s only one thing he won’t be able to do: become world champion at 17. The next World Cup will not take place until 2026.