EXCLUSIVEEndrick was the planet's HOTTEST teenager with 170 goals in 172 games before his 16th birthday... now two years later he's Brazil's star after sealing 1-0 win over England and is on his way to Real Madrid for £52m
- Endrick has already signed for Real Madrid for £52million before even turning 18
- The teenage wonderkid scored the only goal of the game as Brazil beat England
- England's Euro 2004 team was incredible on paper but they didn't win. Can this crop do it this summer? Listen to the It's All Kicking Off podcast
Saturday night saw Brazil pull off a first win over England at Wembley in 29 years, and they had one man - or teenager - to thank.
Second-half substitute Endrick scored the only goal of the game in the 80th minute, and it might be the easiest goal he ever scores with tap-in in front of an open net from a few yards out.
But it is a moment the 17-year-old will never forget; his first goal for Brazil in just his third senior appearance for the Selecao.
It is the latest in a series of signs that Endrick is the next great hope of Brazilian football - not least the fact that he was snapped up by Real Madrid for some £52.5million, the player joining this summer when he turns 18.
Back in July 2022, Mail Sport's SAMI MOKBEL got the first UK newspaper interview with the Brazilian wonderkid as he prepared to sign his first ever professional contract, which you can read below.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/24/09/82828069-11033485-image-a-33_1711274177340.jpg)
Endrick scored the only goal of the game as Brazil beat England 1-0 at Wembley on Saturday
![It might be the easiest goal he will ever score, tapping home into an empty net from a few yards](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/24/09/82827463-11033485-image-a-25_1711271867517.jpg)
It might be the easiest goal he will ever score, tapping home into an empty net from a few yards
![Despite only being 17 years old still his career has been followed throughout Brazil, so highly regarded is he](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/24/09/82827461-11033485-image-a-27_1711271892511.jpg)
Despite only being 17 years old still his career has been followed throughout Brazil, so highly regarded is he
Thursday is big for Endrick - world football’s most sought after teenager.
He turns 16; a major milestone in any young man’s life but even more so for a player hailed as a generational talent in Brazil.
That’s because he can legally sign a professional playing contract with Palmeiras, the club that gave him and his poverty-stricken family the opportunity of a better life.
He’ll sign the landmark deal in full view of Brazil’s assembled media, whose infatuation with the kid they view as the next Neymar already at stratospheric levels.
Having scored a reported 170 goals in 172 games, you get the hysteria.
He hasn’t played a single minute of senior football yet, but there are some in Brazil who want him named in Tite’s squad for the World Cup.
That is, of course, unlikely but it provides a flavour of exactly how highly he is regarded.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/24/09/82828081-11033485-image-a-41_1711274264438.jpg)
Endrick, hailed a generational talent in Brazil, could legally sign a playing contract once he turned 16
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The youngster would sign for Palmeiras, who saved him and his family from poverty in Brazil
And, two days before his 16th birthday, Endrick is speaking exclusively to Mail Sport from his family home in Sao Paulo for what is his first interview with a UK newspaper.
Ordinarily there wouldn’t be this level of interest in a prospect signing his first pro deal. But this isn’t an ordinary kid.
Name a club and they want to sign Endrick. Real Madrid? Yes. Barcelona? Yes. Paris Saint-Germain? Yes. Manchester City? Yes. Liverpool? Yes. Chelsea? Yes. Manchester United? Yes. We could go on.
Interestingly, Endrick’s all-time hero is Cristiano Ronaldo; United will hope that gives them the edge as the scramble to sign the wonderkid gets underway.
Unfortunately for Palmeiras, they’ll only have a limited window to enjoy Endrick’s talents.
He’ll sign for one of Europe’s elite clubs, almost certainly by the time he turns 18.
Indeed, he’s already featured on the front page of renowned Spanish newspaper Marca three times, while Gary Lineker branded Endrick a ‘special talent’ as he posted a video of the 5ft 6ins forward scoring with an outrageous overhead bicycle kick from the edge of the area.
‘How do I cope with the hype? I try to remember that I’m very young,’ explains Endrick.
![Endrick had scored a reported 170 goals in 172 games and is touted as the next Neymar](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/07/20/21/60508511-11033291-image-a-17_1658350010882.jpg)
Endrick had scored a reported 170 goals in 172 games and is touted as the next Neymar
![The forward told Mail Sport that he wants to have as much fun as possible playing football](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/07/20/21/60508519-11033291-image-a-18_1658350017198.jpg)
The forward told Mail Sport that he wants to have as much fun as possible playing football
![He was named player of the tournament at the 2022 'Copinha' - an Under 21 competition](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/07/20/22/60508523-11033485-He_was_named_player_of_the_tournament_at_this_year_s_Copinha_an_-a-1_1658354016666.jpg)
He was named player of the tournament at the 2022 'Copinha' - an Under 21 competition
‘I try to remember I’m still a child and that it’s only a game. I don’t want to take it overly seriously.
‘Yes, I want to be serious about my career but during the game I want to have as much fun as possible.’
Hopefully he never loses that youthful innocence, though Endrick has already experienced the external pressures that accompanies success.
Endrick was named player of the tournament at this year’s ‘Copinha’ - Brazil’s most prestigious youth competition.
The fact Endrick was aged just 15 playing in an Under 21 tournament brings his performances into sharper focus - and sent the hype into overdrive.
‘I think the Copinha was the moment I realised I’m doing things more advanced than is expected,’ he explained.
‘Even though I’m used to playing with older kids, I’m not a protagonist to believe I’m special.
‘But because of this tournament, I saw that no other player had done this before at my age. That’s when it came together in my mind.’
![Endrick hailed ex-Manchester United and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol growing up](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/07/20/21/60508549-11033291-image-a-20_1658350120704.jpg)
Endrick hailed ex-Manchester United and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol growing up
Out-performing his elders isn’t new to Endrick. As a schoolboy, he’d play against boys much older than him to the point where games in his own age group became too easy - so easy that he banned himself from using his dominant left foot.
But Endrick’s rise to fame is a far cry from what was the toughest of upbringings.
Raised in poverty in Brazil’s capital city Brasilia, the fame and fortune of professional football seemed a world away.
Dad Douglas and mother Cinitia were constants, but the lack of a steady income meant Endrick often went hungry.
'I could not attend some training sessions because we did not have enough money for the bus fare,’ recalled Endrick.
‘That was an issue, knowing that I was missing sessions but there was no solution because we didn’t have the money.
‘It’s been a long and very difficult journey for me and I know only a minority of players who start the journey I am on complete it.’
As is often the case for many young Brazilians, Endrick saw football as his family's route out of hardship.
Endrick was making a name for himself locally - but even then the cost of playing was proving a financial strain.
![Palmeiras were first in Brazil's Serie A - two points clear with 17 games played - at the time of the interview](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/07/20/21/60508553-11033291-image-a-21_1658350134160.jpg)
Palmeiras were first in Brazil's Serie A - two points clear with 17 games played - at the time of the interview
‘In Brasilia there are no big clubs - just football schools with affiliations to clubs from Sao Paulo and Rio,’ he said.
‘You can pay to attend the schools, but we didn’t have the money so I had to go on trial.’
Eventually, Endrick, aged 11 at the time, was offered a six-month trial with Palmeiras - a club located 600 miles away from home.
At first father Douglas insisted the family would not uproot to Sao Paulo to effectively gamble on his son’s success.
But a resolution, that saw Douglas become Palmeiras’ first-team janitor, was found for Endrick to join the club’s academy.
Douglas’ time within the confines of Palmeiras’ dressing room proved an eye-opener - and to this day the father regales his son with examples of how players reacted to certain behavioural traits from colleagues as he seeks to warn Endrick about the pitfalls of an over-inflated ego.
![Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira oversaw Endrick's first ever professional deal at the club](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/07/20/21/60508559-11033291-image-m-23_1658350463912.jpg)
Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira oversaw Endrick's first ever professional deal at the club
Former Bayern Munich star Ze Roberto, who was part of the Palmeiras squad while Douglas was janitor, now acts as a mentor to Endrick as he transitions into senior football.
But the real driving force behind Endrick’s rise to superstardom is Endrick himself - the boy from Brasilia with the world at his feet.
‘I know I’m not there yet, I know I have a lot of work to do,’ he added.
‘I thank God, I have to keep humble and remember the difficulties I’ve gone through - it gives me strength to carry on.’
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